June 2 2015
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – Scottish Canadian Roadrace Factory rider Ben Young not only achieved his first ever MotoAmerica Supersport podium this past weekend at Road America with a 3rd place finish, he got to share the podium with some very special people.
Unseasonable weather conditions this past weekend normally wouldn’t phase the hearty young Scot who’s lived in Canada since 2007. However, adding the power of a Roadrace Factory prepared Yamaha YZFR6 to a cold wet track was going to make for an interesting weekend.
Young and the team struggled to get a good cold weather dry setup during Friday’s morning’s Supersport practice. The team made additional changes to the set up but missed the mark with Young achieving a provisional 10th on the MotoAmerica Supersport grid.
During the second qualifying session on the track known as the ‘four miles of fun’ Young was fourth fastest yet was unable to better his time from the previous day. Young was optimistic about the wet set up his team had made to his #86 Roadrace Factory prepared Yamaha YZFR6.
The resident of Thornbury Ontario has recently struggled with getting a good start so far this season but got off the line in well in Saturday’s wet feature Supersport race. With his experience racing in cooler and often wet conditions last year in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) Superstock class Young new consistency, patience and keeping his R6 on two wheels was going to make the difference to get him within striking distance of the lead group.
With front runner Garrett Gerloff succumbing to the wet track conditions, Roadrace Factory teammates Tomás Puerta and Cameron Petersen began to challenge for the lead. Petersen would eventually open up a small lead on Josh Herrin and teammate Puerta, yet Petersen would also succumb to the conditions but quickly remounted. Young was hungry to join the battle at the front on behalf of his team and doggedly worked his way forward.
Young swapped spots on and off with JD Beach and would eventually cross the finish line in 3rd behind teammate Puerta and closely followed by Beach. This would be Young’s highest finish to date in the series and his first podium of the year.
"I couldn’t feel my right hand for the last five laps - it was that cold!" said Young. "I was extra stoked to be on the podium with my teammate Tomás and my good friend Josh. In previous years I have always run to cheer for Josh on the podium from the sidelines. This time I got to celebrate right beside him!”
Young didn’t fair quite as well during the second Supersport race on Sunday but at least the sun was shining to help offset the cold temperatures. Young struggled with handling throughout the race and would cross the line in 9th.
“We worked hard on our dry setup in the cold and we just didn't get what we wanted.” said Young. “We rolled the dice for the race and I managed to better my qualifying time significantly but it wasn’t enough to get to the front.”
After this past weekend’s results Young now sits in 6th overall in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship standings, behind Tomás Puerta and David Anthony who are tied for 4th in the points.
MotoAmerica Round 4 from Road America will air on Sunday, June 7, at 2:00 PM EST with a replay later that day at 5:00 PM EST, and a second replay on Monday, June 8, at 2:00 AM EST.
Young is thankful for the support of the RoadRace Factory team‘s partners and is proud to represent his personal sponsors; Scot-Build Developments Inc., Tim Hortons (Sudbury), AXO America and Bell Helmets.
To connect with Ben Young visit: http://www.fogi.us, on Twitter: @bcyoung86, and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing
To learn more about the RoadRace Factory team visit: http://www.roadracefactory.com, on twitter: @RoadRaceFactory and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RoadRaceFactory
Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available with Ben Young, a team member of RoadRace Factory, one of the most visible and marketable teams in the MotoAmerica paddock.
Contact: Scott at: benyoungracing @ hotmail.com or Mike at: motorsports @ infinetdesigns.com for more information.