Mathew Scholtz and the Westby Racing team wrapped up the two-round West Coast swing in the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and unfortunately, it was a weekend that Mathew and the team would just as soon forget.

The event had three Superbike races on the schedule, and in Saturday’s race one, Mathew, who had qualified fifth earlier in the day, got into a battle for third, but he had a big crash in Rainey Curve with just two laps to go in the race. The incident brought out the red flag, and the race was called complete. Mathew ended up bruised and battered, and he had a restless night as a result

On Sunday, the topnotch Westby Racing crew had Mathew’s #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 re-built and ready to go, but Mathew himself was still sore from Saturday’s crash. He shook off the difficulties and managed to finish seventh in the morning warmup session.

Then, in Sunday morning’s race, the second of three on the weekend, Mathew finished sixth, which was a decent result, all things considered, but not where he and the team hoped to finish.

In Sunday’s afternoon race, the third and concluding race of the weekend, Mathew unfortunately ran off the track on lap seven, which took him out of seventh place and into tenth. From there, he fought valiant for position and ultimately crossed the finish line in eighth.

So, all told, it was a DNF, a sixth, and an eighth for Mathew and the team. The results also moved Mathew from fourth to fifth in the points standings.

“Well, that didn’t quite go the way we hoped,” Mathew said. “I banged myself up pretty good in Saturday’s race one, and I also created some extra work for the boys, which I am sorry about. Sunday’s two races were tough, and I did all I could given my physical condition and the circumstances. Tryg Westby, our team, our sponsors, and I expect to be at the front, and that’s why we race. To not be able to deliver on that hurts more than these bumps and bruises. But, we are a strong group who pull together, and I know Tryg and the boys are behind me 100%. We’ve got some time till the next round, so I will recover, get stronger, and we’ll be more determined than ever for these final four rounds of the season.”

The Westby Racing team will take the much-needed break in the schedule to re-group, and then, they will return to action on July 28 through 30 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, for round six of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Jake Gagne – Yamaha – 217
2. Cameron Beaubier – BMW – 183
3. Josh Herrin – Ducati – 178
4. Richie Escalante – Suzuki – 127
5. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 119

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com