Mathew Scholtz and the Westby Racing team had high hopes on Sunday morning at Barber Motorsports Park that they would finish the 2022 MotoAmerica season with another podium finish, which would have given them a dozen race results inside the top three for the year. Unfortunately, a technical issue with the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 thwarted the plan, and Mathew did well to finish the race with a fifth-place result.

Starting from the third position on the front row of the grid, Mathew was overtaken by Danilo Petrucci on the opening lap. Hounding Petrucci for the next several laps, Mathew managed to get back around Petrucci and retake third on lap five. Petrucci quickly passed Mathew again on the next lap, though, and The Scholtz Kid realized he had a problem with his bike. On lap 11, PJ Jacobsen overtook Mathew, relegating him to fifth, and that was the position he remained in until the checkered flag. 

“I had a small issue with the bike during the race, and it affected my ability to move towards the front,” Mathew said. “I did what I could, but I was only able to finish fifth. It’s not the result that the Westby team and I had hoped for, but given the circumstances, I should be satisfied with fifth. I need to look on the bright side and realize that the result could have been much worse. I had hoped to be able to finish the season in the top three in points, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

After a much-deserved rest, Mathew and the Westby Racing team will begin working towards the start of the 2023 MotoAmerica Championship. They plan to begin their off-season testing program in the coming months, so look for more information to come.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

1. Jake Gagne – Yamaha – 376
2. Danilo Petrucci – Ducati – 356
3. Cameron Petersen – Yamaha – 304
4. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 286
5. Hector Barbera – BMW – 190

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