A Hot Weekend of Racing in Austin, Texas

Traveling to Texas to photograph a MotoAmerica event at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) is always fun but brings with it intense heat and humidity. This year was business as usual, with 99 degrees and 63% humidity! Everyone in the paddock and the loyal fans hunkered down to enjoy the races while trying to stay hydrated and cool.

Race 1 in the Steel Commander Superbike class did not disappoint fans, corner workers, or us. Saturday afternoon saw three excellent riders battling it out for the win. We were able to catch the action from Turn 13 as #2 Josh Herrin on the Warhorse Ducati Panigale V4R, #6 Cameron Beaubier on his Tytler’s BMW M1000 RR, and #40 Sean Dylan Kelly also on a BMW M1000 RR challenged each other lap after lap.

#6 Cameron Beaubier closing in on #2 Josh Herrin in turn 13; Beaubier for the winning pass.

The Superbike action had all of the talent and exhilaration of a Moto2 race, Cameron and Sean Dylan having been teammates in prior years while competing in the MotoGP series. Josh Herrin is currently leading by 46 points going into the last race of the season in New Jersey. Next year’s champion will be anyone’s guess as these top riders continue to keep the pressure on each other.

A three-way battle at the front of the pack on Saturday.

With #6 Cameron Beaubier taking the win on Saturday in Race 1 and on Sunday in Race 3, he has come back from his heel injury earlier in the season at Road America. #50 Bobby Fong is currently in third position for the season, but #40 Sean Dylan Kelley has a passion for winning and won’t be dismissed. Kelly took the top podium spot on Sunday morning in Race #2, this being his first MotoAmerica win in the Superbike Class. His win was made all the more special because his fairing was decorated by the children of the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. Sean stated that he plans to auction this piece of memorabilia for the charity in the near future.

#40 Sean Dylan Kelly’s livery.

The Supersport class was no less exciting on both Saturday and Sunday as well. A racing incident with Rahal Ducati’s #15 PJ Jacobsen in Turn 1 saw Strack Racing’s #11 Mathew Scholtz having to try to catch the pack from behind. The bike took the brunt of the kerfuffle and Mathew finished the race. Sunday was to be his day to take the win though, as PJ, while charging hard, experienced his front end wash and went down. Mathew has the lead for the championship heading into New Jersey by 39 points but it’s anyone’s game. The last two races will determine the season ending’s championship positions.

#11 Mathew Scholtz showing the damage of his incident in turn 1; A much happier Mathew after his Sunday win.

Rahal Ducati rider #23 Corey Alexander is racing well on his new team and will be one to watch in the mix of talent and experience in 2025. He may have escaped some fan’s attention, but he is definitely on our radar! Corey’s livery is a paddock favorite as is his friendly nature. COTA is a challenging track and MotoAmerica fans are perhaps the biggest in Texas!

Barb Nickless

*Photos by Geoff Nickless

#23 Corey Alexander’s leopard livery had the WOW factor at COTA; “Leopard Man” chilling in an ice bath after his hard-earned 4th place finish in the stifling heat.

*Top article photo- Superbike points leader #2 Josh Herrin being hunted by #40 Sean Dylan Kelly in Race 1.