Following up their two Superbike podium results at Brainerd International Raceway, Mathew Scholtz and the Westby Racing team notched two more podium results this weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. In fact, Mathew and the team exactly matched the results from Brainerd with a third-place result on Saturday and a runner-up result on Sunday, perfectly illustrating the team’s and the rider’s collective ability to improve as the race weekends progress.

On Sunday, Mathew lined up on the front row in third position, got a good jump at the start, and maintained his third-place position for the first four laps. On lap five, he overtook Toni Elias for third and focused on catching race leader Jake Gagne. As the laps wound down, Mathew managed to cut into Jake’s gap at the front, but there just weren’t enough laps left in the 17-lap race, and he ultimately took the runner-up result at the checkered flag.

Mathew commented:
“Overnight, we made a decent TC (Traction Control) change and just one or two torque changes to try to get it out of the corner better. Yesterday, I was just spinning up way too much, so we softened it slightly and made one or two TC changes to get it to hook up better. I felt like it definitely did in today’s race. It felt pretty cool doing mid-41’s during the morning warm up. I kind of knew that I had a decent pace. We were doing 40’s, which was a little bit of a surprise to me. I followed Toni for a couple laps, got past him, and Jake was only maybe three or four seconds ahead. I put in a couple of heater laps, and I closed in on Jake slightly, but then, he obviously noticed that the gap on his board was getting smaller, and he turned it back up. So, kudos to him. Overall, I was really happy just to ride my own pace, my own rhythm, and show that we can be up there challenging. We just need to try to get with Jake for those first couple of laps, and we might be able to do something at the end. But, right now, Jake is riding incredibly well. Well done to Bob (Fong, who finished third). I feel like both of us should have been winning this year, but it seems like things weren't really working out for us. It seems like we’re kind of finding our way back to where we should be. So, overall, I’m just happy to be back up here. I’ve got to give a huge thanks to the Westby Racing team. There’s a three-week break now. I get to go and see my wife who I haven’t seen in six or seven months, so I’m really happy about that. It’s going to really make me feel better going to Jersey and to Barber having that time with my special person (his wife Kiara). It’s kind of been a difficult year staying by myself with no family and stuff.”

Ed Sullivan, Westby Racing Crew Chief, said:
"It was a really strong weekend for Westby Racing. I feel today was our best race of the season so far. We made some changes overnight, and took another small step after warm up, all aimed at improving drive grip. Just as he did at Brainerd, Mathew showed what he’s capable of, and the next two rounds can’t come soon enough.”

Chuck Giacchetto, Westby Racing Team Manager, said:
“What did I tell you yesterday? Tune in! I was locked to the monitor on pit road today. This was as sweet as our win at Road Atlanta in the first race of the year. Mathew has proven yet again that he is more than capable of running up front with a vengeance. I am extremely proud of the entire team.

“Overnight, Ed and Herschel (Auxier) went to work and from Mat’s feedback, we were able to give him an even more impressive weapon for today’s race. In my opinion, man and machine arrived as one in race two. I hope the entire team feels great about their performance because they were ‘great.’ Special thanks to the diehard MotoAmerica fans. We love all the support you provide.”

Next up for Westby Racing is round eight of the MotoAmerica Championship, which will take place at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, on September 10 through 12.

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
1. Jake Gagne – Yamaha – 325
2. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 232
3. Cameron Petersen – Suzuki – 184

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