Having just missed making it into Tissot-Superpole Geoff May, Aaron Yates and Team Hero EBR were optimistic of securing a strong finish and after two hard fought races they were rewarded for their continued perseverance with two solid race results.
With the sun beating down on the Californian track for race one, both Team Hero EBR riders maintained their positions off the start before being involved in their own personal race long battles. Aaron retired on lap 14 while Geoff on the other hand continued to swap places with the riders around him until the flag, eventually finishing in 18th. Claiming one of his best result so far this year and once again narrowly missing out on a point scoring finish the mood in the garage ahead of race two was one of optimism.
By the time race two was due to start the Californian sun was scorching the Laguna Seca tarmac meaning the correct tyre choice for the final 25 lap encounter would be crucial. Whilst Geoff was able to take up his grid slot for the start there was disappointment for the other side of the garage as the technical issue that cut short race one for Aaron Yates wasn’t fixable in the time between the races meaning Aaron was a reluctant spectator.
As in race one Geoff made a solid start maintaining his position before once again involving himself in a titanic battle with a number of riders before a red flag on lap 11 saw a short delay to proceedings as the track was cleared following Alex Lowes spectacular crash at the Corkscrew section of the course.
Racing resumed for a 7 lap sprint with Geoff starting 21st on the revised grid, his position on track prior to the red flag and after a fast and furious encounter the EBR 1190RX ended in 16th position, missing out on a first world championship point by one second.
There is now a summer break before the season resumes at Jerez and given the positive weekend and the huge steps forward in terms of both qualifying and race pace coupled with the opportunity to now introduce new parts, the entire team are looking forward to the final four rounds and are hopeful of scoring their first World Championship points before their debut WSBK season concludes in Qatar.
Geoff May – “I gave 110% today. I really wanted two solid results here at home, for the fans, for the team and for everyone at EBR. I love riding here at Laguna and the results today are for the whole team who have worked so hard all season long and have never given up. I hope that we can continue with the steps forward in the last four rounds and hopefully at Jerez I can also take us into Superpole for the first time.”