South African Riders Shine at Virginia International Raceway

Virginia International Raceway delivered a dramatic weekend of MotoAmerica racing, with South Africa’s Darryn Binder producing a standout performance in the Supersport category, while Mathew Scholtz and Cameron Petersen battled in the Superbike class.

Darryn Binder arrived at VIR as the championship leader in MotoAmerica Supersport and immediately showed his pace. Riding the Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse Ducati, the South African secured pole position in Qualifying 2 with a blistering 1:26.417, finishing 0.433 seconds ahead of Josh Herrin and 0.830 seconds clear of Kayla Yaakov.

Unfortunately, there was no Dominic Doyle competing at VIR as he continued his recovery from injury.

In the Superbike category, Mathew Scholtz produced an equally impressive qualifying performance, putting his Strack Racing Yamaha on pole with a sensational 1:23.906. Scholtz was the only rider to dip into the 1:23s, although his celebrations were cut short when he tucked the front at Turn 1 immediately after setting the lap. Thankfully, Mathew was okay and managed to pick up the Yamaha, although the bike suffered some damage.

Cameron Petersen also enjoyed a strong qualifying session, placing his Ducati eighth on the grid with a 1:24.681.

Race 1 saw Binder produce one of the standout rides of the weekend. The South African was involved in an intense battle at the front, which eventually became a three-way fight between Binder, Josh Herrin and Joshua Hayes, with all three riders taking turns at the front in the hot and slippery conditions.

It all came down to the final lap.

Binder led into Turn 1 and immediately went defensive, determined to protect his position throughout the final lap. He maintained that defensive approach as the three riders battled their way around VIR, knowing that every corner would be crucial.

Later in the lap, Herrin made his move on the inside, but ran wide. Binder was able to cut back underneath, regain the advantage and then put his Ducati into the final couple of corners with the lead firmly in his hands. He held his nerve all the way to the chequered flag to claim a sensational victory.

Joshua Hayes finished second, while Herrin recovered from his mistake to take third.

The victory extended Binder’s MotoAmerica Supersport Championship advantage from 19 points to 28, giving the South African even more momentum in the title fight.

Scholtz also produced a superb ride in Superbike Race 1 to claim second place. The opening race was red-flagged while Mathew was leading, but following the restart over 10 laps, he once again launched perfectly from pole to take the holeshot and lead into Turn 1.

It was a dramatic race for Scholtz, who produced an incredible save late in the contest after the front tucked twice. Despite the scare and admitting that his confidence had been affected by his qualifying crash, he continued to push and brought the Strack Racing Yamaha home in second, just 1.078 seconds behind race winner Bobby Fong.

The result extended Scholtz’s run of podium finishes and moved him to within 20 points of the championship lead.

For Cameron Petersen, Race 1 proved more difficult, but he fought through to an eighth-place finish and valuable championship points.

Race 2 brought another impressive performance from Scholtz. The South African quickly moved to the front and did an excellent job controlling the race before Bobby Fong fought his way through the field and eventually caught him.

With around three laps remaining, Fong made his move for the lead. Scholtz gave everything he had but was unable to respond, bringing the Yamaha home in another strong second place. The result moved him to just 16 points from the championship lead with one race remaining.

Petersen again finished eighth, adding more valuable points despite another difficult race.

Then the rain arrived.

In the Supersport race, Binder faced a completely different challenge in mixed conditions. He made the late decision to switch to slick tyres, which ultimately proved to be the correct choice. Unfortunately, he was unable to make it out in time and had to start from the back of the grid.

Rather than panic, Binder patiently and methodically worked his way through the field. By the time he had moved forward, Josh Hayes had already built a significant advantage, leaving Binder to settle for a highly valuable second place.

The result was particularly important for the championship, with title rival Josh Herrin also forced to start from pit lane after failing to make pit exit on slicks. Herrin fought back to finish fourth, but Binder still extended his championship advantage to 35 points.

It was a mature and calculated ride from the South African championship leader.

The final Superbike race of the weekend, however, ended in dramatic fashion.

Race 3 was red-flagged, with the restart producing a chaotic opening lap. Heading into Turn 1, Bobby Fong went to the inside while challenging for the lead and unfortunately crashed, with his motorcycle collecting several riders, including Sean Dylan Kelly, resulting in a multi-rider pile-up.

Mathew Scholtz was on the outside as the incident unfolded and, unfortunately, his rear wheel was clipped by Cameron Petersen, sending both South Africans crashing.

Thankfully, the riders involved appeared to be okay, which was by far the most important thing. Petersen was unable to pick up his Ducati, while Scholtz managed to get his Yamaha back up and return to the pits. Unfortunately, the damage was too severe for Mathew to continue.

Sean Dylan Kelly was able to continue and eventually finished 15th, securing a valuable championship point.

The final result saw Scholtz’s championship deficit increase to 17 points, but the weekend once again highlighted the pace, determination and competitiveness of the South African riders competing in MotoAmerica.

It was a weekend of pole positions, podiums, a Supersport victory, valuable championship points and, unfortunately, a dramatic end to the Superbike weekend.

Most importantly, the riders involved in the final incident appeared to escape serious injury.

South Africa can be proud of its riders.