(NEWS RELEASE)

SONOMA, Calif. (May 4, 2014) – Roseville native and Superbike rookie Cameron Beaubier claimed a dominant victory at Sonoma Raceway, his home track, in the RaceFuelZ Pro Superbike race on Sunday

Beaubier, the pole-sitter, got pinched off at the start and finished the first lap in fifth place, but the 21-year-old charged forward, took the lead from his Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha teammate, Josh Hayes, on lap eight and pulled away to win the 20-lap race by 9.8 seconds.

The event marked the return of professional motorcycle racing to the 12-turn circuit, as a full field of Pro Superbike and Pro Sportbike professional riders joined the American Federation of Motorcycles (AFM) weekend for the Arai Pacific Nationals, Round Two of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha Series.

Hayes, a three-time Pro Superbike champion, and Martin Cardenas (Yoshimura Suzuki) rounded out the top three. Beaubier now leads the Championship point standings by four heading into the third and final round at Miller Motorsports Park (May 24-25). Cardenas, the Round One race winner, now sits second in the point standings.

In other pro racing action, Garrett Gerloff came from behind to capture his career-first Dynojet Pro Sportbike race win. Gerloff took the race lead on his Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 shortly before the halfway point and held it until lap 17. That’s when Stockton’s Bobby Fong and his Triumph Daytona 675R slipped past Gerloff in the Carousel to take over first place.

Gerloff shadowed Fong for the next two laps before making his move to retake the lead in the Carousel on lap 19 of 20. Gerloff then sealed his victory by turning his fastest lap time of the race – and the weekend — on the final lap.

Fong said he was struggling for grip at the end of the race and cruised across the finish line 1.8 seconds behind Gerloff. Gerloff and Fong are now tied for the Dynojet Pro Superbike Championship lead with 45 points each, setting up a dramatic title showdown at the third and final round at Miller Motorsports Park.

Four riders – Jake Zemke, Joe Roberts, Benny Solis and Bryce Prince – were contesting third place, but on lap 13 Zemke lost traction and crashed in Turn 3A. Roberts and Solis each crashed trying to avoid Zemke, but none of the three riders were seriously injured in the incident. Prince was able to escape the pile-up and rode on to finish third on his Tuned Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

For more information on the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha Series, visit http://www.superbikeshootout.com.