Thus far we have not really changed the settings on the bike that we developed over the winter which is a testament as to how well the team works together and how involved all our sponsors are in supplying us with great parts and even better technical info.

     Upon arriving at VIR for round three of the MotoAmerica Series we were greeted with amazing weather, hot as we knew it would be yet amazing. Right out of the box Mat was fast as hell, by the fourth lap on FP1 he had gone faster than he had ever gone at the circuit. What a treat to be so fast straight away, that's what testing is all about. 

  Come time for Fp2 Mat found himself searching for a bit more time but it wasn't to happen in this session as the team went a different direction and came up a bit short compared to the FP1 result of P1 @ a 1:24.432. For the second session he logged a 1:24.505 just a tic slower but in the end we found a correct direction and we had a feeling overnight that we would have a positive morning session. The result of the changes made by the crew netted another top three in the session and bettering his time to a 1:24.186, now we are rockin' and rollin' into the qualifier just around the corner.

  Superpole time ! Mat and the team did not disappoint at all, another stellar performance and a front row start was logged and we were very satisfied. One strange thing was that even with a qualifier tire on the rear the times didn't drop as far for anyone as expected, they weren't but a short distance in time quicker than using the standard Dunlop race tire. This is great news by the way because the tires we used there are standard issue tires from Dunlop that anyone can buy at a reasonable price.

   Race one kicked off with a bang, total dogfight after the re start that is, Mat was able to evade a few other riders that tipped over right in front of him at the exit of turn three that God !. On the re start he again got into P3 by turn one and then it was on. Just like Jaques Custeau would say, " suddenly a frenzy ensued" The battle with Josh Herrin, ( another Superbike Unlimited rider ) was fast and furious until Josh and Mat got close in a turn and Josh ran wide and onto the grass, Josh re entered the race safely and continued on thankfully. By the end of the race Mat had lost a significant amount of time from the battle with Josh and was a bit to far back to offer up a fight with Cam and Tony. P3 again and in the dry, we will take the points, celebrate and move forward.

  In the am session on Sunday it was to be glorious for Mathew again, he led the pack to a P1 result, this combined with changes the crew made overnight had Mat and the team feeling very confident about the race coming up in a few hours time.

  Race 2 came and Mat got another good start, he ran as high as P2 and looked to make a move on Tony at one point but couldn't make it stick. Then the battle with Cam went on, the lap times were absolutely blistering, super fast in the VIR heat none of the top three riders holding back ! In the end Mat came good as usual and put it back on the podium ! If you do the math quick that's  six races and five podiums for the superbike rookie. Yes we are feeling great !  

     From the bottom of our hearts at Yamalube Westby Racing, we would like to thank the entire staff of Superbike Unlimited for coming to VIR and supporting their team, it makes such a big difference to have people who you love and love you back as supporters. Next up will be a report on our VIR test on May 14th. It was a thriller and we look into what Dunlop's new rear slick has to offer, you won't want to to miss it because there's drama in the end !

   Remember to support the sport and our premiere vendor and sponsor Superbike Unlimited.

                "If they don't sell it we don't race it !"

                               Peace out till next week,

                                           The luckiest guy ever

                                                               Chuck Giacchetto

Photo by Brian J Nelson