MotoAmerica takes on the Virginia International Raceway for Round 3 starting Friday with four classes in competition including Superstock 600 which is in its second round.
The Superstock 600 class lost two rounds for the year in the inaugural season for MotoAmerica, the new home for the AMA Superbike Series which is sanctioned by the AMA and FIM North America. Superstock 600 missed the opening round in Austin and will miss the Indianapolis round in August both because of a conflict with MotoGP.
MotoSport rider and native Oregonian Andy DiBrino is in sixth-place after a sixth overall in Atlanta last month to start the series. His fifth-place finish in Race 2 was his first career Top 5. He trails first-place Joe Roberts, also a MotoSport rider, by 31 points in the standings.
Last time out all riders dealt with wet conditions which shortened Race 2 to 10 laps and required rain tires but the weather looks dry this weekend with partly cloudy skies. DiBrino is in Virginia looking forward to racing his bike in its normal setup in more favorable conditions.
"I think Round 1 was a good refreshment for pro road racing. I got to relearn the schedule and get back into that environment," DiBrino said. "I believe I know what to expect now going into Virginia and I'll be able to use that experience to qualify to my potential."
In Atlanta, DiBrino qualified 21st for both races forcing him to play catch up which he did rather remarkably. In both races he moved into 12th place after one lap and then eventually the Top 10 for Race 1 where he finished eighth and the Top 5 for Race 2. He's got starts nailed down and if he can translate that over with better qualifying positions there's no reason to believe DiBrino can't compete for a podium.
"Qualifying was the only thing I really needed to work on. My starts really couldn't have been better at Atlanta as I passed 10-plus riders on the first lap in both races," he said. "I'm a good racer, I just need to get the qualifying worked out so I can be at the front early to fight for a podium."
DiBrino spent the last month preparing by maintaining his gym program, getting in some Motocross races on his dirt bike, a road race at the Portland International Raceway and a little R&R.
"With the time off I've had, I've gotten to relax for the first time in months and take some days off," he said.
Qualifying for the Superstock 600 class is at 1 p.m. Friday and 9:10 a.m. Saturday with Race 1 at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Race 2 at 2:40 p.m. Sunday. All racing is held at the Virginia International Speedway, 1245 Pine Tree Road in Alton, VA. The track built in 1957 is 2.25 miles long and features seven right-hand and left-hand corners.
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Standings
- Joe Roberts (50) - MotoSport rider
- Travis Wyman (36)
- Richie Escalante (33)
- Wyatt Farris (29)
- Nick McFadden (20)
- Andy DiBrino (19) - MotoSport rider
- Ryan Jones (15)
- Gavin Elstad (13)
- JC Camacho (11)
- Michael Gilbert (10)
