Mathew Scholtz and Bobby Fong Split Wins in Thrilling MotoAmerica Superbike Opener
Yamaha BLU CRU riders set the pace at Road Atlanta to kick off the 2026 MotoAmerica season in style, with Blake Davis finishing on the podium in Supersport / Apr 21, 2026 /
Anticipation was high for the MotoAmerica Superbike season opener at Road Atlanta, with a stacked premier-class field eager to launch their title campaigns at the 2.55-mile circuit in Braselton, Georgia. And perhaps no one was more ready than Mathew Scholtz.
Fresh off back-to-back MotoAmerica Supersport titles with Strack Racing Yamaha, Scholtz made his return to the Superbike class with confidence. There are always question marks at the start of a new season, but Scholtz answered them emphatically: pole position, a masterclass ride in a chaotic, twice-started Race 1, and a runner-up finish in Race 2 to leave his home round with an early championship lead.
“Obviously, I was very excited to get back on the Superbike,” said Scholtz. “We started off very well in the first practice. The bike was really comfortable to ride right out of the gate. We made a few changes to suit my riding style, and then, yeah, we just always seemed to find ourselves at the sharp end. Throughout Friday, and in qualifying, we got pole position.”
Lining up alongside him was Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong, with teammate JD Beach starting from the second row in fifth. When the lights went out in Race 1, Yamaha immediately set the tone with a 1-2-3 start, with Scholtz grabbing the holeshot ahead of Beach and Fong.
Scholtz set a blistering pace up front to distance himself from the competition. Meanwhile, Fong moved past Beach into second before chaos struck on Lap 6. Fong crashed in Turn 1, and then a separate incident brought out the red flag. Although Fong was able to return to the pits, he was unable to line up for the restart.
Once again, Scholtz got another great start to lead into turn one and ultimately ride away from the competition, winning by an impressive seven-second margin.
“The race started off great,” said Scholtz. “I got the holeshot and managed to pull out a gap. The red flag came out, and I knew that when the tires dropped off, that I had a little bit better pace than most of the guys. So I just started the second part of the race with confidence that I just had to stick to my lines and do what we had been doing throughout the practice sessions, and I brought it home in first place.”
Behind him, Beach held strong in second for much of the race despite being under pressure in a multi-rider battle that included Sean Dylan Kelly and Cameron Beaubier. With five laps to go, Beach was shuffled back but recovered to third after Beaubier ran off track. Unfortunately, a technical issue forced him to retire shortly after.
In Race 2, Strack Racing Yamaha’s Scholtz had another brilliant start, with the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing duo of Beach and Fong in pursuit. Fong quickly moved into second and began closing the gap, setting up a high-speed duel between the two Yamaha riders. The pair clicked off laps at a relentless pace, building a commanding lead over the rest of the field.
As the race unfolded, it became a strategic fight at the front. Then, with two laps remaining, Fong made his move to the lead. With Scholtz managing a late-race technical issue, he brought home the runner-up finish, extending his championship lead to nine points.
Fong continued to ride a strong pace to bring home the win for the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing squad – his 12th career win in class. It was a great comeback from a tough start to the season opener, scoring valuable points in the title fight, which has him fourth and 20 points behind Scholtz.
“It was definitely an up-and-down weekend,” said Fong. “We started off the weekend pretty well – top three in the times in practice and qualifying. We had a good race pace, and our times were faster than I've ever been around this place on race tires, so that was good. We just had some bad luck in race one. I had no warning and just tucked the front, so that was a bummer, but we rebounded for Sunday's race. I was looking forward to a last-lap duel with Mat (Scholtz), but I kind of got lucky on that one. In this sport, sometimes you need some luck, just like I had some bad luck on Saturday. I’m definitely looking forward to Barber. I think Barber will suit my style a little bit better. I’m looking forward to continuing the progress and chipping away at these points.”
In Supersport, Strack Racing Yamaha’s Blake Davis continued to build momentum in his championship campaign. The young rider from Virginia got a great start in Race 1, quickly moving into second and holding position through much of the race before running off track with five laps to go. Davis quickly regrouped and charged back to third on the final lap to secure his first podium of the season. In Race 2, he once again ran inside the top five, leaving Road Atlanta fifth in the championship standings.
Liberty St. Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle also made gains in the Supersport Championship, scoring a pair of top-10 finishes (7-10) to move to sixth in the standings.
Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane pulled double duty in two classes. In the MotoAmerica Twins Cup, the young Australian scored a sixth and eighth-place finish. In the MotoAmerica Talent Cup, he battled up front in the first race of the weekend. Unfortunately, a crash on the second lap dropped him back to ninth, but he rebounded in Race 2, finishing fourth to score valuable points and leave fourth in the standings.
Next up, the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship heads to Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, on May 15-17.