Mathew Scholtz Returns to the Top at Mid-Ohio
Yamaha BLU CRU riders enjoy successful outing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with MotoAmerica Championships heating up in the second half of the 2026 season / Aug 5, 2026 /
After a disappointing weekend at Laguna Seca and a challenging start to Mid-Ohio, Strack Racing Yamaha's Mathew Scholtz rebounded on Sunday, returning to the top step of the podium in a drama-filled Race 2. The back-to-back Supersport Champion’s fourth win aboard his YZF-R1 also put him back into the thick of the title fight with eight races remaining in the 2026 season.
Also making trips to the podium in the premier class were Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong and JD Beach. Fong took home a second- and third-place finish, while teammate JD Beach rounded out the Race 1 podium in third and salvaged points after an off-track excursion in a shortened Race 2, keeping his title hopes alive with an eighth-place finish.
In the Super Hooligan Championship, BPR Yamaha Racing’s Bryce Kornbau and Andy DiBrino continued to lead the way aboard their MT-09s. The duo split wins on the weekend and left the penultimate round of the championship separated by five points. Their teammate Josh Hayes also continued to carry momentum to the East Coast, returning to the podium in Supersport Race 1 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
MotoAmerica Superbike
From the start, the times were tight in MotoAmerica Superbike at the 2.4-mile circuit in Lexington, Ohio, with the top 11 all within .797 of a second in qualifying. Limited track time due to technical issues left the South African on the back foot, qualifying ninth and starting both races from the third row.
In Race 1, he got a good start into the top five and was locked in a multi-rider battle. He maintained fifth for the first six laps, but dropped back to seventh around the halfway mark. Scholtz continued to push, and with five laps to go, regained sixth to salvage points.
"I came into Mid-Ohio knowing it was a little more difficult right off the bat, considering it was my first time on the Superbike here,” said Scholtz. “I do enjoy the layout, though. It's a high-grip track, and those are always fun to ride.
"The first session started off well, but we suffered a few electrical gremlins and didn't get as much track time as we would've liked. We knew our outright pace was pretty decent – we managed to do a 1:24 in qualifying – but the field was stacked so tightly for a one-lap pace. Unfortunately, we didn't get to try the harder tire, so we went into Race 1 on the softer compound. It started to go away pretty early, and I spent most of the race struggling around sixth and seventh. In the end, we brought it home in sixth and collected some valuable points.”
Between races, the Strack Racing Yamaha team went to work and made some changes for Sunday that paid off. Race 2 delivered plenty of drama. Rain sprinkled the grid during the pre-race ceremonies, threatening mixed conditions, before a first-lap crash brought out the red flag.
After the restart, Scholtz got another great start from the third row of the grid, moving into the top five. He quickly worked his way into second in the opening laps before charging to the front on Lap 5, first passing Fong and then his title rival, Sean Dylan Kelly. Under pressure, Scholtz held them off until another crash brought out the red flag. The race was declared complete, with Scholtz's fourth win of the season moving him back to second in the standings, 24 points behind the leader.
"Going into Sunday, we knew we had to do something drastic, so we turned the bike upside down, and we could see in warm-up that the pace was much better – not just for a few laps, but over the full race distance,” said Scholtz. "The race started with a red flag, but I managed to work my way to the front and get behind Bobby and Sean (Dylan Kelly). I learned a little bit from them, got to the front, and decided the best thing for me was to make myself as wide as possible and try to hold them off.
“Fortunately for us, the red flag came out before the front tire started to wear too much. Sometimes luck goes against you, and sometimes it's on your side. Today, we had a bit of luck on our side. Not to say we couldn't have been in the fight anyway, but a win is a win. We'll take the 25 points, keep the championship fight alive, and look ahead to VIR. It's always been a strong track for me, and I'm looking forward to trying to claw some points back while continuing to develop the motorbike."
After a tough couple of rounds, Fong bounced back in Mid-Ohio. With some adjustments to the setup that made the Northern California native more comfortable, he was third in qualifying and got two great starts from the front row of the grid. In Race 1, he was third after the start and briefly held the runner-up spot on that first lap. With multiple riders in that lead group, Fong made his way back to second on Lap 3 as the top three started to build a gap on the rest of the competition. Then, just before the halfway mark, he made the pass on Benjamin Smith for the lead, but Sean Dylan Kelly remained right on his heels. Fong held the points leader at bay, but ultimately was shuffled back to the runner-up spot, where he would finish.
Fong got another great start to the twice-started Race 2, slotting into the runner-up spot where he rode before getting passed by fellow Yamaha rider Scholtz on Lap 4. He got shuffled back another spot a couple of laps later, but would regain third after a rider ahead crashed and brought out the red flag, with Fong securing his sixth podium finish of the season. The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing rider heads to the next round fourth in the standings and 55 points from the top spot.
“I’m happy to get two podiums this weekend,” said Fong. “We found something on the bike that I’m a lot more comfortable with. We are hungry for some wins, and I'm looking forward to VIR in two weeks, where I had two strong finishes last season.”
Coming off of a great weekend at Laguna Seca where he brought home a Superbike sweep, Beach was looking to keep the momentum rolling at Mid-Ohio. Although Beach was just half a second off pole, the Kentucky rider was 10th in qualifying, putting him on the fourth row of the grid.
Beach got a good start to Race 1, slotting in behind Scholtz in sixth. Locked in a multi-rider battle for the top five, the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing rider made a pair of passes before the halfway mark to move into fourth. Although the top three had built a sizeable gap, Beach put his head down and reeled in Benjamin Smith, making the pass for third with five laps remaining. In the end, there was not enough time to advance further, and he settled for his sixth podium finish of the season.
In Race 2, he got another good start amidst the chaos of multiple riders in the lead group and was sixth on the opening lap. Beach set about making another charge to the front, moving to fifth on the next lap. He went to make the pass for fourth on Lap 5, but would end up off track and rejoining in 15th. Undeterred, Beach made good time, working his way back into the top 10 by the halfway mark and then to ninth before the red flag ended his forward progress, ultimately scoring eighth. Beach leaves Ohio third in the standings, and 32 points from the leader as the championship heats up with three rounds remaining, two of which are tripleheaders.
“The weekend didn’t go as smoothly as Laguna did,” said Beach. “I made a small mistake in qualifying that cost us a lot. The times were so close, so it put me starting 10th. In Race 1, I had to fight through the pack, but the R1 was working so well it made my job easier. We were able to string good laps together and fight up to a podium position.
“I had the same game plan for Race 2. I was marching my way forward and tried to make a pass around the outside going into Turn 6. I put myself in a bad position and just got run off the track. It was just a racing incident. I got the bike back on track and just tried to salvage as many points as I could.”
Super Hooligan
In the support classes, BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau and Andy DiBrino carried the momentum from the West Coast rounds to Mid-Ohio, once again splitting wins in the Super Hooligan Championship. Team owner Kornbau led the initial charge, topping the timesheets and setting a new lap record for the class at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After passing his teammate on the second lap, he rode away to secure his second win in the class and tie DiBrino for the points lead.
“Mid-Ohio was a great weekend for the whole BPR team,” said Kornbau. “I got pole position and a new track record in Super Hooligans for Mid-Ohio. Then in Race 1, I was able to break away and maintain a gap in the field and take the win, while Andy finished second. In Race 2, I led the whole race until the last lap, setting another new track record. Andy made a late brake pass on me at the end of the back straight, and took the lead on the last lap, ultimately taking the victory.”
DiBrino answered back on Sunday, reclaiming the championship lead after another BPR Racing Yamaha 1-2 finish. It started out as a repeat of Race 1 with the rider from the Pacific Northwest grabbing the holeshot and then being passed by Kornbau on Lap 2, but in the end DiBrino would take home his third win of the season.
“I’m proud to go 2-1 on the weekend for the third round in a row,” said DiBrino. “We have the bike absolutely dialed, and we didn’t change anything from Laguna Seca. I have a five-point lead going into the Super Hooligan finale at the Circuit of the Americas, and I’m looking to finish this dream season with Yamaha on top.”
MotoAmerica Supersport
In Supersport, BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes returned to the podium in Race 1 aboard his YZF-R9. The multi-time AMA champ battled up front in the lead group and ran second for a lap before dropping back to third, where he would finish. In Race 2, Hayes once again battled for the podium and was holding down third before being passed on the final lap, finishing fourth.
Strack Racing Yamaha’s Blake Davis continued to build confidence at Round 7 of the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship. The 20-year-old got a good start to Race 1. As the race developed, Davis found himself in an intense three-rider battle for the top five. On Lap 11, he made the pass for fourth and then kept cool under pressure to hold off challengers and cross the line fourth. In the end, he scored ninth after Race Direction assessed a five-second penalty for contact made with Tyler Scott during the pass. In Race 2, Davis was sixth after the start, making the pass for fifth in the opening laps and riding on to finish there.
Liberty St. Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle earned another top-10 finish in Supersport, crossing the line eighth in Race 1. Unfortunately, it was a tough Race 2 for the South African, which saw his race end early with a late-race crash.
MotoAmerica Twins Cup
Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane had a strong weekend aboard his YZF-R7 in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship. Fresh off earning his second Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award of 2026, Drane added his name to the short list of riders to win the honor in both flat track and road racing. With a bit of rain before the start of Race 1, Drane was third in the tricky mixed conditions. He then made his way to the runner-up spot on Lap 3, and led a four-rider group. On the following lap, he was shuffled back to fifth, and then further back to seventh before the halfway mark. The young Australian continued to fight in the multi-rider battle and finished fifth. In Race 2, Drane was fourth after the start but ultimately dropped back to fifth in the final laps, where he would finish to earn a pair of top-five results.
MotoAmerica racing resumes in two weeks at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on Aug. 14–16. Seventy-five points will be on the line in the Superbike class, while the championship battles continue in Supersport, Twins Cup, and Talent Cup.
The Super Hooligan Championship concludes Sept. 11–13 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.