Shawnee, OK (September 26, 2019) – Celtic HSBK Racing and rider PJ Jacobsen went into the last MotoAmerica round at Barber Motosports Park just 10 points out of first place in the Supersport Championship. After a tumultuous end to the season, the team finished in second still defying expectations for the teams return to the paddock on a new bike with a new team.
Since Barber Motorsports Park was recently resurfaced rendering any tire notes obsolete. The team tested several options during practice one and finished that session in first. During qualifying one, Friday PJ ran the fourth fastest times. During Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2 session the team didn’t improve their lap times and ended up seventh on the starting grid.
When race one kicked off Saturday afternoon, PJ got a great start off the line and started to push towards the front. Shortly after the start of the race, he encountered brake issues that the team later found was a caliper failure. Without proper brakes he was not able to push forward and finished the race in seventh. This opened the points gap to 26 points making the top championship spot out of reach in Race two. However, the team came together to fix the bike and make a push to end the season on the podium.
Sunday morning during warm up PJ put the bike through the paces to check that all issues were resolved. Race 2 started with a bang with PJ quickly gaining two spots in the first lap. He continued his climb and ran in a battle for second for 11 laps. As he was getting into stride and gaining ground in the pack a red flag was called on the track. The race was called at 13 laps and he finished on the second step of the podium.
The team is proud of this season as their new crew, new rider, and new bike were able to continue their tradition of running at the front of the pack. This season wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing sponsors.
Special thanks to Bickle Tire Warmers, BrakeTech, Competition Werkes, Cox Racing, Drippinwet.com, Eazi-Grip, Evol Technology, Fast Frank Racing, Ferodo, Full Spectrum, GB Racing, HVAC Construction, Jap4performance, MotionPro, MWR Filters, Nitro Lubricants, RaceSeats, REV’IT, Samco Sport, Spiegler Performance Parts, STM Clutches, SunStar Chain & Sprockets, Yamaha USA, and Zero Gravity
