Celtic HSBK Racing left Virginia International Raceway first in points standing
May 7, 2019 – Celtic HSBK Racing left round two of the MotoAmerica SuperSport Championship at Virginia International Raceway leading the points championship. They went into the weekend in third and were able to rise to the top of the standings with a 5 point lead.
The team showed their commitment to helping grow the series by bringing their semi-hauler a big move for the single rider privateer 600 team. “We are excited to be back in the paddock. We feel like MotoAmerica is growing and we want to be a part of that growth,” said Bobby Shek, one of the team principals.
This was the first round with the short two day format making for a fast paced weekend. Saturday was busy with multiple track outings, but that didn’t stop the team from finding success. They finished practice one with the fastest times in class. In qualifying, rider PJ Jacobsen had the pace to put the Yamaha on pole, but hit curbing damaging the real wheel and was not able to put down faster laps after that. They went to the grid for the first race in P2. The team planned to start the race with the front pack and break for the lead with a few laps to go. However, a red flag after Bobby Fong’s crash altered plans a bit. After a regrid for an abbreviated 12 lap race, PJ pushed to the front from the start and opened a gap on the competition. PJ held the lead through the race and finished on top for his first MotoAmerica win.
Sunday the fast and furious schedule was interrupted several times by weather. The team prepared to race in wet or dry conditions. PJ has a lot of rain riding experience and is very comfortable in wet conditions. Unfortunately, a technical problem hindered the bike’s performance on track. PJ managed to control the bike and safely complete the race without pushing the bike beyond his new limitations finishing 8th.
PJ commented on the weekend, “We had a very strong weekend, I’m thankful for the team, they made some steps and also myself. I feel like we have a very good package now to challenge for wins every race this year. I’m really looking forward to Road America, as I want to do the double there. Thanks to everyone for the support.”
To see updates throughout the race weekend, follow HSBKRacing on Facebook and Instagram
Special thank you to Bickle Tire Warmers, BrakeTech, Competition Werkes, Cox Racing, Eazi-Grip, Evol Technology, Fast Frank Racing, Ferodo, Full Spectrum, GB Racing, HVAC Construction, MotionPro, MWR Filters, Nitro Lubricants, RaceSeats, REV’IT, Samco Sport, Spiegler Performance Parts, SunStar Chain & Sprockets, Yamaha USA, and Zero Gravity.
