MotoAmerica’s Beaubier Chasing 90 At Road America
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
By Dennis Krause
Five-time champion Cameron Beaubier is off to a fast start in MotoAmerica’s Superbike championship as the series heads to Elkhart Lake’s Road America this weekend.
So far, Beaubier has scored a win and a runner-up finish at Barber Motorsports Park in the opening round of the season before sweeping both races in Round Two at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
With a win this weekend, Beaubier can become the all-time wins leader in the American Motorcyclist Association. He is currently tied with the ageless Josh Hayes at 89 wins across all classes of AMA racing.
“Yeah, to be honest with you, it's crazy to even think about that,” Beaubier allowed, “because I know how hard it is to to win against these guys, and it's such a good feeling and a relief after a win. And it's so hard, even if sometimes people make make wins look easy here, they're never easy.
“So when you're racing guys like this, (I’m) truthfully, just thankful for the career that I've been able to put together, and the people in my corner that have put it together for me, put me on the on the teams, the right opportunities, especially when I was younger, getting hooked in with Yamaha. I'm still super close with a lot of those people that really started my career, that are retired now. And obviously, I'm on a new chapter with the Tytlers BMW team. And I'm loving every minute of it, so hopefully I just keep it going.”
Looking back, it was Hayes that Beaubier had his first test with before joining the Yamaha factory team. Now, it is Hayes that he shares the record with.
“Josh, he's one of a kind,” said Beaubier. “All the racers in our paddock have learned something from that guy. You know, he's just - whether it's how to be a professional, whether it's the training, the preparation going into the races, racecraft, how he talks to his crew chief on what he's looking for to make the bike better. He's done a lot for our sport and a lot in our sport. So it's pretty cool to be tied with that guy.
“And, yeah, hopefully I get one more and take it from him.”
At age 31 and with 68 career Superbike wins, Beaubier is considered to be within striking distance of Matt Mladin’s record of 82 wins in the class. He likely would be closer to that record had he not raced internationally in the FIM Moto2 Grand Prix World Championship in 2021-22. Whether he continues to race long enough to challenge Mladin’s record remains to be seen.
“I just want to take it year by year right now. To be honest with you, the last two years, I've had a couple, like, last three years, getting beat up over in Europe, and then coming back here, and then getting beat up in a different way with injuries. I was at a pretty low point a couple times over the last couple years. So I just, I don't want to put a number on it.
“I'm enjoying the heck out of racing right now. I'm enjoying the preparation at home, just all of it. I like being at the track, especially with my wife and little boy. It'd be so fun to watch him kind of grow up in this paddock, and so I don't want to put a number on it. Just take it year by year.”
While Beaubier is the all-time leader in Superbike wins at Road America with 11, “America’s National Park of Speed” hasn’t always been kind to him. Last year, Beaubier won the pole with a track record in qualifying, only to crash in a wet race one, suffering a broken heel that would require surgery, and dash his hopes for a sixth championship.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.