Bobby Fong and Josh Hayes Top the Podium at VIR
Yamaha BLU CRU riders celebrate podiums across all four MotoAmerica classes at Virginia International Raceway, with Bobby Fong leaving with two Superbike wins and Josh Hayes earning a commanding victory in Supersport / Aug 19, 2026 /
With MotoAmerica racing at Virginia International Raceway during the middle of August, it was guaranteed to be a hot one. It more than lived up to expectations – both with the triple-digit heat index and the racing on track. Amid the heat and hard-fought battles, Yamaha riders enjoyed a successful outing across all four MotoAmerica categories at the 2.25-mile circuit in Alton, Virginia, as the championship battles neared fever pitch and opportunities for wins in the 2026 season began to run out.
In the Superbike tripleheader, Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing's Bobby Fong took home a pair of wins and Strack Racing Yamaha's Mathew Scholtz earned a pair of runner-up finishes. In Supersport, BPR Racing Yamaha's Josh Hayes finished second in Race 1 and executed a masterclass performance in Race 2 to score his 90th career AMA road race victory. Teammate Brenden Ketelsen also celebrated a milestone with his first MotoAmerica Supersport podium. Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane also had a standout weekend, pulling double duty in Twins Cup and Talent Cup and earning four runner-up finishes.
MotoAmerica Superbike
With 75 points up for grabs at the seventh round of the championship, all three Yamaha riders – Fong, Scholtz and JD Beach – were looking to make up ground in the hotly contested MotoAmerica Superbike title fight. And with the Yamaha YZF-R1 traditionally strong at VIR, all three liked their odds.
It was a wild weekend of racing, with intense battles and multiple red flags. In the end, Fong celebrated a pair of victories with the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team. The Californian showed speed from the start, qualifying third to start on the front row of the grid. In Race 1, he slotted into fourth before making his way to the runner-up spot and closing in on Scholtz before the red flag came out. After the restart, Fong quickly returned to second and made the pass for the lead with six laps remaining, scoring his 13th career Superbike victory and gaining valuable ground in the championship.
“We needed that win to catch up on some points and also help my confidence,” said Fong. “We’ve got two long, hot races tomorrow, so a lot can happen. We just have to keep our heads down, keep working, and not get too excited because there’s a lot of competition out there. Everybody’s going to improve, so we just have to keep working.”
In Sunday’s Race 2, Fong was seventh after the start and steadily made his way forward. On Lap 7, he claimed a podium spot, passing both Richie Escalante and Sean Dylan Kelly to make it a Yamaha 1-2-3 at the front, with Scholtz in the lead and Beach in second. His forward charge continued on the following lap, passing his teammate and then applying pressure on Scholtz around the halfway mark. The duo built a gap up front, with Fong taking over the lead with four laps to go, bringing his win tally to two on the weekend and 14 career victories.
Later that afternoon, Fong got a better start to the third race and was once again battling up front before a red flag halted the action. Unfortunately, his race ended early after the restart when an incident in Turn 1 left five riders on the ground, including Scholtz and the championship leader Kelly.
“Race 2 was super good,” said Fong. “We had really good pace, and the bike felt really good. I knew in the beginning nobody would be getting away in the race, so I was just patient. We made our move with five or six laps to go, and we had great end-of-race pace like we did last year. As a whole, we had a strong weekend, but I hate not ending on a good note.”
Despite the unfortunate end to the weekend, Fong gained some ground in the title chase, moving to within 38 points of the leader.
“We’ve made a big step with the bike over the last few rounds, and I felt super comfortable,” said Fong. “I’d like to continue our form like we did last year at the end of these races and make another step. Like I said, I’m happy about the first few races. I just wanted it to end a little bit better. I’m looking forward to COTA. We’ve got a little break to try to improve ourselves and try to gain a few points.”
Strack Racing Yamaha's Mathew Scholtz also closed the gap to the championship leader in Virginia. Like Fong, he felt the team had made progress with the bike between rounds, and from the start, the South African showed the speed to run up front. He qualified on pole and got great starts in all three races, including the restarts. In Race 1, Scholtz grabbed the holeshot and led the way before the red flag. He once again led after the restart until Fong took over the top spot with around six laps remaining.
In Sunday's Race 2, Scholtz got another great start but was passed by Beach on the opening lap. The Strack Racing Yamaha rider stayed on his heels and reclaimed the lead on Lap 7. Around the halfway mark, Fong closed in, and the duo set the pace up front, building a gap over the chasing group. As the laps wound down, Fong made his move and Scholtz crossed the line second to complete another Yamaha 1-2 finish.
In the final race of the weekend, Scholtz was once again battling up front before the red flag came out. Unfortunately, he was collected in the Turn 1 incident after the restart. Scholtz got back on track but was forced into the pits with damage to the bike and was unable to rejoin the race, scoring zero points. Despite the DNF, Scholtz moved to within 17 points of the championship leader with five races remaining.
“The weekend was great, apart from the crash,” said Scholtz. “Coming into VIR, you know that it is a Yamaha-friendly track, and it's been very good to me in the past. So the main goal was just to close up on the championship lead. We got a second, second, and a zero unfortunately, in the third race, but I definitely feel like we made some progress on the new bike. I think that the Tuesday test after Mid-Ohio really helped us here, and we're definitely seeing the benefits of that. We've got COTA next, which is a little bit of a more difficult track, but we're progressing with the bike and just wanna keep this championship hunt going.”
Beach showed speed from the start, but a pair of crashes in the practice sessions put him on the back foot heading into the races, and he qualified sixth. Despite starting from the second row of the grid, he got great starts and battled up front throughout the weekend. In Race 1, he slotted into the runner-up spot and was battling for a podium. After the restart, he was fourth and ultimately dropped back to sixth.
In Race 2, Beach got another great start and led the opening six laps, but as the tires began to fade, he lost ground and ultimately finished fifth. In the final race of the weekend, he was third in the twice-started race, but crossed the line fourth. The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing rider heads to the penultimate round third in the standings, 31 points behind the leader.
“It was a tough week,” said Beach. “It sucks to have three races this weekend and not capitalize on it. I really thought I could get some good points, but with the two crashes, it kind of made it tough. The team did a great job and improved my bike throughout the weekend, and on new tires, the bike felt really good. But for some reason, I was struggling on used tires, which is usually my strong point. I was there every race and was in a spot to be in the top three, but after halfway I just started going backward. And that's not typically what I do. So it's definitely frustrating, and I hate it for the team because they worked so hard to get me a good bike, and we just couldn't do it this weekend. We’ve still got two more rounds to go, so we're gonna go back home and go back to work and see what we can come up with.”
MotoAmerica Supersport
In Supersport, BPR Racing Yamaha’s Hayes was in fighting form aboard his Yamaha YZF-R9 at the Virginia International Raceway. He qualified fourth and from there had a strong start inside the top five where he battled for fourth in the opening laps. Around half-distance, Hayes closed in on the lead group and made the pass for third. It was a heated battle, with the four-time Superbike Champion briefly claiming the lead with five laps to go, ultimately finishing second.
Before Sunday's Race 2, the skies opened up, with a thunderstorm halting on-track activity and delaying the start. When Supersport returned to the track, riders were given a seven-minute wet familiarization session ahead of the race. Tire choice was key, and although the track remained wet, it was drying quickly. Hayes made the call for slicks and immediately took control of the race, setting an unmatched pace in the tricky conditions. He amassed an impressive lead and crossed the line 26.5 seconds clear to earn his 90th career AMA road race victory.
“What a special weekend at a track that has been a good one for me for a long time,” said Hayes. “The win in Race 2 felt like a race built custom for me to succeed. But to race with the front two who have dominated the season in the hot and greasy Race 1 gives me hope and excitement that we are getting closer to success in a full dry race. COTA has always been a difficult one for me, but I’m excited for the challenge, and then New Jersey is another track that has been good to me. The BPR Team is getting a grip on the R9 altogether, with my teammate’s podium also.”
While Hayes celebrated career win No. 90, teammate Brenden Ketelsen celebrated his first MotoAmerica Supersport podium. Starting inside the top 10 in Race 2, Ketelsen steadily worked his way forward, reaching third around the halfway point and bringing it home for a milestone podium finish.
Although he struggled a bit at his home track, qualifying 10th, Strack Racing Yamaha’s Blake Davis earned a top-five finish in Race 1 and crossed the line seventh in Race 2’s mixed conditions.
MotoAmerica Twins Cup and Talent Cup
Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing's Sam Drane also had a standout weekend in Virginia, which was no easy feat while pulling double duty in two classes in the extreme heat. The 16-year-old Australian rose to the occasion, qualifying second in both MotoAmerica Twins Cup and Talent Cup and battling for the win throughout all four races. Drane led multiple laps and ultimately came just shy of the top step, leaving VIR with four runner-up finishes.
MotoAmerica racing resumes at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 11-13. At the penultimate round for Superbike, Supersport and Talent Cup, Yamaha BLU CRU riders will look to continue their championship charge, while the Super Hooligan title will be decided with BPR Racing Yamaha teammates Andy DiBrino and Bryce Kornbau separated by just five points.