Page 37 - ISSUE2GRIDFINAL

MATHEW SCHOLTZ
ATLANTA!
ROAD ATLANTA
SUPERSTOCK
It was an exceptional start to the weekend for Scholtz at another track that he had never raced. He quickly adapted to the two and a half mile circuit aboard his YZF-R1 as he placed himself directly into Superpole in fine form. The South African dominated the Superstock 1000 class during the fifteen minute qualifying shootout as he bested his closest competitor by more than three tenths of a second, placing him on the second row of the grid for the racing action. Scholtz continued to accrue a growing amount of confidence throughout the weekend which was apparent in the early stages of the opening race. He didn’t get the best jump from the inside of the grid and fell back a couple of positions on
the first lap, but he was able to regroup and settle into seventh position after making a move on Jake Lewis. He tucked in behind Bobby Fong for more than half of the race as they paced one another, glued fender-to-fender all the way until the final laps. The two of them were able to build an advantage ahead of the Suzuki of Lewis, making it a two way tussle for the Superstock 1000 victory. Scholtz shot past Fong with only five laps to go and attempted to make a break, but they were too evenly matched. The Yamaha rider was able to eek out a small advantage in the closing stages of the race and hold on for his first Superstock 1000 victory of the season with a couple of tenths to spare. Unfortunately, the cruelty of motorcycle racing played its part in the second race as Scholtz was experiencing mechanical issues on the sighting lap. He was fortunate enough to receive a tow from the affable Danny Eslick in order to make it back to the starting grid, but it was to no avail as Scholtz was forced to retire from the race after only a couple of laps.
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