STEAM CORNERS, Ohio — Mathew Scholtz piloted his Strack Racing Yamaha to a hard-fought victory on Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, emerging triumphant in a dramatic MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike Race 2, securing his fourth win of the season.
Halted twice by red flags, Scholtz crossed the line a mere 0.177 seconds ahead of OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly, with Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong securing third place as the race was called.
The afternoon was defined by high-stakes drama from the outset. Polesitter Benjamin Smith saw his hopes of a first victory evaporate on the opening lap. Smith suffered a significant crash that sent his Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law motorcycle across the track, creating a hazardous situation that forced an immediate red flag and a full restart.
Following the cleanup, the field was reset for an abbreviated race distance. The restart showed Saturday’s Race 1 winner SDK take advantage of the leading grid position, following Smith’s crash, while a familiar field with Fong and Scholtz giving chase, as M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante found himself in fourth.
One of the most notable storylines of the race involved PJ Jacobsen (Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL), who made a charge that would see him setting an unmatched pace and a position as high as third. Jacobsen crossed the finish line with the fastest lap of the race (1:25.009) before the rider crashed out, causing the action to be interrupted a second time as it drew a red flag.
With nine laps completed at the time, official rules forced an early end, where results were awarded based on the standings at the time of stoppage. Under these conditions, Scholtz secured the win over SDK in second, while Fong was awarded third, the position Jacobsen was currently in, after the Ducati rider’s position received its appropriate time adjustment from the Race Stewards. Jacobsen dropped to 17th in the final classification.
Loris Baz, who topped the Sunday morning warm-up session with a time of 1:25.362, brought his Warhorse HSBK Ducati home in fourth place. He was followed by Wrench Motorcycles’ Cameron Petersen, who rounded out the top five. Jayson Uribe (OrangeCat Racing) and Brandon Paasch (M4 ECSTAR Suzuki) finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
Several top contenders faced a difficult Sunday, with Richie Escalante and Hayden Gillim both failing to finish (DNF) after starting from the front two rows of the grid but crashing out in the duration of the second race restart. Despite the chaotic nature of the day, the battle at the front remained fierce, with the top four riders separated by less than two seconds at the final tally.
With three rounds remaining, which include two triple-headers on the 2026 calendar, a maximum of 150 points remains available in the tightly contested Quad Lock Superbike and Superbike Cup championships as they head to Virginia International Raceway.
In the Superbike Cup, Andrew Lee delivered a standout performance, finishing 10th overall to claim the top spot on the Cup podium. Riding his Real Steel Honda, Lee navigated the abbreviated race distance to cross the line ahead of the Cup collective, in a championship that continues to add points to his already favorable lead.
Kaleb De Keyrel followed closely to secure second in the Cup class and 11th overall on his OrangeCat Racing BMW’s debut weekend, while Deion Campbell rounded out the category podium with a 12th-place overall finish aboard his BPR Racing Yamaha.
Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse Ducati’s Darryn Binder completed a Mid-Ohio double victory over championship rival Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila’s Josh Herrin in a shortened Supersport Race 2.
