Bobby Fong’s Race 1 win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Mansfield, Ohio, wrested the points lead from Josh Herrin after that rider finished seventh. The victory was Fong’s fifth consecutive win, matching a feat by Herrin earlier in the season. Fong would further extend his lead with a third-place finish in Race 2.
Race 2 was just as notable, with Cameron Beaubier ending Fong’s streak by earning a record-breaking 90th victory across all classes of competition. Beaubier won his first race at the age of 17 and continued to amass victories until his current age of 32.
Fong’s Race 1 victory came after a red flag for oil in Turn 6 on the opening lap, forcing him to tiptoe through that corner.
“It almost felt like there was still oil on the track, but everybody was in the same boat,” Fong said. “I didn’t know how to go through it really because I couldn’t learn what everybody was doing. So, I was just guessing people were going around. I was just staying to the inside of it. It got a little line on the inside later on in the race, but MotoAmerica did their best.
“Everybody was in the same boat. I knew once the red flag came out in the beginning of the race before the start of the race, the tires were going to be greasy. It’s hot out there. I knew the heat was going to come into play for sure. It did. It was pretty slick out there. Not just because of the oil dry, but the heat and everything. But we managed pretty good.”
Sean Dylan Kelly finished second in the first race by being aggressive through the tricky Turn 6.
“I didn’t really believe that I had the pace for Beaubier and Bobby in front of me, but I think I was picking up some pace, some time through turn six,” Kelly said. “Risking a little bit more probably than I should have. I actually was having a little bit better pace than I expected the first half of the race.”
JD Beach finished third for his first podium of the season.
“Yeah, it will be nice if they just quit the weekend right now,” Beach said. "[...] I got on the podium. I feel like I’m riding like I did back in 2018. I feel great. When I stepped away from road racing in 2019, I wasn’t riding good. I didn’t want to end my career like that, and I came back last year and just couldn’t get going.”
Herrin was not as productive through the oil dry as Kelly. He lost significant traction and ground early in the race and could not reclaim his position at the front of the field. Herrin finished seventh in Race 1.
Race 2
Beaubier flipped the script in the second race. Scoring his 90th career victory allowed him to close to within 17 points of the new leader, Fong.
“Not going to lie, at the beginning of the year I had a lot of confidence going,” Beaubier said. “I was like, I’m going to reel 90 off pretty quick. Then the last three rounds have been just a straight struggle. We’ve been struggling so bad with tire life. The Tytlers guys have been flipping the bike upside-down trying to find grip, trying to keep up with Bob (Fong). The Superbike field right now is just stacked. It’s pretty crazy how much the points have flip-flopped in the last few rounds.”
Jake Gagne finished second on Sunday.
“I didn’t have the pace to run with Cam, but just kind of settled into my own rhythm,” Gagne said. “It was kind of nice the last couple races not getting starts and duking it out with some of those guys. I was kind of struggling yesterday. It sucked because that’s not like this bike and this team. I’m happy to get a second even if it’s under those circumstances. At least I was a little bit closer to those guys than yesterday, that’s for sure. We’re doing all that we could.”
Fong was the only rider to score two podiums on the week with a third-place finish in Race 2, but his race was filled with drama.
.@BobbyFong50 delivered a remarkable comeback in yesterday’s Superbike race. After contact with Josh Herrin pushed him from 2nd place off track and back to 7th, Fong fought his way through the field to reclaim a podium finish in 3rd. 💪 #superbike #motorsports #motorcycle… pic.twitter.com/o2B75ZPaAI
— MotoAmerica (@MotoAmerica) August 18, 2025
Fong’s attempt at a sixth consecutive victory was foiled by an early incident with Herrin. The two riders made contact in the same corner that had given the field so much grief on Saturday.
Fong took the bottom lane to keep Herrin from mounting a charge, but Herrin ignored the block and tried to go lower on the track. Both riders left the track, but Fong recovered first and fell to seventh. Herrin had to extricate his bike from the air fence and fell to 17th.
“About the incident, that sh*t happens,” Fong said. It’s a part of racing. “He (Herrin) tried. He failed. I would have probably done the same thing. So, it happens. I’m happy to get third and get some points. But you could hear him behind me and I knew at some point he was going to do something. Unfortunately, he ended up going down. Hopefully, he’s okay. No hard feelings. Like I said, we all ride aggressive up here.”
It would only get worse for Herrin. Late in the race, while trying to regain some of the positions he lost, Herrin crashed. That brought out a red flag and an early termination to the race.
Superbike Race 1 Top-10
- Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
- Sean Dylan Kelly (Suzuki)
- JD Beach (Honda)
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Hayden Gillim (Ducati)
- Cameron Beaubier (BMX)
- Josh Herrin (Ducati)
- Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
- Benjamin Smith (Yamaha)
- Ashton Yates (Honda)
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Superbike Race 2 Top-10
- Cameron Beaubier (BMX)
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
- Hayden Gillim (Ducati)
- JD Beach (Honda)
- Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
- Sean Dylan Kelly (Suzuki)
- Ashton Yates (Honda)
- Benjamin Smith (Yamaha)
- Bryce Kornbau (Yamaha)
Complete Results
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Lap Analysis
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Detailed Segment Times
