Elias and Hayden dominate Utah MotoAmerica

Yoshimura Suzuki dominated the fifth round of the MotoAmerica series at Utah, taking a 1-2 finish with Toni Elias and Roger Hayden.

Elias swept the weekend, winning both legs of the event on his GSX-R1000, extending his series lead to 30 points. Teammate Roger Hayden, who took pole, finished runner-up in both races. It marked the fifth time this season that Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing has finished 1-2 in MotoAmerica Superbike races.

Elias’ Utah clean-sweep pushed his series lead total to 210 points. Hayden moved back into second in the standings with 180 points.

Elias and Hayden - 1-2 for Yoshimura Suzuki on GSX-R1000 at Utah MotoAmerica

Elias commented, “I am so happy about this weekend. We won both races and the team did a great job with the bike.

“I got a bit lucky after running off the track. I came back step-by-step, passed some riders, caught the leading group and won the first race. In race two I was there up-front for the whole race. Two wins for the weekend was very important for the championship. We must continue like this.”

Hayden, who set a new track record onboard his new GSX-R1000 in qualifying, added, “The record stood for a long time, so I’m really happy about that. I’m proud of our performance. The team is working really hard and I’m looking forward to Laguna Seca.”