There’s no shame in being a hooligan or a bagger, at least not in the world of motorcycle racing. But MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest also brings the top classes competing in the U.S. – Supersport and Superbike.
Midway through the season, two battles are taking shape at the top of the leaderboard. Mathew Scholtz and his no. 11 Warhorse HSBK Ducati won three of the first four races of the season, but suffered a setback at Road America in May. Sean Dylan Kelly took advantage, taking the no. 40 OrangeCat Racing Honda to the front at Road America and The Ridge – both times in the second race – to close to within 5 points of Scholtz. Meanwhile JD Beach on the no. 95 Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha is locked in a battle with teammate Bobby Fong’s no. 50 for third in the points chase.
Superbike teams return to the Saturday-Sunday race format this year at Laguna Seca. The 2025 race weekend saw a single race on Saturday and a double-header Sunday. Ducati rider Josh Herrin edged Bobby Fong’s Yamaha in the opener. On Sunday, fortunes were reversed, with Fong taking both races by comfortable margins over Herrin.
This time around, Herrin brings momentum to Laguna Seca, recording back-to-back wins on his no. 2 Rahal Ducati at The Ridge. Still, with four top spots and four second-place finishes, points leader Darryn Binder is making his no. 53 Warhorse Ducati difficult to catch.
Tyler Scott on the no. 70 M4 Ecstar Suzuki is in the hunt, collecting points in all nine races so far. And no. 19 Rahal Ducati rider Kayla Yaakov has kept herself in the mix with a second at Barber Motorsports Park and a string of thirds.
A year ago at Laguna Seca, race one in Supersport was a Yamaha battle between Blake Davis and Scholtz, with Davis coming out on top. In the second round, Davis had Petersen’s Ducati in his mirror, but held on for the sweep.
As for hooligans and baggers, the terms refer to popular competition classes – Super Hooligan and King of the Baggers – part of a packed weekend of racing. Practice and qualifying sessions are scheduled for Friday. Races in all classes take place Saturday starting at 1:10pm with Supersport and 12:30pm Sunday with Hooligan. Superbikes roll at 3:10pm on both days.
8am-6pm Friday-Sunday, July 10-12. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. $30-$90. (831) 242-8200, weathertechraceway.com.