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Bobby Fong sealed his first MotoAmerica Superbike title at New Jersey Motorsports Park, overturning a 26-point deficit and avenging last year’s season-ending crashes. The championship was decided under extreme weather that reshaped the weekend and handed Fong a narrow overall victory over Sean Dylan Kelly.
Stormy weekend reshuffles the schedule
A powerful nor’easter forced organizers to recombine the event timetable and cancel qualifying, leaving Friday’s timed practice to set the grid. Race 2 was moved from Sunday to Saturday, while the originally scheduled Sunday finale remained slated for the worst of the weather.
The altered schedule proved advantageous for Fong. His Friday practice pace put the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha R1 on the front rows, while Kelly, riding the OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR, was forced to start from tenth.
Two strong performances put Fong in contention
In damp, red-flag-interrupted conditions, Fong won Race 1 by 3.287 seconds over Cameron Beaubier’s Warhorse HSBK Ducati, with Kelly crossing the line fourth. Race 2 produced a tighter battle; Fong made a decisive move on the penultimate lap to take the lead and held off JD Beach and Mathew Scholtz for an all‑Yamaha podium. Kelly again finished fourth, narrowing his lead to just two points heading into Sunday.
Final day: treacherous wet race decides the title
After severe delays, a 15‑lap wet-track showdown finally ran on Sunday. Kelly pushed hard from mid-pack and, while trying to close on the leaders, slid off the track on lap four. With his rival out of contention, Fong rode conservatively to a controlled fourth-place finish — enough to secure the championship.
Mathew Scholtz took the race win, his fifth of the season, riding the Strack Racing Yamaha. He finished well ahead of Cameron Petersen’s Wrench Motorcycles Ducati, with JD Beach completing the podium ahead of Fong.
What the title means
The result clinched the Manufacturer of the Year award for Yamaha and extended Attack Performance’s Superbike pedigree: the team now adds 2026 to earlier championships won in 2020 through 2023, marking its fifth overall crown.
Fong, reflecting on the season, said: “I just want to cry. It’s unreal. We came from a ways back. We fell short last year, and we made up for it this year. I’ve been working for this my whole entire life.”
For OrangeCat Racing and Sean Dylan Kelly, the weekend was bittersweet. Kelly praised his season but acknowledged the finale’s impact: “I’m pretty happy with the performances in the races but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and it came down to all or nothing for Race 3. There was heavy rain in Race 3 and I ended up on the floor and we finished 2nd in the championship. It’s difficult to really take it all in right now, but I know that this was a really positive season. And I was just getting better and better with my BMW, so I’m looking forward to keep on improving for next season and make a step in 2027.”
2026 MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike Championship — Top 10
| Pos. | # | Rider | Team | Bike | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | Bobby Fong | Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 316 |
| 2 | 40 | Sean Dylan Kelly | OrangeCat Racing | BMW M 1000 RR | 305 |
| 3 | 11 | Mathew Scholtz | Strack Racing | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 284 |
| 4 | 95 | JD Beach | Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 274 |
| 5 | 45 | Cameron Petersen | Wrench Motorcycles | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 216 |
| 6 | 15 | PJ Jacobsen | Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 152 |
| 7 | 36 | Jayson Uribe | OrangeCat Racing | BMW M 1000 RR | 150 |
| 8 | 66 | Brandon Paasch | M4 ECSTAR Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 140 |
| 9 | 69 | Hayden Gillim | Real Steel Honda | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 110 |
| 10 | 54 | Richie Escalante | M4 ECSTAR Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 106 |
