Mathew Scholtz led the wet MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike free practice session Friday at Ridge Motorsports Park, officials said. Riding for Strack Racing, Scholtz posted the fastest lap time ahead of Bobby Fong and PJ Jacobsen as riders adapted to challenging track conditions.
JD Beach and Sean Dylan Kelly rounded out the top five in the MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike free practice session Friday, according to session results published by Roadracing World.
Scholtz posted the fastest lap time in the wet conditions at Ridge Motorsports Park, finishing ahead of Bobby Fong of Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing and PJ Jacobsen of Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL, officials said.
The session took place under wet track conditions, which presented a significant challenge for riders adapting their pace, sources confirmed. Scholtz, riding for Strack Racing, demonstrated strong speed despite the damp surface, setting the benchmark for the weekend’s Superbike competition. The free practice session served as an early indicator of rider form before qualifying and race sessions later in the weekend.
MotoAmerica’s official weekend coverage noted that Scholtz also competed in the Supersport class at Ridge Motorsports Park, where he achieved a “perfect weekend” with two race wins, according to reports published on MotoAmerica’s website. Those victories contributed to Scholtz taking over the Supersport championship points lead for the first time that season, moving three points ahead of his closest rival, PJ Jacobsen, sources confirmed. Scholtz’s Supersport machine was identified as a Yamaha YZF-R9, the same manufacturer as his Superbike entry, though the classes are distinct, officials said.
Later on Friday, an incident involving Scholtz occurred during the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) session. Danilo Petrucci was penalized following a collision with Scholtz, MotoAmerica Race Direction reported. After reviewing video footage and speaking with both riders, officials issued Petrucci two rider penalty points and a three-position grid penalty for his next race. Petrucci was judged to have been riding in an “irresponsible manner,” and officials noted that accumulating four rider penalty points within 365 days would result in a back-of-grid start for the next race, according to the sanctioning body.
The Ridge Motorsports Park weekend featured both Superbike and Supersport competition, with riders competing across multiple classes, MotoAmerica’s official event coverage indicated. Scholtz’s performance in the Superbike free practice session highlighted his pace in the wet conditions, while his Supersport results underscored his championship contention in that category.
The free practice session results, published by Roadracing World, show Scholtz leading the field on Friday with Fong, Jacobsen, Beach, and Kelly completing the top five. These standings provide an early snapshot of rider performance under challenging weather conditions ahead of the qualifying and race events scheduled for the weekend at Ridge Motorsports Park, officials said.
