Richard Kerr and the AMD Motorsport team concluded their 2024 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Championship campaign at the weekend and did so in style with fifth and sixth place finishes at the New Jersey Motorsports Park seeing them claim sixth overall in the final standings.
Located in Millville, New Jersey in the Northeastern region of the United States, the New Jersey Motorsports Park first held racing in 2008, and the 2.25-mile circuit saw County Donegal’s Kerr have his best qualifying performance of the season with an excellent fifth overall in the mixed conditions on the CBR1000RR Honda Fireblade.
The opening 14-lap Superstock race saw the 24-year old occupy fourth in the early stages but as the race wore on, he suffered a lack of grip with the rear tyre and had to drop back, eventually finishing sixth, 16.1s behind race winner and fellow Honda rider Hayden Gillim.
Continuing to make changes to the set-up of the Honda, to aid with grip in particular, the second race went a lot better for Richard as he ran with the leading pack for much of the way. Running as high as third for several laps, he battled with Jayson Uribe and Benjamin Smith for much of the way and took a fine fifth at the chequered flag, this time only eight seconds behind Gillim who won both the race and the championship.
The two Superbike races, held over 20 laps, were always going to be more challenging affairs with Richard lining up in 12th on the grid after qualifying again saw mixed conditions. The races were dry throughout though and after taking 14th in the first race he improved to an excellent ninth in the second race where he set his fastest lap of the weekend at 1’22.008. This was less than a second slower than race winner Loris Baz’s best lap on the Warhorse Racing Ducati.
Richard Kerr: “New Jersey was a good weekend for sure and there were a lot of positives to take out of it. We changed tact a bit and entered the Superbike class direct, rather than the Superbike Cup, to be out on track in all the sessions but the weather put paid to that as conditions were too sketchy at times to go out. I had a small tip-off on Friday but there was little damage to the bike, and we were soon back out and took solid qualifying positions.”
“The first Superstock race went well, and we weren’t too far away but the tyre started to chew up a fair bit in the second half and I lost the rear a lot when I was off the gas, so it was either push on and crash or ease back and settle for a position. We had much better pace in the second race though and ran with the leading group for a lot longer so fifth and sixth was a good way to end the season.”
“We spoke to a few other teams about set-up and the like to try and help the tyre situation and increasing the pressure really helped in the second Superbike race. I was really competitive, finishing in a good ninth ahead of a few of the Superstock boys who’d beat me earlier whilst being the first Honda to finish was also pleasing. The circuit suited me, and I was pleased with both my results and lap times and it’s fair to say we’ve been learning all season.”
“It’s been a good year and an enjoyable one too, so a huge thanks to everyone who’s helped me this season particularly my dad, Simon Bleasdale, Liam McMullan, Patrick McGinley, the Jones Honda team in America and, of course Fraser and Mary Dykes from AMD Motorsport and all my personal sponsors.”
MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Championship final standings (after five rounds)
1 Hayden Gillim (Honda) 201pts
2 Jayson Uribe (BMW) 180
3 Ashton Yates (Honda) 140
4 Benjamin Smith (Yamaha) 133
5 Bryce Prince (Yamaha) 117
6 Richard Kerr (AMD Motorsport/RK Racing Honda) 92
