Bobby Fong Crowned 2026 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion
Bobby Fong earns his first Superbike Championship as Yamaha makes AMA Superbike history at the MotoAmerica season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park / Sep 29, 2026 /
It was a memorable MotoAmerica Superbike season finale for Bobby Fong and Yamaha at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing rider scored a pair of victories and navigated a wild weekend in New Jersey to secure his first MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz finished the season on a high note with a Race 3 victory, while Fong’s teammate JD Beach earned a pair of podiums. It all added up to a successful conclusion to the season and a record-breaking weekend for Yamaha in AMA Superbike.
There was plenty on the line heading into the finale. Fong entered the weekend 26 points back in the title fight, but with three races and 75 points up for grabs, the championship was still within reach. Then a nor’easter entered the equation, bringing high winds, heavy rain, and unpredictable track conditions. In the end, Fong did what he needed to do – win and let the rest unfold.
With the worst of the weather expected on Sunday, MotoAmerica made several changes to the race schedule. Friday’s sessions ultimately set the grids for all classes, while Superbike Race 2 was moved to Saturday and Race 3 moved up to open Sunday’s schedule. The Superbike races were also shortened from 20 to 15 laps.
Fong qualified second, with Beach and Scholtz on the second row of the grid, qualifying fourth and fifth, respectively. It was a chaotic first race of the day as rain came through in waves, making for challenging track conditions with standing water on the track. The thrice-started race had the same outcome after every start – Fong out front and taking command of the race.
Beach also got off to a great start, slotting in behind his teammate. A near high-side early in the race dropped him back to 18th, and after witnessing multiple riders crash following the restart, he shifted his focus to finishing the race and ultimately crossed the line eighth. Scholtz was also in the mix up front, grabbing the holeshot on the second restart before being passed by Fong. The South African was ultimately shuffled back to sixth, where he would finish.
Race 2 was declared wet, and although the track was drying, more rain was expected, making for another tricky scenario with rain tires on a drying track. Fong got another good start, slotting into second before taking over the lead on the opening lap, with Beach moving into second and Scholtz into third behind him.
It was another wild race, with the three Yamaha riders and championship leader Sean Dylan Kelly exchanging positions at the front. Around the halfway mark, Kelly passed Fong, but the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing rider reclaimed the lead on the following lap. Scholtz also took a turn up front with four laps remaining before Fong moved back into the lead. When the dust settled, it was Fong first across the line, Beach second, Scholtz third and Kelly fourth.
With the pair of victories, which also brought his career tally to 17, Fong gained 24 points on the championship leader heading into Sunday’s final race. Just two points separated the title contenders, setting the stage for a tense showdown in Race 3.
As forecasted, Sunday brought even more rain, with track delays and the possibility that racing could be canceled if conditions did not improve. Before 2 p.m., the rain eased, and the Superbike riders lined up for the final race of the season.
Fong once again grabbed the holeshot, with Beach and Scholtz right behind after the start. He built a gap in the challenging conditions, and on Lap 4, his title rival crashed out of the race. Fong continued to lead through the first half of the race, but with the championship on the line, he shifted his focus to riding smart and keeping it on two wheels. The Californian ultimately finished fourth to secure his first MotoAmerica Superbike crown by 11 points, ending the season with six wins and 12 podiums.
“Today in the race, I felt pretty good, and then when I saw that SDK was out, it was hard for me to keep focused because I started slowing down, missing corners, and just wasn’t riding properly,” said Fong. “I made a very long, hard race for myself. It was tough, but I’m glad I got it done.
“Man, it’s an unreal feeling. I don’t even know what to say, really. I’m so happy to get this done, especially after blowing it last year. It’s a dream come true. I really want to thank the team. I let them down big time last year. I put those guys through the wringer, and they had my back. We’re just always trying to improve every weekend, every day at the shop, and that’s what led us to this one – always trying to improve. I want to thank my teammate too. He pushed me all year long, and I couldn’t ask for a better teammate. He’s been a good buddy, and as much as we want to beat each other on track, we motivate each other to be better on the fitness side, the personal side, everything.”
Fong’s championship also marked Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s fifth premier-class title in seven years as Yamaha’s Official Superbike Team.
Scholtz also had a strong finish to a season that marked the back-to-back Supersport Champion’s return to the Superbike class and Strack Racing Yamaha’s debut in the premier class. In Race 3, Scholtz started third and made his way into the runner-up spot on the opening lap, closing in on Fong on Lap 4. He stayed on his heels before making the pass at the halfway mark, then rode away from the competition to score his fifth win of the season by 6.5 seconds. The victory also secured third in the championship for the South African, who ended his first season aboard the Strack Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 with five wins and 11 podiums, while bringing his career Superbike win total to 10.
“We came to Jersey and obviously had a mathematical chance of fighting for the championship, but maybe that was just a little bit too far out of our grasp,” said Scholtz. “We were still fighting for third with JD, and he closed in a lot of points after the COTA round.
“Jersey has been kind to me previously, and I know that the Yamaha tends to run well here. The first two races on Saturday were really difficult for us, but we made a lot of changes and made the bike better for the third race on Sunday. We managed to bring home the win, and I’m really thankful to the team. The second half of the year has been difficult, but to end it off like that gives us a lot of confidence heading into 2027.”
As for Beach, he was shuffled back to fifth in the opening laps, but continued to fight and passed his teammate in the final laps to finish third for his eighth podium of the season. Beach finished fourth in the championship with three wins in his first full season with the team, bringing his career Superbike total to five.
“It was a tough weekend for sure with the weather,” said Beach. “We had a wet race yesterday, then a dry race with a rain tire, and then another wet race today with a lot of puddles.
“Today, we just sat around waiting, and then about 30 minutes before we were going to race, we got the call, so it was a rush to get ready. It was a crazy weekend. It’s great to finish off the year with two podiums, and cool for Bob to get the title for himself and the team. So yeah, it was a good way to finish off the year.”
It was also a record-breaking weekend for Yamaha in AMA Superbike. Fong’s 2026 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship marked Yamaha’s 15th title, the most in the 50-year history of the AMA Superbike Championship. His two wins brought Yamaha into a tie atop the all-time race win list, with Scholtz’s Race 3 victory giving the manufacturer a total of 218 wins to take sole possession of the record. Yamaha was also once again awarded the MotoAmerica Manufacturer of the Year honors after scoring the most points across all classes.
“It was an honor for me to accept the Manufacturer’s award,” said Jeff Sidlovsky, Yamaha Racing Assistant Department Manager for YMUS. “I’d like to congratulate Bobby and the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team for winning the Superbike Championship. As Bobby said, the constant push to improve is a driving force of this team, and that’s what won the championship in the end. Bobby worked so hard this year to improve in all aspects, and it paid off. I also want to congratulate Richard (Stanboli) on another championship, and JD on a great year with the team.
“I’d also like to congratulate Mathew Scholtz on the strength of his season back in Superbike, and Strack Racing. To finish third in Superbike in the first year as a Superbike team is quite an accomplishment
“I want to recognize Liberty St. Yamaha Racing, Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing, and BPR Racing Yamaha for their accomplishments this year, as well. All of our Yamaha riders and teams contributed to the Manufacturer award, and I want to thank them and our sponsors for their support.”