K&N-Sponsored Superbike Racer Kyle Wyman Rides to Top 5 Finish at Road Atlanta

9 May 2017

Kyle Wyman racing in MotoAmerica Superbike at Road Atlanta in Georgia

Kyle Wyman catches air on his way to a top-5 finish at Road Atlanta

Kyle Wyman rode his Excelsus Solutions/KWR Superbike to a top 5 finish Sunday at Road Atlanta in the second round of the MotoAmerica Superbike series. The K&N-sponsored road racer put up a career ride in the Sunday race in Atlanta, Georgia.

Wyman started the weekend impressively by posting the 5th fastest time overall in the qualifying practice sessions. He was less than a tenth off of the factory teams, which is an indication of the blazing one-lap speed of the non-factory rider.

"Friday was a bit of a bumpy start with some mechanical gremlins, but we were still able to put in a time," Wyman said. "Friday's sessions are important because it determines the top 12 riders who will move on to Superpole Saturday morning. Being fifth overall and the top rider after the factory teams is our goal and we were able to accomplish that."

With that goal realized, Wyman moved on to the next phase of his Road Atlanta plan. Wyman had only a 30-minute session Saturday morning before Superpole to dial in a race-setup for the bike which is crucial for the 21-lap races scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Wyman was able to qualify in 8th position in Superpole, which he viewed as a disappointment after his Superpole performance at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in round one.

KWR Racing worked out setup issues for a strong race two

"We tried some things in the morning practice to see if we could make the bike better over a full race distance," Wyman said. "In Superpole my goal was to get back on the second row of the grid again like we did at COTA. I made a mistake in my first sector of the “Q” (qualifying) tire lap and it cost me some time. We would have to settle for the third row of the grid."

In race one on Saturday, Wyman felt that he and the KWR team shot themselves in the foot with a failed setup decision. That experiment gave Wyman fits in the 21 lap race, especially with the bike's rear end.

"In race one I got off to a bad start and it got worse from there," Wyman said. "From the get-go I felt unsure of the rear end. We tried a different setup for the race compared to qualifying and the bike was just really hard to ride from the first lap. We still were able to hold on to a respectable finish."

While the 9th overall and the 6th in the Superbike class in race one was respectable, Wyman clearly wanted more from the Sunday race. The KWR team went back to the drawing board to come up with setup changes for race two. Those changes proved to be just what Wyman needed to post an incredibly impressive 5th overall on Sunday.

Wyman eyes more progress in the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike season

"(In) race two, I actually got off to a horrible start again, but was able to make quick work of some guys and make good passes," Wyman said. "After I cleared the Superstock guys I was pleasantly surprised to see my pit board climbing up and the gap growing like crazy behind me. For a long time I was just a second or two off the lead group and could see all the shuffling that was happening up front."

Wyman built up a 17-second gap over the 6th place rider by the finish, and chalked up his best ride of 2017.

Setup success and race result progress is the key to the early season rounds, and that’s exactly what KWR Racing experienced over the course of the Road Atlanta race weekend.

"Overall I'm super happy with the result because we made such huge progress over race one, and eclipsed my Superpole time twice during the race,” said Wyman. “My crew has been working so hard to give me a solid bike and they have done a great job. I can't wait to continue at Virginia in a couple weeks where I know we will be strong."

If you own a Yamaha R1 and are looking for the same filters that Kyle trusts on his bike, look no further than K&N. For the 2015-2017 Yamaha R1, K&N makes the YA-1015. And if you track your bike and want a little more airflow, you should check out the YA-1015R.