Sonoma Raceway notes: Cameron Beaubier sweeps Superbike races

SONOMA

Roseville’s Cameron Beaubier swept both of the Superbike divisions this past weekend during the CycleGear Championship at Sonoma Raceway.

The victories give Beaubier back-to-back wins since the AMA Superbike series returned in 2017, collecting his 31st series wins at the Wine Country raceway by a combined 13.7 seconds. Toni Elias finished in second overall on the weekend and Josh Herrin was third. J.D. Beach win the Supersport division, Cory Ventura the Junior Cup and Andrew Lee the Stock 1000.

LOCAL DRAG RESULTS

Three Sonoma County residents took home victories in this week’s version of Wednesday Night Drags at Sonoma Raceway.

Leading the way was Petaluma’s Marko Perivolaris, winning the Jackpot division in his 1973 Chevrolet Nova over Don Creed of Santa Rosa in a 1974 Chevrolet Nova by around 1.5 seconds.

Santa Rosa’s Tom Johnson won the Comp Rod division in a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro against Novato’s Joe Piazza in a 1950 Chevrolet Chevelle by more than two seconds.

In the High School Division, Penngrove resident Dominic Piazza’s faster reaction time at the light in a 2002 Volkswagen got him a victory over Sebastopol’s Joseph McBurney in a 2003 Cadillac Deville, even though McBurney ran a faster time down the quarter-mile strip.

INDYCAR UPDATE

The Verizon IndyCar Series will be making its final appearance at the raceway for the considerable future next month. The series has decided to move its final series date to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey County next year and Sonoma Raceway didn’t match or beat the central California raceway’s offer.

The season-ending race for the IndyCar series offers double points for each position, increasing the incentive for drivers to perform at their highest level to increase their chances at a championship.

Currently leading the point standings is Scott Dixon, who has a 46-point lead over Gold Country (Grass Valley) native Alexander Rossi and a 60-point lead over defending series champion Josef Newgarden. Rossi has two wins this season (Long Beach, Mid-Ohio) and trails just Dixon and Newgarden (three each) for most wins this season.

Prior to visiting the West Coast, the series has three races on its schedule: starting with Pocono this weekend, Gateway near St. Louis and then Portland. The series visits Sonoma Raceway Sept. 13-16. For tickets, visit SonomaRaceway.com.

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ?AT THE TRACK

The Wednesday Night Drags program runs almost every Wednesday. Currently in its 30th year, it runs from March 14-Nov. 4. Fans can race their vehicles down the quarter-mile drag strip in a controlled environment away from city streets. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. with racing from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Competitors must have a driver’s license to compete, their cars must pass a technical inspection and all vehicles must have mufflers. Up to 300 cars are allowed to enter.

Running alongside the drags will be Sonoma Drift, where pros and amateurs can swing wheels to perfect their drifting techniques. Speed is secondary as competitors are judged on the style and execution of their drift through a marked course in the raceway’s paddock. Cars must pass a technical inspection before being allowed to drift.

Drifting starts at 4 p.m. Drivers pay $25 and high school students with ID can race for $15 at the gate. Spectators can watch for $10.