The seventh round of the u.s. championships was in addition a format different from the usual. In place of the two traditional careers, VIR was the scene of three tests of Superbikes, increasing the requirement for riders, teams and motorbikes. In these conditions, the BMW M 1000 RR OrangeCat Racing managed to stay among the protagonists of the category.
The result also allowed to Sean Dylan Kelly, known as SDK, to retain the leadership of the championship, while Jayson Uribe took an important step forward to get the first podium of the season.
A weekend demanding from the classification
The activity began on Friday with a qualifying session marked by the particular conditions of VIR. The heat and humidity forced the pilots to take on a demanding circuit, where each sector could mark as important differences in the lap times.
Sean Dylan Kelly took his BMW M 1000 RR to the second position of the grill, placing it in a prime position for the three races. Jayson Uribe, for his part, he ended up qualifying in the eleventh position, so you would have to climb from the fourth row.
The position of president Uribe was related, in part, to the difficulties found during the weekend in the second sector of the circuit. Even so, the pilot of OrangeCat Racing managed to turn that initial disadvantage in a result that would end up being one of the highlights of the date.
With three races scheduled, the strategy also acquired greater importance. Not only it was necessary to find the speed to fight for the front-runners, but conserve tyres, maintain concentration and avoid errors in a weekend considerably longer than usual.
Sean Dylan Kelly maintains the step in the first two races
The first race of the Saturday showed quickly that the fight for the front-runners would be closed. Sean Dylan Kelly remained for a good part of the test in the third position, trying to reduce the difference with the pilots that preceded it.
The driver of the BMW M 1000 RR got closer at different times, but finally found the opportunity needed to advance to the second position. He crossed the finish line in third position and won the first of his two podiums of the weekend.
Jayson Uribe also obtained an advance in relation to his starting position. After starting from the eleventh place, the american pilot, completed a career consistent to finish ninth.
The second race, held on Sunday, had a development very similar. Kelly returned to occupy the third position, and got another podium for OrangeCat Racing and BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
For Uribe, it was again a recovery stroke. The driver of the BMW M 1000 RR repeated the ninth place and maintained a sufficient rate to continue to accumulate experience and points in a category as competitive as the MotoAmerica Superbike championship.
With two third consecutive positions, Kelly came to the last race of the weekend with a clear purpose: to continue adding points to protect his lead in the championship.
The third race completely changes the landscape
The third race of the weekend was the one that ended up becoming at VIR in a date especially important for OrangeCat Racing.
The test began with all the riders looking to take maximum advantage of the last opportunity of the weekend. However, a red flag forced to stop the race and modified for full development.
Before the interruption, Sean Dylan Kelly was leading the race. After the resumption, an incident that involved several of the pilots who were in the top positions changed the classification.
Kelly was among those affected. The pilot was able to get up quickly after the fall and re-launch your BMW M 1000 RR, even though he had to return to work on the sixteenth position.
The damage suffered by the motorcycle also conditioned his pace. A handlebar bent prevented that Kelly could maintain the times of the pilots who fought for the top positions. Despite this, the leader of the championship did not leave and was able to recover ground until the end of the fifteenth.
The position had a special value: was the last square that gave points in the race. In this way, Kelly added a point to his championship after a situation that could easily have ended with a much more costly.
Meanwhile, the same situation was complicated by the career of Kelly opened an opportunity for Jayson Uribe.
Jayson Uribe achieved his first podium of 2026
After the start of the weekend, from the eleventh position, Jayson Uribe was suddenly a lot closer to the head of the race.
The pilot of OrangeCat Racing took advantage of the situation and began to attack. With a BMW M 1000 RR that allowed him to stay in the fight, Uribe was cutting differences until you get to challenge the front-runners.
The pilot came to reduce a difference of approximately two seconds on the leader and went into an intense fight for the victory. The race then became one of the most important of their season.
Uribe she even starred in some of the images most eye-catching of the weekend, lifting the rear wheel of his BMW M 1000 RR during heavy braking, while seeking to stay in the battle for the top positions.
However, in the last lap you have opted to ensure the result. Instead of risking a podium that had already practically the scope, it was decided to close the race with intelligence and crossed the line in third position.
The result meant his first podium of the season 2026 and completed a weekend of three podiums for the BMW M 1000 RR OrangeCat Racing.
“I am very proud to have finished a weekend of something complicated in VIR with a podium in race 3”, explained Uribe after the test. The pilot also highlighted the work of the team and noted that the output increased their desire to continue working to achieve new podiums during the season.
Three podiums and a championship that is still open
The balance of VIR ended up being especially good for BMW Motorrad Motorsport and OrangeCat Racing.
Sean Dylan Kelly got two third places and, despite the incident of the third race, he managed to keep the lead in the championship. After seven rounds of the MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike, the pilot of the BMW M 1000 RR retains an advantage of 17 points over his nearest rival.
For Kelly, finishing fifteenth in the last race and to rescue a point it was essential to limit the consequences of an incident that could have greatly affected their position in the general classification.
“We took home a couple of podiums and we are still leading the championship,” said Kelly, who also highlighted the work done by his team during a weekend particularly complicated.
Jayson Uribe, meanwhile, rose to sixth position in the championship thanks to his performance in the third race. His podium not only represents an important result in terms of points, but also a boost to cope with the following dates with greater confidence.
The weekend VIR also demonstrates the importance of consistency in a championship as the MotoAmerica. On a date with three runs, changing climatic conditions and a grill extremely competitive, each point can end up being crucial to the end of the season.
The BMW M 1000 RR comes back to COTA
The championship MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike will now have a break before returning to action from 11 to 13 of September of 2026 at the Circuit of the Americas, known as ELEVATION, in Texas.
The next appointment will represent a new opportunity for Sean Dylan Kelly to extend their advantage at the front of the championship and to Jayson Uribe to turn the podium finish at VIR in the starting point of the second half of the season even more competitive.
COTA will also be a special stage for Kelly, who believes that the circuit can be well adapted to the characteristics of your BMW M 1000 RR.
After a weekend at VIR that combined three podiums, a comeback outstanding and an incident that tested the strength of the team, OrangeCat Racing will come to Texas with a clear goal: to keep the BMW M 1000 RR in the fight for the front and continue the fight for the championship MotoAmerica Superbike.
Source: BMW Group