In Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race one at New Jersey Motorsports Park – NJMP, Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was headed for a podium finish until the prodigious rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia conspired against him.

Well-known as a master rider in the rain, Mathew surprisingly went off the track on lap 11 of the 16-lap event and fell down in the saturated grass. Unhurt, he re-mounted his Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike and proceeded to race for a top-five finish. While in sixth on the final lap, Mathew tried overtaking Josh Herrin on the inside, but there just wasn’t enough room, and he sent Herrin off the track, which resulted in Race Control awarding Herrin with a fifth-place result and Mathew was credited with sixth.

“Usually, I get pretty good results in the rain,” Mathew said. “I’m always smooth with the throttle and on the brakes, which is really a benefit in these kinds of conditions. Unfortunately, I got caught out by the standing water on the track, and before I knew it, I was in the grass and going too fast to avoid tipping over in the grass. I was OK, and the bike didn’t have any damage, so I was able to continue. After all that, I really wanted to salvage a top-five result, but there just wasn’t enough room on the inside of (Josh) Herrin when I tried to pass him. We’ll regroup and try for a better result tomorrow. It’s the final race of the season, so we’re determined to end the year on a high note.”