Martinez Triumphs At New Jersey BTR

It might have taken until the penultimate round of the 2022 Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. (BTR) Road Racing season, but a new face has emerged at the top of the BTR podium. The New Jersey Motorsports Park round of MotoAmerica was the site of Crystal Martinez’s breakthrough victory, where she claimed pole position and Saturday’s BTR main race win, halting the impressive win streak of Kayleigh Buyck. Martinez was joined on the overall podium by Chloe Peterson and Jenny Chancellor in an epic battle that came down to the final corner.

After setting the fast lap in qualifying, Martinez was primed for her first victory of the season, but a wheelie off the start left her on the back foot. Buyck and Peterson got out to a good start while Martinez quickly regrouped to keep herself with the lead pack. The battle for the lead was an intense one throughout the race, with Peterson heading the field and Martinez nipping at her heels — at one point quite literally as the two clipped wheels, nearly causing Martinez to lose her front end. “It shook me up for a split second, but I didn’t give up,” said Martinez. “I kept pushing and battling with Chloe until the very last turn.”

It was the final turn where a slight miscalculation by Peterson changed the tide. A missed shift caused her to lose her momentum and allowed Martinez to draft past and nab the win. “What an epic race!” Peterson exclaimed. “I was a quarter-second off first. That was the hardest, most aggressive I have ever ridden. I did things during the race I never thought I would be capable of at the beginning of the season. I’m bummed, but I’m also focused on the positives, that I really grew my comfort zone and leveled up my race craft.”

“Mad respect to her for pushing until the very end,” said Martinez. “It’s my first win of the season and I have a lot of emotions. Now I want to focus on what I can do better for our last round at Barber. I’m second in the championship, and it’s still up for the taking.”

The sixth and final round of the Royal Enfield BTR Road Race season will take place Sept. 23 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, where the 2022 champion will be crowned. With four out five wins to her credit, Kayleigh Buyck holds the advantage, but a fourth-place finish in New Jersey has tightened up the points, and the crown is still very much up for the taking.

“New Jersey was an exciting round, and a good shake-up in the season,” said Breeann Poland, marketing and communications lead – Royal Enfield Americas. “Watching the skill and race craft of all the BTR women evolve throughout the season has been incredible. The way they push each other and learn from each other is what’s raising the competition level with each round. After all this group has been through this season, the highs and lows, we’re sad to see it coming to a close, but we’re also looking forward to a hell of a final showdown at Barber.”