Sean Dylan Kelly finished third in the second Superbike race Sunday at the MotoAmerica event at Road Atlanta, marking his first weekend with OrangeCat Racing. Kelly maintained his third-place starting position throughout the 19-lap race, securing two podium finishes that placed him second in the championship standings, team officials said.
Kelly’s two podium finishes at the Road Atlanta event marked a strong start to the 2026 MotoAmerica Superbike season for OrangeCat Racing, team officials confirmed. The Chicago-based team, competing in its inaugural Superbike season, fields two BMW M 1000 RR machines as one of BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s Official Race Teams.
Kelly, who rides the No. 40 BMW M 1000 RR, secured third place in both Superbike races during the weekend, maintaining his third-place starting position throughout the 19-lap second race, according to race results.
Teammate Jayson Uribe, 26, also contributed to the team’s effort by finishing ninth in the second race after starting from the ninth grid position, officials said. Uribe returns for his third season with OrangeCat Racing after posting eight podiums and finishing third overall in the 2025 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship. The team stepped up to Superbike competition following its Stock 1000 championship win last year.
With two podium finishes, Kelly currently holds second place in the MotoAmerica QUAD LOCK Superbike Championship standings after the first round at Road Atlanta, while Uribe sits eighth, records show. Kelly’s performance places him strongly early in the season, according to team sources.
Kelly joined OrangeCat Racing on December 9, 2025, moving up from the Stock 1000 class. Before joining OrangeCat, he competed in the 2024 MotoAmerica Superbike season with TopPro Racing, where he won at Circuit of the Americas and achieved seven podiums, finishing fourth in the championship. Kelly’s background includes winning the 2021 MotoAmerica Supersport championship, with two victories at Pittsburgh International Race Complex and five podiums, and competing in 34 races over two seasons in the FIM Moto2 World Championship. He was born May 17, 2002, and is a native of Florida.
Kelly’s crew chief is Dave Weaver, who previously guided Tytler’s Cycle Racing to the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with rider Cameron Beaubier. Weaver led Tytler’s team from its inception to the title win before joining OrangeCat Racing. The team honed the BMW M 1000 RR setup during the Dunlop Pre-Season Test at Circuit of the Americas, where Kelly posted the fastest lap of 2 minutes, 9.538 seconds on day one and led the two-day test, sources confirmed.
Kelly expressed satisfaction with his debut weekend on the BMW M 1000 RR, stating, “I had a great first weekend with OrangeCat Racing, leaving with two podiums.” He also noted that the weekend solidified his quick adaptation to the new team and that he was unfazed by weather conditions during pre-season testing.
OrangeCat Racing took over as BMW’s American flagship Superbike team after Tytler’s Cycle Racing folded. The team fields a two-rider lineup in the Superbike class for the 2026 season, with Kelly and Uribe aiming to build on their early results in upcoming rounds.
