Monterey, CA – July 20, 2013 – Three-time defending AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes is a perfect five for five in pole positions this season and six for six going back to the final round of the 2012 SuperBike season. Riding his signature #1 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1, Josh was the fastest SuperBike competitor in the morning’s provisional qualifying session at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and he bettered his time in the afternoon’s final qualifying event.
Hayes’ teammate and rider of the #2 R1, Josh Herrin set his fastest time of the day in provisional qualifying, and he will also start on the front row for tomorrow’s single SuperBike race of the weekend.
After earning his sixth-consecutive pole, Hayes said, “It was a pretty good session for me. My team and I worked a little bit on our setup and race pace, and I was able to go a little faster than I did this morning, so that was good. It’s always great to get that extra point for the pole, and I’ve got five of them, so that’s five bonus points. Those points are always important, and they’re especially important this season because we’re all still pretty close in points (in the SuperBike Championship standings).”
Herrin said, “The session got shortened, but it still went pretty well for us. I’m happy to be on the front row, and I’m also glad that I’m going faster in these qualifying sessions. I’ve been working hard on my fitness, and it’s obviously paying dividends for me.”
Beaubier and Gerloff Qualify 1-2 In AMA Pro Go Pro Daytona SportBike
Cameron Beaubier–like his Yamaha teammate Josh Hayes–is also perfect on the season in DSB final qualifying, as the rider of the #6 Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6 also notched his sixth pole position of the season based on the record-breaking lap that he ran in yesterday’s provisional qualifying at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Cameron’s teammate Garrett Gerloff made a huge jump from his fourth-place result in provisional qualifying. Garrett put his #8 Y.E.S./Monster into 2nd place in today’s final qualifying session, and he’ll start right next to Cameron on the front row for tomorrow morning’s single DSB race of the weekend.
Commenting on his pole-position-earning effort, Cameron said, “We made a couple of changes this morning to the rear shock. The fog was a little tricky, but we saw Garrett going faster, and we decided to put in a new rear tire. We didn’t improve on our time from yesterday, but I feel really good about our setup for the race.”
“The bike was really good for me today,” Garrett said. “Every time I go out on the track, I learn something more, and it showed today. I’m really glad that I was able to improve my position, and I’m looking forward to starting the race right next to Cameron on the front row.”
