Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden put the tragic loss of his brother Nicky Hayden out of his mind and started off the Dunlop Championship at Road America in the best way possible by leading the first MotoAmerica Motul Superbike/Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Qualifying Practice session on Friday.
Riding his Dunlop-shod 2017-model GSX-R1000, Hayden lapped the four-mile, 14-turn course in 2:12.683 and led the field of 22.
“The session was pretty good. I felt good right away,” Hayden told Roadracingworld.com. “I’ve always struggled at this track. Before coming here, these last couple of days I really studied my track map, some data, talked to some guys. I knew it was going to be a little bit difficult the first session, but right away I felt good. The bike felt great. The new Suzuki’s fast, which helps a lot here. The bike was working really good, I got into a nice rhythm, and the lap times came. And when I tried to push ,the lap times didn’t come. It’s one of those weird tracks. I guess you’ve got to flow.”
Two-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier was second-best with a time of 2:12.959 on his Monster Energy/Yamalube Yamaha YZF-R1.
Beaubier’s teammate Josh Hayes said he got off to a slow start Friday, but the Mississippi Madman finished third-quickest with a 2:13.160 on his Yamaha.
Toni Elias, Hayden’s teammate and the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship point leader coming into the event, was a distant fourth at 2:14.033 as he dialed in his new GSX-R1000 for the ultra-fast road course.
Bobby Fong was fifth overall and the fastest Superstock 1000 rider during the session with a 2:14.394 on his Quicksilver Latus Motors Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R.
The session was paused by a red flag with about 12 minutes to go when Mathew Scholtz’s Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock machine blew its engine going into Turn One and dropped some fluid on the track, according to MotoAmerica officials.
The MotoAmerica Superbike/Superstock 1000 field will have their second Qualifying Practice at 3:20 p.m. Central Daylight Time. During the session the top 12 riders will secure the right to compete in Saturday’s Superpole qualifying session and earn one of the top spots on the grid.
Race Results Presented by Trackside Suspension & Engineering (TSE):
Dunlop Championship at Road America
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
June 2, 2017
Superbike/Superstock 1000 Qualifying Practice One Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 2:12.683
2. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 2:12.959
3. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 2:13.160
4. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 2:14.033
5. Bobby Fong (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, 2:14.394
6. Mathew Scholtz (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 2:14.785
7. Jake Lewis (Suz GSX-R1000), Superstock 1000, 2:14.927
8. Danny Eslick (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 2:15.084
9. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, 2:15.695
10. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 2:16.344
11. Jake Gagne (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), Superbike, 2:16.524
12. Hayden Gillim (Suz GSX-R1000), Superstock 1000, 2:16.607
13. Larry Pegram (BMW S1000RR), Superbike, 2:16.714
14. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 2:16.833
15. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 2:18.965
16. Chris Peris (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 2:19.019
17. Martin Biernacki (BMW S1000RR), Superstock 1000, 2:22.653
18. Sean Dwyer (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 2:24.537
19. Steven Zoumaras (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, 2:26.307
20. Roi Holster (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 2:26.769
21. Stefan Dolipski (BMW S1000RR), Superstock 1000, 2:27.133
22. Mathew Orange (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 2:27.141
About Trackside Suspension & Engineering (TSE):
These MotoAmerica results from Road America are brought to you by Trackside Suspension & Engineering (TSE). TSE is a motorcycle suspension shop located in Darien, WI. We are a family owned and operated suspension shop who specializes in setups that can be customized for you and your sport bike. With over 60 years of road racing experience, TSE prides themselves on being a suspension only shop and giving you the quality work and attention to detail that everyone deserves. Also check out our Facebook page for any deals or updates. www.facebook.com/TracksideSuspension
