AMA Pro Superbike Championship
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 14, 2014
Provisional Race One Results (2.9-mile course, all on Dunlop tires):
1. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), 15 laps
2. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), -0.025 second
3. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), -4.724 seconds, ran off track twice
4. Chris Clark (Suz GSX-R1000), -21.648
5. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), -21.735
6. Chris Fillmore (KTM RC8R), -26.331
7. Diego Pierluigi (Suz GSX-R1000), -44.933
8. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -45.030
9. Cory West (EBR 1190RS), -45.113
10. Stefano Mesa (Kaw ZX-10R), -46.198
11. Bernat Martinez (Yam YZF-R1), -46.265
12. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R1000), -52.562, crash
13. Chris Ulrich (Hon CBR1000RR), -53.565, ran off track
14. Huntley Nash (Kaw ZX-10R), -54.176
15. Reese Wacker (Suz GSX-R1000), -70.181
16. Trent Gibson (Suz GSX-R1000), -72.746
17. Sean Dwyer (Kaw ZX-10R), -89.474
18. Jacquel Gonzalez (Kaw ZX-10R), -89.737
19. Johnny Rock Page (Suz GSX-R1000), -97.745
20. Barrett Long (Duc 1199 Panigale S), -98.085
21. Mathew Orange (BMW S1000RR), -12 laps, DNF
22. Larry Pegram (EBR 1190RS), -15 laps, DNS
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha Rider Josh Hayes Wins SuperBike Race 1 At Daytona; Teammate Beaubier Finishes Third
Daytona Beach, FL – March 14, 2014 – The first AMA Pro SuperBike race of the season, today at Daytona International Speedway, was an exciting contest as three-time class champ Josh Hayes won by just .025 seconds aboard his Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1 to start his 2014 campaign off on a high note.
Josh got the holeshot at the start of the race and immediately pulled a sizeable gap on the first lap. Eventually, SuperBike rookie Cameron worked his way up to Josh, as did veteran rider Roger Hayden. Cameron was able to get into the lead for a brief moment a couple of times during the race, but he overshot turn one. He caught back up to Josh and Roger, but after overshooting turn one a second time, there weren’t enough laps left in the race for him to make another charge to the front, so he had to settle for third place. With only a few laps remaining, Josh and Roger battled closely till the checkers with Josh taking full advantage of his R1’s prodigious power to ultimately prevail.
After his victory, Josh talked about his jackrabbit start and the race that followed: “If I can get up to speed quickly, that’s how I like to start each race. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that you’ve gotta be on it from green to the finish. On the last lap, I knew Rog was there, so I kept the bike low on the track and held my line. It was a close finish, and I’m glad to get the win.”
Commenting on the first SuperBike race of his career, Cameron said, “I’m happy to be on the podium, but I wish it was a couple of steps higher. I made a couple of big mistakes while I was trying to pass Josh, but I learned a lot. I’m probably still riding like I’m on my R6, and this R1 SuperBike is a whole different animal. I love racing it, and I can’t wait to come back tomorrow.”
SuperBike Race 2 from Daytona is set for Saturday morning, March 15 at 11:00 AM EST. You can watch live online at FansChoice.tv.
For more racing news, results, photos, and videos, be sure to check out “YamahaMotorUSA” on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
Same As The Old Boss: Hayes And Yamaha Win Daytona Squeeker
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14, 2014) – Three-time champ Josh Hayes reminded the world that he’s still the man to beat in AMA Pro SuperBike — and he won’t be beaten easily — with a stunning victory in Friday afternoon’s season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha legend came into the weekend anxious to make up for last year’s disappointment, both at Daytona and in his subsequent title defeat. However motivated, he looked very much under threat of having his thunder stolen once again.
Hayes’ rookie teammate, Cameron Beaubier, shocked the paddock by topping the very first SuperBike qualifying session of his career on Thursday. And then this morning another rival, Roger Hayden, whose challenge has been bolstered by his move to the powerful Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing team, stepped forward to claim the second SuperBike pole position of his career.
Despite his opponents’ pre-race success, Hayes attempted to leave them in his wake from the start. The Mississippian slotted into first from his starting spot on the outside of Row 1 and proceeded to rip open almost two seconds worth of padding in the race’s first two laps.
But Beaubier, Hayden, and second Yosh title hopeful, Martin Cardenas quickly regrouped and started chipping away at Hayes’ early advantage.
Cardenas’ chances for a second straight Daytona SuperBike win evaporated on lap 4. The Colombian lost the front and crashed in the infield just as the trio was making solid progress in their combined effort to run the leader back down. That mishap, along with Beaubier’s and Hayden’s successful counterpunches, transformed the race into a three-rider scrap for the lead on lap 5.
The rookie then tested his highly decorated teammate on multiple occasions while Hayden settled in for a more patient ride, content to sit close behind in third.
On lap 6, Beaubier made his first rookie mistake — running wide entering Turn 1 after getting a full head of steam in Hayes’ draft and nearly blasting by into the lead. While it seemed likely that Hayes and Hayden would then decide the race between themselves, Beaubier put his head back down and erased another near-two-second margin in just three laps time to once again fight his way into the mix.
The 21-year-old even managed to sneak the nose of his YZF-R1 into first on a few occasions, but the cagey Hayes always found a way to put his wheel over the stripe with the lead.
With less than two laps remaining, Beaubier repeated his earlier error, again running wide as they came off the banking. This time, he left himself too few laps to work back into contention for the win and was forced to accept a third-place result in his premier-class debut. Despite a couple of missteps that may have cost him victory, Beaubier demonstrated his immense potential by setting the race’s fast lap — a 1:37.425 that was nearly eight tenths better than Hayes’ fastest.
This all seemed to unfold in Hayden’s favor, positioning him perfectly for a final-lap strike. The Suzuki pilot powered out of Hayes’ slipstream and moved up alongside him in the run to the checkered flag. But Hayes wisely forced Hayden to commit to an outside line, and in the end, the triple champ held on for the win by a scant 0.025-second margin.
While they both proved themselves worthy challengers, rather than allow Beaubier to score his first or Hayden his second, Hayes came through for his 42nd career AMA Pro SuperBike win.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Hayes said after redeeming last year’s Daytona double DNF. “It was a great day, and it was a really fun race. There was a lot of nervous pressure out there. It was ‘+0’ on the board the whole time… Well, I actually had a gap for a little bit but they closed it down. I was like, ‘all right, stay settled down, and just ride smart.’ It was fun racing but hard on the nerves, hard on the old ticker. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve; let’s see if I can pull out a few more tomorrow.”
Speaking of his final-lap strategy, Hayes explained, “The last lap, I could tell Cam had run wide, and I knew Rog was right there. I could hear his bike. My biggest thing was I knew I had to hit the apex of every corner. I couldn’t run wide and just give him an opportunity… On the banking I brought it down pretty tight. I was hoping that if he tried, he’d have to go the long way and go up on the high part of the banking. I figured that was my only chance because if I let him get underneath me, I’d be dead meat.”
Runner-up Hayden said, “It was a pretty good race. It took me a little while to get going the first few laps and Josh got a nice gap. When Cameron came by me, I just sat in behind him instead of trying to battle back and forth and slow us down. I was hoping he could pull us back to Josh, and he did. I was just sitting there at the end. I didn’t really know where I could get by, but I got a drive coming out of the chicane on the last lap. I almost got Josh there at the end, but I just came up a little short.”
Reigning AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike champion Beaubier said of his head-turning debut, “I definitely feel good about that ride. I made a few mistakes — rookie mistakes. I was all excited that I was up at the front, battling with those guys — they were riding really good. I made a mistake and burned up my tire trying to catch back up after I blew the first corner. But I’m really happy.”
Meanwhile, Cardenas remounted his fallen GSX-R and charged back up through the field, finally working his way to 12th in the end. That determined ride helped to somewhat lessen the damage his spill had to his championship aspirations.
Third Yoshimura entry Chris Clark won out in a race-long battle for fourth he waged with ADR Motorsports/Sic/Motul Fly Racing’s David Anthony (fifth) and KTM/HMC Racing’s Chris Fillmore (sixth).
Behind them, Cusanelli Motorsport’s Diego Pierluigi of Argentina got the best of a five-man dogfight for seventh. He was followed closely by TOBC Suzuki’s Taylor Knapp, Team AMSOIL Hero EBR’s Cory West, DMS Racing’s Stefano Mesa, and Proto-Tech Spain Yamaha’s Bernat Martinez.
Hayes and his emerging rivals will be back at it on Saturday as they’ll clash in the second half of the season-opening Daytona doubleheader tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. EST.
AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike
Danny Eslick (Riders Discount Racing Triumph) won pole for the 73rd Daytona 200. Eslick turned on the jets to set a mark of 1:49.292 in the waning minutes of qualifying on Friday. For his efforts, Eslick won a Rolex watch. Eslick had previously won pole for the race while competing on a Suzuki, but his super lap time had competitors shaking their heads.
“We didn’t really have a major game plan going into qualifying,” said Eslick. “It was a pretty short session here at Daytona because the lap is so long. I didn’t get out right as the track went green because I wasn’t really ready. And if you’re not with the group and drafting, you’re just left out to dry. I rode around the first three or four laps by myself.”
He continued, “We came in and threw a tire at it and waited for someone to go by. I was actually waiting for Jake Lewis, but I saw (Garrett) Gerloff and Jake Zemke go by and I took off after them. I got by Zemke and I just tucked in. Gerloff was a ways ahead of me and I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch him, but he got hung up in a couple little groups of guys and it seemed like I got a big draft off another Triumph. And then I got a draft off of Gerloff, and that made all the difference in the world for me for that lap.”
Eslick will be joined on the front row by Garrett Gerloff and Jake Lewis. Gerloff, the Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha pilot who had been at our near the top in every session, was disappointed not to have earned pole.
“Man, I wanted that watch,” said Gerloff. “I didn’t know Danny was behind me. He must have gotten a double draft or something. I don’t think it is the fastest I can go this weekend. I think we have the best consistency of pit stops. I am disappointed I didn’t get pole but I am looking forward to the race.
Lewis, Motosport.com/Meen/Yamaha’s competitor on the front row, said “The crew put the bike together after a crash this morning. I hooked up with Garrett and another rider and I was able to put up a good time. I think we have a good setup. It comes down to being consistent. The big trophy is what everyone wants to hold.”
Jason DiSalvo was fourth on the Castrol/Triumph/Sportbike Track Time Triumph Daytona 675. In fifth place, Dane Westby rode conservatively and set his best mark riding alone without the aid of a draft on the Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Jake Gagne (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull) rounded out the second of the new three-rider rows.
On row three are J.D. Beach (Y.E.S/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha), rookie Tomas Puerta (RoadRace Factory/Red Bull), and English rider Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing).
AMA Pro SuperSport
Celtic/HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander won the first AMA Pro SuperSport race of the year, taking a great flag-to-flag win for last year’s East Champ. The polesitter ran away with win number four in his Supersport career, a real resume builder.
Alexander rocketed off to a lead, moving away from the pack by the chicane on lap one. “The first lap is huge. Getting away and breaking the draft on the first lap was what it was all about,” said Alexander. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, and I didn’t know how far a gap of six seconds really was. I didn’t know if I could slow down too much. I’ll try it again tomorrow.
The battle for second saw ten riders within two seconds during the race. Celtic/ HVMC Racing pilot Wyatt Farris managed to consolidate the position late. “To start the year on the box was huge,” said Farris. “I settled in and tried to put a plan together. I got away a bit on those last two laps and was able to come home second.”
Dustin Dominguez had problems on Thursday, which hurt his qualifying effort. However, Dominguez made a solid charge through the field in the opening race, holding second for a time and before eventually earning third place.
“I made it a little hard on myself by crashing during qualifying, so I had to start part-way back,” said Dominguez. “The Yamaha is working really great this weekend, and I can’t thank the team enough. The bike is working great, and hopefully you’ll see me on the podium more often.”
Cody Wyman rode his Suzuki to fourth place on the day, setting a high-water mark to start his season. Wyman topped a four-rider pack consisting of Racer’s Price.com’s Armando Ferrer, D&D Cycles Triumph’s Miles Thornton, TOBC’s Hayden Gillim, and Tuned Industries’ Jason Aguilar. All four riders were within 0.9 seconds at the flag after ten laps.
AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series
KWR/Millennium Technologies Harley-Davidson’s Kyle Wyman furthered his claim as the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series’ tactical master around the high banks.
Wyman played his cards perfectly on the final lap of the predictably unpredictable multi-rider brawl and came out on top by the narrowest of margins for a third time in four years.
A huge pack of riders jockeyed back and forth in the draft throughout the contest; the race’s top-nine riders took the checkered flag separated by an impossibly tight 0.311 seconds — and the 11th place rider was only an additional three tenths back.
Wyman surged to the stripe to edge Josh Chisum Racing/Bartels’ Harley-Davidson’s Tyler O’Hara by just 0.068 seconds. The result was sweet revenge for Wyman, who was beaten by O’Hara in last year’s contest by a similarly nonexistent 0.075-second margin.
“It was awesome,” Wyman said. “It’s just so much fun. This is what we live for, and I was just loving it. That’s the third win for me, and I just love this place. I spent all winter thinking about coming here to Daytona.
“I’m just so happy to be up here. It was a long year last year, and I feel like we’re off on the right foot.”
Young Gage McAllister rounded out the podium on the Folsom Harley-Davidson XR1200, only 0.108 seconds off the win.
Ruthless Racing Harley-Davidson’s Danny Eslick led across the line to open the race’s final lap and tried to make a break. However, that attempt proved in vain, and he was shuffled back to seventh at the flag as the pack stormed by on the banking.
Unfortunately for defending series champ, Steve Rapp (Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson), this season’s opener turned out to be a bad case of déjà vu. Starting from pole, Rapp was pushed down to 10th by the end of the first lap, and it only went downhill from there. Rapp’s race ended after just three of seven laps, and he was officially listed in 24th position. Last season, the Californian only completed one lap but still managed to claw his way back to win the crown.
How to Watch
FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track events in 2014. The site will also provide coverage of IMSA’s development and single-make series, and NASCAR’s touring and weekly series. FansChoice.tv will feature racing action beginning with AMA Pro SuperSport Race 2 scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET and will feature all three races including AMA Pro SuperBike Race 2 set for 11:00 a.m. ET and the 73rd running of the DAYTONA 200 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
About AMA Pro Road Racing:
AMA Pro Road Racing is the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America and is universally regarded as one of the most competitive road racing organizations in the world. The series is comprised of four production-based classes: AMA Pro SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series. Learn more about AMA Pro Road Racing at www.amaproracing.com/rr/.
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
More, from a press release issued by LTD Racing:
IMPROVEMENT FOR NASH IN SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA
Daytona Beach, FL (March 14, 2014) – LTD Racing’s Huntley Nash rebounded from a tough day on Friday to secure 14th in Friday’s season opener. Nash on the Neyra Racing Kawasaki ZX-10 improved his lap times in the race, and his last two laps were the best of the day.
The young Superbike racer fought wheelspin on the banking but gradually began to adapt with the lack of grip to shave time in the late race.
“I was having some crazy slides and having to drag the rear brake. I was going faster and my last lap was helped out by a draft somewhat but I think I can improve more,” said Nash. “I need to wrap my head around it. You ride dirt bikes all winter and you’re dragging the rear brake and you miss out on pushing the front. I’m working on getting that back. We need some more rear grip because this bike has an awesome motor and we need to be able to use it wide open on the banking.”
Nash wasn’t satisified with his result as he and the Neyra Racing team attempt to develop their Kawasaki Superbike into a top-ten machine in AMA Pro Superbike.
“There was a group ahead of me, and they were fighting for top eight. I wasn’t able to pick up the pace until they were gone,” said the three-time AMA Pro SuperSport race winner. “A rider came by, and I was able to learn a few things. I know where I am losing time. It’s the last 2 or 3 corners of the infield. Going into the left, I need to run it in deeper. If I can get that section together, I think we’ll be a lot better.”
Nash gets one more shot in a 15-lap race tomorrow at 11 AM.
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
TEAM HAMMER GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS AT DAYTONA
Team Hammer got its first race of the 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing season under its belt on Friday while also locking down final grid positions for Saturday’s Daytona 200.
The team’s Daytona SportBike contenders continued to make progress as they prepare for Saturday’s grueling 200-mile battle.
M4SportbikeTrackGear.comRacing’s Joe Roberts made significant strides again on Friday. His upward climb continued unabated, as he leapt up to 18thin qualifying after crashing twice and ranking 31stand then 24thin practice on Thursday. As a result of his 1:53.151 lap, the 16-year-old will start his Honda CBR600RR from the outside of Row 6 while making his first career appearance in the prestigious event.
Phenom Roberts, who went a perfect five-for-five during last season’s AMA Pro SuperSport debut, said, “We got down to a little better time today, which is good, but we’re still off what want to be doing. We’re slowlygetting there and getting this bike to where I like it. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a good start. The Daytona 200 is a long race — hopefully I can get up there.”
The Daytona 200’s tactics and pit stops will prove to be a very new, very different experience for Roberts, who admitted, “This will be the first endurance race I’ve ever done apart from something on a mini-bike. Itshould be interesting.”
GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing’s Jake Zemke, the 2006 Daytona 200 winner, ran almost two seconds quicker today in qualifying than he managed in Friday’s free practice sessions. The Californian put his HondaCBR600RR on the outside of Row 5 with the 15thbest time of the day at 1:52.717.
MPH’s Melissa Paris, who finished 10th in the 2013 Daytona 200, also improved her speed today. She posted a best time of 1:56.451 and will start from 30thposition aboard her Team Hammer Contract Services-prepared Honda CBR600RR.
All three will look to continue their improvement and claw up through the field during tomorrow’s big test — a 57-lap race that demands a combination of speed, endurance, strategy, and luck to succeed.
Meanwhile, GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing’s Chris Ulrich started well in Friday’s AMA Pro Superbike season opener, but was punted off the track by an over-eager competitor. After regaining the pavement, Ulrichbattled his way forward 19thposition on the opening lap to take the checkered flag in 13th.
Ulrich will be back at it on Saturday in the weekend’s second Superbike race, which will precede the afternoon’s Daytona 200.
More, from a press release issued by GEICO Motorcycle Racing:
GEICO Motorcycle Honda riders Ulrich, Zemke continue to make progress at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14) — Day two of AMA Pro Road Racing action continued to see improvements for GEICO Motorcycle Honda American SuperBike rider Chris Ulrich, who was able to battle his way back in the first race of the season at Daytona International Speedway.
The Lake Elsinore, Calif., native may not have finished where he wanted in the first of two races in Daytona, but he still is optimistic heading into Saturday’s second event.
“We’ve made a lot of progress this weekend and I’m really pleased about it,” Ulrich said. “But it is a shame we couldn’t bring home a better finish for the team after all the hard work they did this winter.”
After an early race incident that found Ulrich mired deep in the pack, he ultimately raced his way home to a hard-fought 13th-place finish.
“In the first corner I tried to put myself in a position that I thought was good,” Ulrich said. “Unfortunately, I had a small problem with another rider and ended up out in the runoff area. That set off another sequence of events that found myself pretty much in last. From there I just picked my way through the field and was able to turn my fastest lap of the race coming to the checkered.
“It’s Daytona, it’s a difficult race no matter how you put it. We’re ahead of where we were last year, and that’s really positive.”
Meanwhile, the GEICO Motorcycle Honda team was able to make some changes from Thursday’s practice sessions to get teammate Jake Zemke’s bike dialed in better for today’s qualifying. Unfortunately, the team is still battling a slight speed deficit compared to the rest of the GoPro Daytona SportBike class.
“I’m back in 15th for the start of the race, which isn’t very encouraging,” Zemke said. “We’re going to go back and see what we can do to minimize this speed issue. I can’t complain though because the GEICO Honda is handling extremely well. The bike is working really well in the corners; it’s just the straight-line speed we need to work on some more.”
Zemke was able to better his first-round qualifying time of 1:53.001 in the afternoon session to a fast lap time of 1:52.717. However, a dramatic speed increase by the rest of the field has him starting deeper in Saturday’s Daytona 200 field than desired, but he’s not worried.
“I’ve run the Daytona 200 on quite a few occasions, so I know that it’s an extremely long race,” Zemke said. ” Starting back in 15th tomorrow isn’t too big of a deal. The most important thing is to try to not get out of the lead group. If you lose that lead group before the first pit stop, it’s going to make for a long day. To ensure that doesn’t happen, a good start is going to be very important so I can try to latch on to that lead group. ”
Ulrich will compete in his second 15-lap American SuperBike race of the weekend at 11 a.m., and Zemke will return to the track Saturday with the other 36 GoPro Daytona SportBike Series riders at 1 p.m. for the 73rd annual Daytona 200.