Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier claimed the provisional pole position for the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class by setting a new class lap record Friday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Beaubier’s lap of 1:26.698 on his YZF-R6 undercut Tommy Aquino’s three-year-old lap record of 1:27.038. Beaubier’s lap was also over one second faster than the next-quickest rider. The final Daytona SportBike qualifying session takes place at 9:05 a.m. local time Saturday morning. Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix/GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 19, 2013 Provisional Qualifying Session One Results (all on Dunlop tires): 1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R6), 1:26.698 (new lap record) 2. Jake Gagne (Yam YZF-R6), 1:27.769 3. Jason DiSalvo (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:28.157 4. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), 1:28.496 5. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), 1:28.650 6. Dane Westby (Hon CBR600RR), 1:28.681 7. Jake Lewis (Yam YZF-R6), 1:28.714 8. James Rispoli (Suz GSX-R600), 1:28.773 9. Joey Pascarella (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:29.205 10. Bobby Fong (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.487 11. Fernando Amantini (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.831 12. Benny Solis (Hon CBR600RR), 1:30.163 13. Elena Myers (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:30.276 14. Bostjan Skubic (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.676 15. Kenny Riedmann (Tri Daytona 675R), 1:30.905 16. Jake Zemke (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:30.934 17. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), 1:31.088 18. Nahun Alvarez (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:32.926 19. Melissa Paris (Hon CBR600RR), 1:33.177 20. Chris Duran (Yam YZF-R6), 1:33.799 21. Roi Holster (Yam YZF-R6), 1:34.232 22. Daniel Ortega (Yam YZF-R6), 1:35.069 23. Ted Rich (Yam YZF-R6), 1:35.716 More, from a press release issued by GEICO Motorcycle Road Racing: Westby, GEICO Motorcycle Honda crew hard at work at Laguna Seca MONTEREY, Calif. (July 19) – The prestigious Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is under way at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and GEICO Motorcycle Honda rider Dane Westby has gotten off to a solid start, earning the No. 6 position on Friday’s provisional grid in the GoPro Daytona SportBike category. Riding late Friday afternoon as the temperatures rapidly dropped, Westby completed the 11-turn, 2.2-mile circuit with a best time of 1:28.681. He’ll have another chance to improve on that number Saturday morning as action in the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series continues within the parameters of the international Moto GP race schedule. “The qualifying session went well, much better than the practice round,” Westby said. “I thought they had put a soft tire on the back, but it was actually just a brand-new medium (compound) and we went about a second faster, so we were pleased with that. “We came here with some setup changes we worked on during this past week and just kept chipping away in practice and the first qualifying session and it yielded a second gain, so that was good. “We’re going to work on the slipper clutch a little more. I’m having to drop down to first gear in the last turn, which this bike really isn’t designed to do, but I think it’s going to get bunched up there during the race, so we need to make the adjustment now and I’m going to have to change the way I ride through that area to be competitive. I’m glad we get another session to see how it reacts.” Westby admitted this weekend is special because the top American riders get a chance to share the stage with the best riders on the worldwide circuit. “It’s cool to hear those big GP bikes roaring around the track,” Westby said. “I do try to sneak out and watch what I can, although they keep us pretty locked away over here. It’s interesting to see the lines they are taking through the various parts of the course. “The thing I like the most about weekends like this is the passionate fan base they attract. I probably notice that more than anything else. As you ride around the track and see all the people stacked up deep everywhere, it’s a neat deal for us. It adds to the excitement, for sure.” Saturday’s action in the GoPro Daytona SportBike class is limited to one 40-minute qualifying session from 9:05-9:45 a.m. That will set the field for the 20-lap race, which is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Beaubier Notches Another Record-Breaking Performance For Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha, This Time In Provisional Pole Qualifying At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, CA – July 19, 2013 – At his home track, in front of his friends and family, and up on the world stage, Cameron Beaubier shone brightly in the limelight on the first day of AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Cameron piloted his #6 Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6 around the picturesque 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course in Friday’s provisional pole qualifying session and laid down a record-breaking, fastest lap that was more than a full second quicker than the rest of the talented field of DSB riders. After his chart-topping performance–which is becoming a regular occurrence for the 20-year-old northern Californian phenom–he said, “We made some changes after practice this morning, and I put in some solid laps in qualifying. (RoadRace Factory Yamaha rider) Jake (Gagne) ran really well, so I was happy to be able to put my Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha on the provisional pole. I wanted to make sure I put some really good laps in today because the mornings can be foggy here, and conditions in final qualifying session may not be as good as they were this afternoon.” Cameron’s teammate Garrett Gerloff put his #8 Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha in 4th place provisionally, and he’s determined to improve on that lap time in final qualifying tomorrow morning. “I’m hoping that we have a fog-free session and cool temperatures in the morning because I wasn’t happy with how things went for me in this first qualifying session,” commented Garrett. I’m on the second row of the grid right now, and I want to be a lot closer to Cameron rather than behind him at the start. I like this track a lot, and I need to show it with my results.” Final qualifying for Daytona SportBike is tomorrow morning at 9:15 AM PST, and the single DSB race of the weekend is set to go green on Sunday morning at 11:15 AM PST. For a video recap of last weekend’s historic performance at Mid-Ohio by Cameron and the Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team, go to http://youtu.be/aq_f1vtImHQ Also, be sure to check out Yamaha’s Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @YamahaMotorUSA for more news, results, and other team info.