The good news during AMA Superbike practice Friday morning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was that Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies lapped quicker than the existing lap record. The 1:24.424 he turned on his Dunlop-shod GSX-R1000 Friday was better than the 1:24.917 he did during qualifying last August. The bad news was moments before Spies turned that lap he destroyed one of his Superbikes in a scary crash in Turn Three. “I changed my gearing to get me off the rev-limiter,” said Spies, “and it put me in there way faster than before. I lost the front, saved it, but I was running off the track. I was gonna hit the grass sideways. I was gonna ride it out, but I looked up and saw that big ol’ telephone pole out there in the run-off. Then I just said, ‘Later!’ (motions letting the motorcycle go) It sucks. If we had proper run-off room it would’ve saved a $500,000 motorcycle.” After Spies bailed off his Suzuki, it went for a long, long tumble. The GSX-R1000 slid and tumbled through the grass and gravel trap and continued tumbling until it came back across the track at the exit of the Keyhole, where it finally came to rest at the edge of the track. No riders exiting the Keyhole were hit by Spies’ tumbling bike. On Thursday, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May saved a similar crash, stayed on his Suzuki and nearly ran across the track at the exit of the Keyhole. During lunch time on Friday officials put a single row of hay bales beyond the gravel trap outside of Turn Three to help prevent anymore motorcycles from crashing and coming back across the track on the back straightaway. Friday morning’s Superbike practice had an unusual number of crashes. After Spies’ crash caused a red flag, Luca Scassa crashed his Fast By Ferracci MV Agusta F4-1000R 312 in exactly the same spot, causing a second red flag. The session was brought to a slightly early conclusion when Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden and American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel both lowsided, in separate incidents one lap apart, at the exit of the Keyhole. Somewhere in between, Roadracingworld.com/Red Devil Energy Drink’s Gary Mason crashed his Suzuki GSX-R1000 in Turn Three. All riders were uninjured in their falls. 2007 AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio August 3, 2007 Provisional Practice Times: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.424, crash 2. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.758 3. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:25.400 4. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:25.626 5. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:25.805* 6. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:25.943* 7. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:26.004, crash 8. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:26.159 9. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.160 10. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:26.257 11. Miguel Duhamel (HonCcBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:26.263, crash 12. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.504* 13. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:26.585 14. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:26.595 15. Luca Scassa (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:26.813, crash 16. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:27.289 17. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.306 18. Gary Mason (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.504, crash* 19. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.648* 20. Ben Thompson (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:27.840 21. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:27.870* 22. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:27.921* 23. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.933* 24. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.744 25. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:30.519 26. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:31.380 27. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.390 28. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:31.932 29. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:33.198 30. Eric Haugo (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:34.023 * known to be on a Superstock-spec motorcycle.