Tyler Scott, age 17, took provisional pole position during qualifying for the $250,000 100th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), in Loudon, New Hampshire.

Riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 Next-Gen MotoAmerica Supersport bike on Dunlop Sportmax Slicks, Scott lapped the undulating and bumpy 1.6-mile road course in 1:10.673 to top the field of 48 riders.

“We came here for testing last month and did a 1:10.9,” Scott told Roadracingworld.com. “We’ve been kind of chasing that all day, and then we did a 1:10.8 in the first [Pro Practice/Qualifying] session. But Shane Narbonne did a 1:10.7. So, we made some small changes to get some more front-end grip and then we were able to do a 1:10.6. I have a good feeling with the bike, a good feeling with the team, and, even though it’s only my second time here, a good feeling with the track.”

Shane Narbonne, the 10-time and defending Loudon Classic Champion, did a 1:10.747 on his Pirelli-shod 64 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 in the first of two Pro Practice/Qualifying sessions late Friday evening, but he failed to improve on that time in the second session and ended up second-quickest when Friday’s provisional qualifying times were combined.

Narbonne lost some time in that final session when he pulled offline exiting Turn 10, slowed to walking speed, and kicked at two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch, who was admittedly trying to get a tow off Narbonne and had also slowed to stay behind him.

“He blew Turn Two,” Narbonne told Roadracingworld.com. “He tried to hunt me down, and I tried to pull off, and he just kept following me. Childish games.”

“I think he just got a little pisssed off that I was following him,” said Paasch. “I mean, I didn’t really do nothing wrong. We do this every weekend. Somebody’s always trying to follow somebody else. That’s just part of the racing. World Superbike does it. MotoGP does it. BSB does it. MotoAmerica does it. So, he was mad that I was following him, started flipping me off, yelling ‘F*** you!’ through his helmet. Like, I could hear him.

“I was, whatever, he’s going to have to go for a lap because there’s only two minutes left. So, I just sat behind him because the dude’s fast here. You know what I mean? It’s the same thing anywhere. You want to go behind the fastest-possible guy you can get behind. I know he’s fast here. Why wouldn’t I want to follow the fastest guy?

“So, I’m sitting behind him. He’s getting all mad, waving his hands around like a child. We come down through Turn Nine, the left, then [Turn] 10, the right. And we’re in first gear by this point, literally just cruising. And I’m like, I’m not letting you not give me a tow. He kind of makes like a hard left towards the wall and then just like a hard right and about cleaned my front wheel out. Then he kicked the front of my bike at the same time. And I just gave him a thumbs up. I was like, ‘Real professional, bro.’ And that was really the end of it.”

NEMRR officials are investigating the incident between Narbonne and Paasch, according to Executive Director John Grush, but NEMRR’s Referee had not yet determined if any sanctions will be issued as of post time.

Update: According to Grush, Paasch was fined $100 for not using the correct procedure at the Turn Two escape road and $100 for inappropriate/dangerous riding and Narbonne was fined $100 for inappropriate/dangerous riding and $500 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

PJ Jacobson was third-fastest Friday with a lap time of 1:10.854 on a Dunlop-fitted Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2 he had never ridden before Friday morning.

Earning the fourth and final spot on the provisional front row was Scott’s teammate Richie Escalante, who bounced back from a big highside crash Friday morning to do a 1:10.886 on his second day ever riding at NHMS.

Final qualifying is scheduled to take place Saturday morning, but with a strong chance of rain and much cooler temperatures in the forecast, it’s possible that the grid for the 100th Loudon Classic may have already been set.

The race – with its $55,000 first-place prize up for grabs — is scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

100^th Loudon Classic Presented by NEMRR

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Loudon, New Hampshire

June 16, 2023

Combined Pro Practice/Pre-Qualifying Session One & Two Results:

1. Tyler Scott (Suz GSX-R750), Dunlop, 1:10.673
2. Shane Narbonne (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:10.747
3. PJ Jacobsen (Duc Panigale V2), Dunlop, 1:10.854
4. Richie Escalante (Suz GSX-R750), Dunlop, 1:10.886
5. Stefano Mesa (Pierobon X80/Ducati 848), Pirelli, 1:10.985
6. Eric Wood (Duc 1098R/848), Dunlop, 1:11.008
7. Eli Block (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, 1:11.559
8. Tyler Sweeney (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:11.565
9. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:11.693
10. Teagg Hobbs (Suz GSX-R750), Dunlop, 1:11.727
11. Brandon Paasch (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:11.735
12. Blake Davis (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:11.822
13. Eziah Davis (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:12.243
14. Joseph LiMandri, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), 1:12.988
15. Harlan Hildebrand (Kaw YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:13.106
16. JC Camacho (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:13.187
17. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R6), 1:13.248
18. Jacob Crossman (Apr RS 660), Dunlop, 1:13.394
19. Carl Soltisz (Yam YZF-R6), 1:13.473
20. Ben Gloddy (Apr RS 660), Dunlop, 1:13.541
21. Paul Duval (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:13.767
22. Tyler Waserbauer (Yam YZF-R6), 1:13.816
23. Ian Beam (Tri Daytona 675R), Pirelli, 1:13.932
24. Samuel Greenwood (Yam YZF-R6), 1:14.029
25. Michael Lee (Yam YZF-R6), 1:14.283
26. Daniel Weems (Yam YZF-R6), 1:14.358
27. Rick Doucette (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:14.754
28. Wojciech Kasperuk (Yam YZF-R6), 1:14.975
29. Bryan Wardius (Yam YZF-R6), 1:15.008
30. Justin Landry (Yam YZF-R6), 1:15.497
31. Joel Laub (Yam YZF-R6), 1:15.702
32. Paul House (Yam YZF-R6), 1:15.896
33. Grant Lancaster (Yam YZF-R6), 1:15.962
34. Kip Peterson (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, 1:15.987
35. Bill Coolahan (Yam YZF-R6), 1:16.059
36. Kevin Nolde (Yam YZF-R6), 1:16.072
37. Semir Fazlic (Yam YZF-R6), 1:16.252
38. Wesley Lakis (Tri Street Triple 675), 1:17.387
39. Vincente Frontinan (Yam YZF-R6), 1:17.399
40. Nicolai Greco (Yam YZF-R6), 1:17.601
41. Andrei Ciobanu (Yam YZF-R6), 1:17.676
42. Anthony DiCecca (Yam YZF-R6), 1:17.979
43. Brandi Cox (Suz GSX-R600), 1:18.300
44. Josh Gallusser (Suz GSX-R600), 1:18.369
45. Christopher Fifield, 1:18.414
46. Matthew Crabtree (Tri Daytona 675 Moto2), 1:18.992
47. David Allgire (Hon CBR600RR), 1:19.845
48. Christopher Woodman (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:22.779