Defending Champion Cameron Beaubier was the fastest rider in MotoAmerica Superbike/Superstock 1000 Free Practice Two Friday afternoon at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), in Millville, New Jersey.
Riding his Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 in cold, wet conditions, Beaubier lapped the 2.2-mile road course in 1:36.142.
“Overall, I think today went good,” Beaubier told Roadracingworld.com. “We only got about five laps on a dry track in the first session. It’s kind of hard to get comfortable with only five laps. So far with all of the wet track time we had today, I felt pretty good. I felt comfortable with my bike. Everything seemed to be working OK. I’m hoping for a dry track tomorrow and for the rest of the weekend, but we’ll see what happens.”
Superbike rookie Jake Gagne showed his love of the NJMP course by posting the second-best time, 1:36.645, on his Broaster Chicken/RoadRace Factory Yamaha YZF-R1.
Roger Hayden, the Superbike Championship point leader, said he did a lot of laps Friday to get comfortable with the half-wet/half-dry conditions of the first practice session and the full-wet conditions in the afternoon practice, when he ended up third on his Yoshimura Suzuki with a 1:37.231.
Claudio Corti was one of the fastest riders all day Friday in spite of it being his first time riding at NJMP. Corti was fourth overall and the top Superstock 1000 rider with a 1:37.477 in FP2 on his HSBK Racing Aprilia RSV4 RF.
Beaubier’s teammate Josh Hayes topped the first practice Friday with a 1:24.490, which was well off his lap record of 1:20.536. The four-time Champion then posted the fifth-best time in FP2, a 1:37.635, and said he’s “got some stuff to figure out.”
Sheridan Morais, the second-quickest Superstock 1000 rider and sixth-quickest rider overall in FP2 with a 1:38.445, said he experimented with different shocks on his Yamaha YZF-R1 throughout the day Friday.
Larry Pegram, the veteran racer who is riding in place of the recently-retired Chris Ulrich on the M4 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike this weekend at NJMP, was one of the fastest riders in both wet practices Friday. He ended up seventh overall in FP2 with a 1:38.554.
Corey Alexander put in an impressive performance Friday. It was the young New Yorker’s first MotoAmerica event of the year and the first time his #rideHVMC Freeman Racing Ducati Panigale R had ever been on track and he was eighth-fastest overall and third in Superstock 1000 with a 1:38.798 in FP2.
Even though he ranked ninth overall and fourth in the Superstock 1000 class with a 1:38.895 in FP2, Cycle World Suzuki’s Hayden Gillim told Roadracingworld.com that it was the “most uncomfortable I’ve ever been on a motorcycle.”
Superstock 1000 rider Taylor Knapp rounded out the top 10 riders overall in FP2 with a lap of 1:38.944 on his MotoEverything/DieselOps Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Roger Hayden’s teammate Toni Elias, winner of three of the first four Superbike races in 2016, and Josh Herrin, the Superstock 1000 Championship point leader, both struggled Friday.
Herrin’s day ended with him 15th overall in FP2 with a time of 1:40.513 on his Wheels in Motion/Motosport.com/Meen Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock 1000 machine.
Elias said he liked the track just fine, but he was struggling to find rear grip on his Yoshimura Suzuki. Elias finished Friday afternoon’s practice 17th overall with a 1:40.799.
Herrin and Elias sandwiched mechanic-turned-racer Dustin Meador, who did a 1:40.745 on the Yamalube/Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock bike to rank 16th overall. Meador is riding in place of the injured Josh Day.
MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Of New Jersey #1
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
New Jersey Motorsports Park
Millville, New Jersey
April 29, 2016
Superbike/Bazzaz Superstock 1000 Free Practice Two (wet conditions, all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:36.142
2. Jake Gagne (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:36.645
3. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 1:37.231
4. Claudio Corti (Apr RSV4 RF), Superstock 1000, 1:37.477
5. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:37.635
6. Sheridan Morais (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:38.445
7. Larry Pegram (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 1:38.554
8. Corey Alexander (Duc Panigale R), Superstock 1000, 1:38.798
9. Hayden Gillim (Suz GSX-R1000), Superstock 1000, 1:38.895
10. Taylor Knapp (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:38.944
11. Steve Rapp (BMW S1000RR), Superstock 1000, 1:39.307
12. Bobby Fong (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, 1:40.288
13. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:40.338
14. Danny Eslick (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:40.358, crash
15. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:40.513
16. Dustin Meador (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:40.745
17. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 1:40.799
18. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:42.230
19. Brayden Elliott (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:42.250
20. Jeremy Cook (BMW S1000RR), Superstock 1000, 1:42.341
21. Josh Chisum (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:42.393
22. Ryan Jones (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:42.883
23. Brandon Cretu (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:44.817
24. Anthony Kosinski (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, 1:51.202
25. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-10R), Superstock 1000, no time recorded, crash
26. Tony Leong (Yam YZF-R1), Superstock 1000, no time recorded
27. Kyle Wyman (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, no time recorded