Garrett Gerloff was the fastest rider during Thursday’s 45-minute MotoAmerica Supersport practice session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).
Using some track knowledge gained when he won the USGPRU Moriwaki Challenge Cup races at IMS in 2010, Gerloff lapped the 2.6-mile infield road course in 1:52.824 on his Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 to lead the 21-entry field.
“I didn’t know I was first,” Gerloff told Roadracingworld.com. “I couldn’t really see my pit board that well. I was just doing laps and getting comfortable, and I think that’s what I need to do right now, to be on the bike more and focus on my riding.
“Even though it was in the wet we can still work out which lines we want to take and kind of feel the track out for how it’s going to be in the dry. I came in just once and spent the rest of the 30 or 40 minutes doing laps and just feeling the track out. [It’s] super good pavement here in the wet. I didn’t really have any big moments. I just got more and more comfortable and loosened up, and that’s really what I need to do this weekend and not worry about anything.”
The rider with the most on his mind this weekend at IMS is Gerloff’s teammate JD Beach. Beach is coming into the weekend with a 49-point lead in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship. If Beach can finish the weekend with a 50-point lead he will clinch the 2015 Championship. To do that, Beach needs to beat Josh Herrin by at least one position and do no worse than finish relatively close behind Gerloff.
Asked if he was thinking about the Championship this weekend at IMS, Beach said, “I’m trying not to.”
The MotoAmerica Supersport riders will be back on track at 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time Friday for a 30-minute qualifying session.
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North America Road Racing Series
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis, Indiana
August 6, 2015
Supersport Free Practice One Results (Wet conditions, all on Dunlop tires):
1. Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha), 1:52.824
2. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha), 1:52.923
3. Tomas Puerta (Yamaha), 1:53.071
4. Josh Herrin (Yamaha), 1:53.484
5. Joe Roberts (Yamaha), 1:53.914
6. Travis Wyman (Yamaha), 1:54.786
7. Hayden Gillim (MV Agusta), 1:55.604
8. Bobby Fong (Triumph), 1:55.824
9. Nick McFadden (Yamaha), 1:56.423
10. Corey Alexander (Yamaha), 1:56.599
11. JD Beach (Yamaha), 1:57.662
12. Kyle Wyman (Yamaha), 1:58.286
13. Bryce Prince (Yamaha), 1:58.797
14. David Anthony (Suzuki), 1:58.926
15. Dan Ortega (Yamaha), 2:01.934
16. Benny Solis, Jr. (Honda), 2:02.039
17. Kris Lillegard (MV Agusta), 2:02.148
18. Jason Aguilar (Yamaha), 2:08.408
19. Melissa Paris (Suzuki), 2:08.841
20. Erik Haugo (Yamaha) no time recorded
21. Javelin Broderick (MV Agusta), no time recorded