Garrett Gerloff, the winner of the MotoAmerica Supersport race at the season-opener April 9 at Circuit of The Americas, picked up right where he left off Friday during practice at the Suzuki Superbike Shootout of Georgia at Road Atlanta.
Riding his Yamaha Extended Service (Y.E.S.)/Graves Yamaha YZF-R6, Gerloff led both of the day’s MotoAmerica Supersport/Superstock 600 practice sessions. His best lap time was a 1:28.527, which is much faster than his own MotoAmerica Supersport lap record of 1:31.749. That time was set on a damp track during MotoAmerica’s inaugural visit to Road Atlanta in 2015.
Asked about his strong start to the weekend, Gerloff said, “Thanks. I’m just trying to get comfortable here at a track I’ve done a lot of laps on. I raced most of my amateur career here, so that probably helps me get up to speed more than say Valentin [Debise], who’s never been here. The Yamaha’s feeling good. I haven’t had to change too much from COTA, and that makes it a little bit easier on me. I get to focus on trying to hit my marks and trying new lines to see if they work. It was a good day. The weather’s good. Tomorrow’s going to be warmer, so maybe we’ll see some better times.”
Debise had an impressive first day at the challenging Road Atlanta circuit and posted the second-best lap time, a 1:29.264, on his M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki GSX-R600.
Joe Roberts, the 2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion, was third-fastest with a 1:29.941 on his Wheels In Motion/Motosport.com/Meen Yamaha.
Gerloff’s teammate JD Beach, the defending MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, dropped his lap time from 1:31.752 in the first practice session to 1:29.965 in the second practice and ended up fourth.
Cameron Peterson, Debise’s teammate, finished fifth on the time sheet with a 1:30.175 on his Suzuki GSX-R600.
Bryce Prince posted the fastest time of all Superstock 600 competitors with a 1:30.717 on his Riders Discount/Tuned Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Prince was sixth overall in the combined Supersport/Superstock 600 Group Two Free Practice Two.
Rounding out the top 10 overall in the session were: Benny Solis, Jr. (1:31.013) on his Team H35 Honda CBR600RR Supersport bike, Superstock 600 rookie Xavier Zayat (1:31.848) on the third M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Suzuki, Christian Crosslin (1:32.138) on his Crosslin Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 Supersport machine, and Superstock 600 competitor Dakota Mamola (1:32.392) on his HB Racing/Meen Yamaha YZF-R6.
Suzuki Superbike Shootout of Georgia
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series
Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia
April 15, 2016
Supersport/Superstock Group One Free Practice Two Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 1:28.527
2. Valentin Debise (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, 1:29.264
3. Joe Roberts (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 1:29.941
4. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 1:29.965
5. Cameron Petersen (Suz GSX-R600), Supersport, 1:30.175
6. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:30.717
7. Benny Solis, Jr. (Hon CBR600RR), Supersport, 1:31.013
8. Xavier Zayat (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, 1:31.848
9. Christian Crosslin (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, 1:32.138
10. Dakota Mamola (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:32.392
11. Andy DiBrino (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:32.916
12. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:33.196
13. JC Camacho (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:33.624
14. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:33.789
15. Travis Wyman (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:33.796
16. Gage McAllister (Yam YZF-R6), Superstock 600, 1:34.189
17. Joseph Giannotto (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 1:34.639
18. Melissa Paris (Suz GSX-R600), Superstock 600, 1:35.673
19. Mitch Card (Yam YZF-R6), Supersport, 1:42.218
20. Conner Blevins (Kaw ZX-6R), Superstock 600, no time recorded