Two-time and defending AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Champion Josh Hayes led the first free practice session at Daytona International Speedway by lapping the 2.9-mile infield road course at 1:38.670 on his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1. That time is faster than Hayes went during the first session (which was actually a qualifying session due to practice being rained out) in 2011, a 1:38.804. And Hayes achieved this on a track that he said was far dirtier and slipperier than it was in 2011. “The infield was a parking lot during the Supercross races here [earlier in the week], so the track was really dirty,” Hayes told Roadracingworld.com. “Turn One was atrocious. That was the slipperiest I’ve ever felt it. I was tip-toeing through there at the start and I was still losing the front end.” The grip improved somewhat during the session, however, and Hayes was able to exploit improvements made to his Yamaha that allowed him to record a trap speed of 203.93 mph, according to AMA Pro Racing. “Last year my best trap speed was 197 mph in the draft,” said Hayes. “So my guys definitely did a good job this year, and I think we have showed up with a sharper knife.” National Guard Suzuki’s Roger Hayden was second-best with a 1:38.927 on his GSX-R1000. That was better than the 1:39.660 he did in the first session last year. Yoshimura Racing Suzuki’s Blake Young was third-fastest at 1:38.970. Hayes’ teammate, Superbike rookie Josh Herrin, was fourth-quickest in the session at 1:40.182. Superbikes will be back out at 2:45 p.m. local time for a 45-minute provisional qualifying session. AMA Pro Road Racing National Guard Superbike Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida March 15, 2012 Provisional Free Practice One Results (2.9-mile course, all on Dunlop tires): 1. Josh Hayes (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.670 2. Roger Hayden (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.927 3. Blake Young (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:38.970 4. Josh Herrin (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:40.182 5. Ben Bostrom (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:40.266 6. Geoff May (EBR 1190RS), 1:40.714 7. David Anthony (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:40.864 8. Larry Pegram (BMW S1000RR), 1:40.996, crash 9. Danny Eslick (EBR 1190RS), 1:41.082 10. Steve Rapp (Kawasaki ZX-10), 1:41.289 11. Chris Fillmore (KTM RC8R), 1:41.345 12. Chris Clark (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:41.382 13. Jake Holden (BMW S1000RR), 1:41.916 14. Taylor Knapp (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:41.917 15. Robertino Pietri (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:42.561 16. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:42.689 17. Jordan Burgess (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:42.999 18. Jeffrey Lampe (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:44.226 19. Trent Gibson (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:45.141 20. Shawn Higbee (EBR 1190RS), 1:45.477 21. Johnny Rock Page (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:47.259 22. Lloyd Bayley (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:47.641 23. Felipe Maclean (Kawasaki ZX-10), 1:50.076