Three-time and defending AMA Pro Superbike Champion Josh Hayes picked up right where he left off at the end of the 2012 season by dominating practice and provisional qualifying Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. Riding his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1, Hayes lapped the 2.9-mile “short course” in 1:38.957 to lead the field by nearly two seconds in practice. The “Mississippi Madman” then did a 1:37.746 in qualifying. That lap time is slightly slower than Hayes’ pole position time of 1:37.463 from last year at Daytona, but it was faster than he went (1:38.385) during provisional qualifying last season, when the ambient temperature was 21 degrees F warmer. It was also 1.1 seconds quicker than anyone else went in qualifying, earning him the provisional pole position. “The [UK-made] tire that we rode here last year, the [new] US[-made] tire is a significant improvement over that tire,” Hayes explained to Roadracingworld.com. “It just has more grip. With grip here you get stability. Most of what we get is when the bike spins on the banking or something it starts to pump. It spins, loses grip, gains grip, back and forth, and it gets really unnerving. And this tire just has a lot of grip. The left side is really good. The right side as the temperature comes up that will get better.” Roger Hayden, Josh Herrin, Martin Cardenas and Danny Eslick took turns being second-fastest, but Hayden won the spot with a lap of 1:38.805 on his National Guard Suzuki GSX-R1000. After a troubled practice, Hayes’ teammate Herrin rebounded to be third in qualifying with a 1:38.960. Cardenas was fourth-fastest on his Yoshimura Suzuki with a 1:39.001, just ahead of Jordan Suzuki’s Eslick, who did a 1:39.121. Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing’s Larry Pegram ended up sixth in the provisional qualifying results with a 1:39.308, but Pegram also ended up on the ground near the conclusion of the session. With two minutes to go, Pegram slid out in the middle of the chicane and his one and only factory-spec Yamaha YZF-R1 took a vicious tumble. Cardenas’ teammate Chris Clark (1:40.154), Team Hero EBR’s Geoff May (1:40.415), Motosport.com/Motul/Fly Racing’s David Anthony (1:40.424) and Team AMSOIL/Hero’s Aaron Yates (1:40.769) rounded out the top 10 riders in provisional qualifying. GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Series Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida March 14, 2013 Qualifying Session One Results (2.9-mile course, all on Dunlop tires): 1. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), 1:37.746 2. Roger Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:38.805 3. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R1), 1:38.960 4. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.001 5. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.121 6. Larry Pegram (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.308, crash 7. Chris Clark (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.154 8. Geoff May (EBR 1190RS), 1:40.415 9. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.424 10. Aaron Yates (EBR 1190RS), 1:40.769 11. Robertino Pietri (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.891 12. Cory West (EBR 1190RS), 1:42.640 13. Chris Ulrich (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:42.806 14. Bernat Martinez (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:43.062 15. Chris Fillmore (KTM RC8R), 1:43.241 16. Taylor Knapp (KTM RC8R), 1:43.430 17. Reese Wacker (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:43.431 18. Dustin Dominguez (EBR 1190RS), 1:44.045 19. Rodolfo Ramirez (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:44.359 20. Trent Gibson (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:44.368 21. Nico Ferreira (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:44.953 22. Jacquel Gonzalez (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:45.301 23. Gustavo Sanchez (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:46.657 24. Aaron Ascher (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:48.466 25. Felipe MacLean (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:48.875 26. Matthew Orange (BMW S1000RR), 1:49.130 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha Rider Hayes On Provisional AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Pole At Daytona Daytona, FL March 14, 2013 – Picking up right where he left off last year, three-time reigning National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes qualified on the provisional pole in the first qualifying session at Daytona. Josh, who captured a record-tying 10 poles last season on the way to his third consecutive SuperBike Championship, has been his usual lightning-fast self right from the start at Daytona. Commenting on his first Q session of the season, Josh said, “I think we’ve made a good start. I left myself some pretty big shoes to fill after the season we had last year, but I think my Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team and I are up to the challenge. It was a lot cooler today than we’re used to here at Daytona, and that affected laptimes quite a bit. I expect to go faster in tomorrow morning’s qualifying, and I can’t wait for the race tomorrow afternoon.” Also on the gas is Josh Herrin, who rides the #2 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YR1 SuperBike. Herrin qualified in third position for the first session. The second SuperBike qualifying session is scheduled for Friday, March 15, at 10:35 AM, and SuperBike Race 1 will go green later on Friday at 4:00 PM. SuperBike Race 2 is set for Saturday, March 16 at 11:00 AM. Check your local TV listings for Speed TV’s telecast of both races. Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha Seven-race winner from last season Cameron Beaubier was a man on a mission in both of today’s practice sessions for the Daytona 200. Cam put his #6 Yamaha YZF-R6 at the top of the charts right from the outset and kept himself there throughout both practices. His Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha teammate Garrett Gerloff was fifth in morning practice, sixth in the afternoon session, and very much in the hunt for an excellent starting position for the Daytona 200. Three qualifying sessions will take place Friday, March 15, for the Daytona 200, and the race will go green on Saturday, March 16, at 1:00 PM. Check your local TV listings for Speed TV’s telecast of the Daytona 200. For more news, results, and other team info, be sure to check out Yamaha’s Facebook page and follow the team on Twitter @YamahaMotorUSA More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway: Josh Hayes Takes Provisional Pole for AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike at Daytona DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — AMA Pro Road Racing kicked off three-days of activity on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway with practice and provisional qualifying on the road course at the “World Center of Racing.” Three-time defending AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike champion Josh Hayes, riding the No. 1 Monster Energy Yamaha, captured the provisional pole for the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike with a lap of one minute, 37.746 seconds around the 2.9-mile road course. “We’re still doing well, they are still playing catch up,” Hayes said. “As I long as I can keep it that way, I’m going to feel pretty good about how things are going.” The Gulfport, Miss., native will try to hold onto the top spot during the final SuperBike qualifying session on Friday morning. The 15-lap Round 1 of the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. with the second round set for Saturday at 11 a.m. If Hayes retains the pole Friday morning, he will earn a point toward the season-ending championship. Rounding out the top five in provisional SuperBike qualifying were Roger Hayden (Suzuki), Josh Herrin (Yamaha), Martin Cardenas (Suzuki) and Danny Eslick (Suzuki). On the 3.51-mile road course in provisional AMA Pro Motorcycle SuperStore.com SuperSport qualifying, Colombian Tomas Puerta on the No. 12 Yamaha took the provisional pole with a lap of one minute, 54.097 seconds. In the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series, Travis Wyman is on the provisional pole with a lap of two minutes, 6.028 seconds. Both Vance & Hines XR-1200 and SuperSport will have final qualifying sessions on Friday morning prior to their afternoon events. Also on tap Friday is Daytona SportBike qualifying for Saturday’s 72nd Daytona 200 where the fastest rider will earn the coveted Rolex watch. For more information and tickets for the remaining Daytona 200 Week events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can follow Daytona International Speedway on Twitter (@DISUpdates) and stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest for all the latest news all season long. More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14, 2013) – The opening day of action for the 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season brought renewed excitement in the form of fresh rider/team combinations, altered equipment and color schemes, and rejuvenated title hopes. However, while much did change over the offseason, the end result at the completion of the season’s first AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway proved very familiar. Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes delivered the field a sobering reminder of his unprecedented 2012 dominance with a similarly convincing Thursday performance. The reigning triple champion was immediately over a second quicker than the next faster rider and maintained that sort of advantage throughout the session. Despite some determined late-session efforts from his key rivals, Hayes ended the session on provisional pole with 1.059 seconds in hand with a best time of 1:37.746. In typically understated fashion Hayes said, “Everything went pretty smooth. It’s a good first day for starting off a new season. I was feeling a bit of pressure about just getting things started. All the pressure and the hype of new people and new things coming in — I’ve been kind of anxious to get on the racetrack and see how it all plays out. I think I left myself some pretty big shoes to fill last season. “I didn’t really focus too much on anybody else on the racetrack today; I just kind of did my own thing and then came in and saw how the leaderboard looked whenever I wasn’t on the racetrack. Right now I just want to do my job. If I continue to do what I’ve been doing the last year or so, the pressure is on them to catch up to me. So far, so good. We’ll see what happens from here.” Significant shuffling took place in the order behind Hayes during the session’s final two minutes. When the dust had cleared, National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden was second (1:38.805), just fractionally quicker than Hayes’ teammate, Josh Herrin (1:38.960), and Yoshimura Suzuki’s new hope, Martin Cardenas (1:39.001). Jordan Suzuki’s Danny Eslick was impressive in his debut with the Michael Jordan Motorsports team, clocking the second fastest time in the opening practice and holding down that same spot during QP1 for a time before dropping a few spots late. He still walked away with fifth overall on Thursday, just three tenths off Hayden’s runner-up mark at 1:39.121. Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing Yamaha’s Larry Pegram posted a similar pace in sixth (1:39.308), however his session ended with his new R1 tumbling over his head in a dramatic late-session crash. No other rider was within two seconds of the provisional pole. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Chris Clark, Team Hero EBR’s Geoff May, Motosport.com Motul Fly Racing’s David Anthony, and May’s Team AMSOIL/Hero-backed teammate, Aaron Yates, rounded out Thursday’s top ten. Should Hayes lock down the pole tomorrow morning, it will mark the 23rd of his SuperBike career, just one removed from three-time Ben Spies for second all-time. The 15-lap 2013 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike season opener will get underway tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on SPEED in a same-day delayed broadcast beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT. AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Cameron Beaubier proved to be the quickest rider in AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike as the competitors prepare for tomorrow’s chance at pole for the 72nd DAYTONA 200. The fastest qualifier tomorrow will win a Rolex Daytona Cosmograph as well as start on pole for Saturday’s 57-lap race. Beaubier had nearly a second in hand in the afternoon session, with his Yamaha Extended Services Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 machine leading Jake Gagne and J.D. Beach of RoadRace Factory Yamaha. Beaubier’s time of 1:50.799 in the afternoon improved on his morning time, which was also the fast time in that session. A spate of crashes in the chicane marked the end of the session as riders got to speed after the winter break. Beaubier’s teammate Garrett Gerloff was one of the crashers, as was GEICO Honda’s Dane Westby as the weather was cool but clear on Thursday, with higher temperatures expected for the rest of the weekend. Beaubier won seven AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike races in 2012 and finished third in the championship despite missing time with injury and the opening day of the season seemed to show he continued his momentum for last year. The RoadRace Factory pilots and Bobby Fong on the Triple Crown/RMR Yamaha all clocked times in the 1:51-second range. The GoPro Daytona SportBike racers will qualify in two sessions on Friday, starting at 8:45 a.m. local time. AMA Pro Motorcycle Superstore.com SuperSport Tomas Puerta earned provisional pole in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport at Daytona International Speedway as the RoadRace Factory Yamaha pilot and former race winner set the pace on the first day of the 2013 season. Puerta’s time of 1:54.097 topped veteran Jeffrey Tigert (CM Motorsports) for the fastest spot. Puerta said, “It feels really good to be on pole again. I saw a lot of people crashing in the chicane, so I wanted to keep it up on two wheels for the team. I have been racing in [Motorcycle-Superstore.com] SuperSport for a few seasons and I want to get off to a good start this year.” Former SuperSport race winners Hayden Gillim of Team 95 and Stefano Mesa of Motosport.com also earned the provisional front row for the two 10-lap Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport contests of the weekend. Final qualifying for the class begins at 8:00 a.m. on Friday. AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series It came as little surprise to see the name ‘Wyman’ placed atop the charts in provisional qualifying for Friday’s AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series opener. However, the fact that it was younger brother Travis rather than two-time DIS winner Kyle — along his relatively mammoth 0.757-second advantage — may have raised some eyebrows. The Harv’s Harley-Davidson runner posted a 2:06.028 to lead the way. He was followed by Kyle on the Revolution Performance/Millennium Technologies Harley-Davidson XR1200 at 2:06.785. Despite Wyman’s big advantage, five riders were within a second of provisional pole. Former SuperBike pilot Steve Rapp was third on the Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson entry, followed by Tyler O’Hara (Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade, Bartel’s H-D), and Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson’s Bobby Fong. That list did not even include reigning champion Michael Barnes, who was sixth fastest, 1.051 seconds back. Barnes did draw first blood, however, hustling the #1 Rossmeyer’s XR1200 to the top of the charts in the morning free practice. The 7-lap AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series season opener will take place on Friday at 2:15 p.m. Streaming Video, Live Timing and Social Media AMA Pro Live, the streaming video portal launched last season, will be broadcasting a variety of live video content from Daytona International Speedway this weekend. Tune in at http://www.amaprolive.com to follow along. Live Timing & Scoring of all on-track sessions will be available at http://live.amaproracing.com/rr/. Between the races, stay connected with GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing at www.twitter.com/AMAProSBK and www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing; keep up with Daytona International Speedway via Twitter (www.twitter.com/DISupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway). For tickets and additional event information, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.