KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Josh Herrin was fastest during MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:23.827 to lead the tight session.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier led practice on Friday morning and was second in Q1 with a time of 1:23.885 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW in spite of still recovering from a broken right foot suffered at Road America.
Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly jumped up to third in the final 90 seconds of Q1 with a lap of 1:24.107 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne limited the laps he did during Q1, presumably to keep from aggravating his ongoing arm pump issues, but he was fourth-fastest at 1:24.168 on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen was right behind him with a fifth-fastest 1:24.192.
Current Superbike Championship point leader Bobby Fong didn’t put in any fast laps at the end of Q1 and ended up sixth with a 1:24.307 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was seventh with a lap time of 1:24.379, making it 0.552 second separating the top seven riders.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch finished Q1 in eighth with a time of 1:24.928.
Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach (1:24.940) was ninth, and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores (1:25.808) rounded out the top 10 riders.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Herrin Stays Hot With Provisional Pole At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Josh Herrin Leads Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying 1 In Ultra-Close Afternoon Session
MONTEREY, CA (July 12, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin continued with the hot hand in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike series as he stormed to provisional pole position on Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Herrin, the lap record holder at the 2.238-mile course in the hills east of Monterey, lapped at 1:23.827 to better Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier’s best by just .058 of a second. Herrin, who won the second of two races at Ridge Motorsports Park two weeks ago, said his lap record of 1:22.908 will be difficult to top as the track is bumpier than when that record was set in 2018.
TopPro Racing’s Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly continues to impress as he ended the opening day third fastest and just .280 of a second off Herrin’s session leader.
Fourth fastest on Friday was Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne with the three-time and defending series champion turning in a best of 1:24.168 to finish slightly faster than his teammate Cameron Petersen.
Steel Commander Superbike Championship points leader Bobby Fong was sixth fastest on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 and less than half a second from Herrin.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was seventh and .552 of a second from his teammate. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Forés rounded out the top 10.
Stock 1000 – Uribe On Top
OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe used all of his home-track knowledge to lead the way in the first of two Stock 1000 qualifying sessions, besting his championship rival Hayden Gillim by .306 of a second.
Uribe lapped at 1:25.733 with Gillim turning in a 1:26.049 with the Californian getting the best of the Kentuckian for the first time in a qualifying session.
Another Californian was third quickest with Motorsport Exotica’s Andrew Lee ending up third on his BMW M 1000 RR. Two more racers were within a second of Uribe with FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith fourth and OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman fifth.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman Down And Up
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman didn’t let a little crash slow him down as he bounced back from an early-session tipover in turn 11 to earn provisional pole position for the two Mission King Of The Baggers races.
Wyman’s fast lap came late in the session and his 1:28.705 topped RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Rocco Landers by just .122 of a second. Yes, you read that right – Rocco Landers.
Landers continued to gain momentum in his rookie season of Baggers racing and he put that all together to hold the top spot until getting knocked down a peg by Wyman in the closing stages of the session.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim was third fastest, the defending class champion only .190 of a second behind Wyman.
Laguna first-timer Troy Herfoss was fourth fastest on the S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle Challenger, a second slower than Wyman and .2 faster than Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli.
Supersport – Jacobsen Strikes First
The season-long Supersport battle between Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen and Mathew Scholtz resumed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with Jacobsen striking first in Q1 on Friday afternoon.
But, like all the races held thus far in 2024, the pair weren’t separated by very much.
Jacobsen ripped off a 1:27.031 lap to lead the way over Scholtz, with the South African just .032 of a second adrift of the New Yorker with his 1:27.063. But those two were by no means alone at the top.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis was next best, and he was closer to the front than he’s been all year, trailing Jacobsen by just .217 of a second.
TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo ended up fourth quickest with Jacobsen’s teammate Corey Alexander rounding out the top five.
The top nine were all within a second of Jacobsen with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, the only rider other than Scholtz or Jacobsen to win a race in 2024, ninth and .990 of a second from the top.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – West Goes West
Saddlemen Racing/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West saved his best for last in stealing provisional pole position for the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship in the waning moments of the final session of the day at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
West and his Harley-Davidson Pan America lapped at 1:29.624 to snatch pole from his teammate Jake Lewis by .153 of a second.
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara ended the day third fastest with KWR Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman and his teammate Hayden Schultz rounding out the top five.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin shines at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Friday
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 12, 2024 — When you’re hot, you’re hot! That’s exactly how Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin feels after topping the Friday times for the sixth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Noting the increased confidence and stability that stems from his second year within the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati superbike team, Herrin completed the opening practice session in third place but then rocketed to P1 with a 1:23.827s lap time. Herrin completed a marathon of 36 laps of the legendary 2.23-mile venue over the day.
The result puts Herrin in a provisional pole position. The final grid places for the two 20-lap races will be decided after Qualifying 2 tomorrow morning.
Fellow Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teamster Loris Baz was also on the pace in California. The Frenchman circulated 27 times around the undulating WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca across the day to finish seventh overall, 0.55s off his teammate Herrin in an incredibly close top 10.
2024 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:23.827
P2 – Cameron Beaubier 1:23.885
P3 – Sean Dylan Kelly 1:24.107
P4 – Jake Gagne 1:24.168
P5 – Cameron Petersen 1:24.192
P6 – Bobby Fong 1:24.307
P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 1:24.379
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’m really happy with that,” Herrin said. “I just feel like everything has been clicking of late. I really like this track but this second year—I’ve been talking it up—but having two years on the same bike and the same team has been a huge help. We have what it takes to not just win but win by five, but 10 seconds or more.
“I’m getting confident again now that we haven’t had as many wet races. Everything is feeling great in the team and it’s really nice being able to put on a show in Ducati North America’s backyard for the fans. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team is so good to be around, and that makes my job easier when all the pieces fall together.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Today wasn’t as good as the last round at The Ridge, where we had a super good feeling of the bike as today I missed a bit of feeling with the front and a bit of rear grip, but that’s the same for everyone,” Baz said. It’s really tight—we have seven guys within half a second.
“We’ll try to find a better set-up for the front-end. More than anything, I want a bike that will allow me to take different lines and overtake people, so that’s what we’re working towards. I love this track, so we’ll go through the data, improve the bike, and make sure we are in the battle for the win.”
Qualifying 2 for round six of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. PST on Saturday, July 13.
Race one of the Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike class is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. PST on Saturday, July 13, with race two set for 3:10 p.m. PST on Sunday, July 14.
