Josh Herrin won MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race Two Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin took the lead, crept away from the field with a consistently fast pace, and won the 16-lap race by 5.063 seconds. It was Herrin’s second win of the season and the 12th Superbike win of his career.
Bobby Fong was fourth on the opening lap but was able to push forward to a second-place finish on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1.
Race One winner Cameron Petersen got off to a strong start in Race Two but said he suffered from arm pump problems and had to settle for third place on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing YZF-R1.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was unable to convert his pole position to a podium finish, but the Frenchman was able to score fourth place.
Sean Dylan Kelly bounced back from a non-point-scoring finish in Race One to grab fifth place on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW in Race Two.
Hayden Gillim used a last-lap pass to secure sixth on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Xavi Fores ran as high as fifth on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R but fell victim to Kelly and Gillim in the second half of the race and ended up seventh.
Five-time Champion Cameron Beaubier, who is still recovering from a broken right heel, crossed the finish line 0.199 second behind Fores and collected eighth-place points.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne ran fifth in the early laps but slipped back to eventually finish ninth.
Fores’ teammate Brandon Paasch passed Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach on the last lap to grab 10th.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Herrin Wins, Superbike Title Chase Features Four At The Top
Four Riders Are Within Eight Points Of The MotoAmerica Steel Commander
Superbike Championship Points Lead
SHELTON, WA (June 30, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin won his second Steel Commander Superbike race of the season on Sunday at Ridge Motorsports Park, and it vaulted him into championship contention in what is arguably the closest Superbike Championship in AMA history at this point in the season.
After two races at Ridge Motorsports Park, four riders are separated by just eight points and there’s just a single point between first and second, making it anybody’s game with a two-week break before the series returns at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, July 12-14.
Herrin won his second race of the year in typical Herrin fashion. He got out front early, made a gap and held it, crossing the line with a tick over five seconds in hand. In addition to being his second win of the year, it was also his sixth podium of the year and his 12th career AMA Superbike victory.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong worked his way to second place with 11 laps to go when he passed Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen. Fong set sail after Herrin and was able to pull back some ground but was never close enough to threaten.
However, second place on the day was enough to move Fong back into the lead in the 2024 Steel Commander Superbike Championship points lead after losing it in what was a rainy debacle for the Californian on Saturday.
Third place went to Petersen, a day after the South African won his third race of the season on Saturday. Petersen was some four seconds behind Fong and another four some seconds clear of Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz. His two podiums in the two races put him squarely in the hunt for the title.
Fifth place went to a rather lonely Sean Dylan Kelly on the TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was an impressive sixth on his Stock 1000-spec Honda CBR1000RR-R SP after barely beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Xavi Forés with the Spaniard finishing seventh.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier rode through the pain of his surgically repaired broken right heel to finish just off the back of Forés and seven seconds clear of three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne with the latter still struggling mightily with arm pump.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounded out the top 10 finishers.
About that championship we were talking about earlier. How’s this for close? Fong leads Gagne by a single point, 158-157. Petersen is next with 151 and Herrin is fourth with 149, and that all translates to the fact that the top four in the championship point standings are separated by just eight points.
Superbike Race Two
- Josh Herrin (Ducati)
- Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
- Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
- Loris Baz (Ducati)
- Sean Dylan Kelly (BMW)
- Hayden Gillim (Honda)
- Xavi Forés (Suzuki)
- Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
Quotes
Josh Herrin – Winner
“Obviously, I wish I was further ahead and didn’t do so bad in all four of the rain races we had, but it’s exactly what the championship needs with a fight like this with a bunch of different manufacturers. So, I’m excited for that, especially since Laguna Seca is all of our home rounds. So, it’s going to be a lot of our family there cheering us on. It should be an exciting weekend. Race went great. Tires were great. Everything just clicked today, just like Road America. Like I said all year, we knew Barber was difficult, but every other race we’ve been right there with the exception of the rain. Maybe Dunlop will let us go use the rain track for the end of the year and try to get a little bit better. It’s mainly my fault with all the stupid choices I’ve made with tires the last couple years, running slicks in the rain. I’m just happy to be up here, happy to claw back in the points again. This is the closest we’ve been all year. Thank you to my entire team. Really excited to go to Laguna, not just for the race but Ducati DRE on Monday and hang out with all the Ducati fans and riders. Can’t wait to see you there.”
Bobby Fong – Second Place
“Like Josh said earlier, I need to capitalize on these rain races. I’ve done terrible, and it’s all on me. It’s something that I need to work on. To win this championship, you can’t just be getting 10th in the rain races. I’ve got to do better. That’s plain and simple. I’ve got to do better. But today was great. We rode good. I felt like the bike was quite good. We tried a new swingarm this morning and I was really unsure of it. I’m still unsure of it, but it worked great. We’re always pretty strong at the end of these races. The class is so tight now, you’ve got to qualify on front row to do something, unless you have crazy outright speed. Everybody is so close. When you’re trying to make your way up to Josh (Herrin), it’s basically too late. It’s like World Superbike nowadays. You got to qualify good, like MotoGP. I need to work on my qualifying. I’ve been struggling in qualifying a little bit. What can I say? We’ve got the points lead, but there’s still a lot of races to go. Each weekend, there’s a dogfight up front. You never know what’s going to happen. We’re all on the limit, so anybody can make a mistake. We’re just going to try to stay consistent.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Yeah, great weekend. Can’t complain with two podiums. The only reason why I’m a little bit frustrated was just we had a bike that was capable of winning both races. The bike felt really good in the beginning. I felt comfortable. Even when Josh (Herrin) came past me I felt like I had a really good rhythm and pace. Was just losing a little bit in the last sector. I was really good everywhere else. About halfway through the race, my left arm just completely locked up. My hand came off the handlebar a few times. It got a little bit scary out there. Just super stoked at the weekend. Like you said, points are close. So, overall, a great weekend. We learned a bunch this weekend and look forward to the rest of the season. Congrats to Josh (Herrin) and Bob (Fong). They rode an incredible race. I think it’s going to be a dogfight for the rest of the season every race we go to, so I’m looking forward to it.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin Hammers a Dominant Win in Race Two at The Ridge
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 30, 2024 — Josh Herrin showed his love affair with The Ridge Motorsports Park by taking a dominant win in race two of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
The race two win marks the third consecutive year Herrin has tasted victory, and the fourth year in a row he has stood on the podium at The Ridge. It also means Herrin now lies only nine points off the championship lead.
The result on Sunday more than made up for the result of race one, where tricky wet/dry conditions meant tire choice was a make-or-break gamble. Herrin and teammate Loris Baz both elected to run slicks, which ultimately proved the incorrect move, with Herrin taking 11th and Baz ninth.
In race two, Herrin got to the front early after disposing of race leader Cameron Petersen and set about lapping at a metronomic pace, posting the fastest lap and eventually coming home five seconds clear of Bobby Fong.
Loris Baz rode brilliantly all weekend. The Frenchman took his first-ever MotoAmerica Superbike pole position and his inspired ninth place in race one made him the first slick-shod rider home.
Race two saw Baz in the fight for the podium early in the 16-lap encounter, but he finally had to settle for fourth at the flag and bagged 13 championship points.
2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Five
P1 – Bobby Fong 158
P2 – Jake Gagne 157
P3 – Cameron Petersen 151
P4 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 149
P5 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 122
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’d like to say it was a great weekend, but it certainly was a great day,” Herrin said after winning race two. “Saturday, we lost out due to an incorrect tire selection. It was a gamble, and it didn’t pay off. It happens in racing sometimes.”
“But the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team rebounded big time today—and the bike was awesome. The team has been working hard to nail the right set-up and we got it right for the race today. I’m so happy with how the weekend finished. Next up is Laguna Seca, not just for the MotoAmerica Superbike races but also for the DRE (Ducati Rider Experience) day on Monday. I can’t wait to get there and ride with all the Ducatisti.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“I want to keep the positive of the weekend,” said Baz after race two. “First, I want to congratulate Josh. He rode a fantastic race today. On my side of the garage, it was a good weekend. I took my first MotoAmerica pole position, but we got caught out with the tire selection in race one, so that was a shame.
“Today I was really confident going into the race. We had a few issues with the front set-up, and I was trying to over-compensate in some areas. I still have a bit of work to do to make sure I can be as competitive over the race distance as I am in qualifying, but we are making huge steps every weekend. The team is working really well and we’re off to Laguna Seca next, which is a place I absolutely love.”
The fifth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the series head to one of the premier events in the calendar at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California over the July 10-12 weekend.
