The Superbike free practice session for the third round of the MotoAmerica Championship took place this Friday at the Road America circuit. The morning was contested under clear skies, which preceded a rainy afternoon, during which Qualifying 1 took place.
A first session of the weekend which saw Cameron Beaubier (Tytlers Cycle Racing) take the lead in the standings with a time of 2:10.941.
Defending champion Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati) took second place, just 0,930 seconds behind Beaubier, the championship leader and the weekend's favorite. Jake Gagne (Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing) completed the provisional podium, 1,195 seconds behind the leader.
Sean Dylan Kelly (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki) and Bobby Fong (Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing) are also not to be ruled out from the fight for pole, both in the top five with times that can still be improved.
The session, held under clear skies after a rain shower, nevertheless allowed the riders to push their machines to the limit on the 4,05-mile track. This provided ideal preparation for the weekend's races, which are expected to be held in dry conditions.
While the gaps remain tight in the top five, they increase significantly from sixth place, where Richie Escalante (Vision Wheel M5 ECSTAR Suzuki) is 4 seconds off the best time.
He is followed by Benjamin Smith (Yamaha) and Hayden Gillim (Honda), who close the list of riders less than 4 seconds behind the leader. Further back, Danilo Lewis (BMW), Bryce Kornbau (Yamaha), Ashton Yates (Honda), Max Flinders (Yamaha), Kevin Pinkstaff (Kawasaki) and Brian Pinkstaff (Kawasaki) complete the ranking, with gaps of up to more than 16 seconds.
This first session confirms Cameron Beaubier's good form, which has already set the tone for his ambitions for the weekend. The rest of the program, with qualifying and the two races, promises to be a competitive affair, with the main favorites already having confirmed their presence for this meeting in Wisconsin.
MotoAmerica, Road America – Practice 1 ranking:
As rain hit the legendary Road America circuit on Friday afternoon, Bobby Fong (Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing) took provisional pole position in the first qualifying session, which took place in the rain. However, the Californian readily admits: he's not a big fan of racing in the rain.
Fong, however, emerged as the fastest of the four riders to take on the tricky conditions. His best time, a 2:34.951, put him over six seconds ahead of Kevin Pinkstaff (Zlock Racing). Sean Dylan Kelly (Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki) took third, while Brian Pinkstaff (Zlock Racing) completed the quartet of riders on the track..
Although Fong dominated the Superbike session, the fastest time of the day went to Stock 1000/Superbike Cup rider JD Beach, who set a lap of 2:32.964, almost two seconds faster than Fong.
For now, Bobby Fong can therefore savor this result. However, the weather forecast predicts a return of sunshine for Qualifying 2 and the weekend's races. The teams are expecting a more competitive competition, with the arrival of the other favorites who had preferred to stay dry on Friday.
Among them, we obviously expect Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati), Cameron Beaubier (Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW) and Jake Gagne (Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing).
MotoAmerica, Road America – Qualification 1 standings:
Rankings: MotoAmerica.com