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AMA Pro Mid-Ohio: Friday (updated regularly)
July 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under 2010 Race Calendar, Uncategorized
NEWEST AT TOP
Afternoon showers that hit the Lexington, OH area just prior to the scheduled start of the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Basic Qualifying session resulted in an abbreviated day’s work for Team M4 Suzuki at Mid-Ohio on Friday.
With Basic Qualifying and Superpole ultimately canceled, the squad only took to the track for a single morning free session during the day. The grid for the weekend’s twin Daytona SportBike finals will be decided based on Saturday’s Final Qualifying session, meaning that there will be no single-flying lap Superpole shootout for pole for a second consecutive weekend.
Team M4 Suzuki has earned the last five pole positions in the class with Jason DiSalvo sweeping the most recent four Superpole outings and Martin Cardenas picking up the pole in a traditional session last time out at Laguna Seca. The two will look to up that streak on Saturday before setting their sights on Saturday afternoon’s 21-lap contest.
Points leader Cardenas was fifth quickest aboard his GSX-R600 in Friday’s practice, circulating at 1:28.982, just 0.395 seconds off of first. Fourth-ranked DiSalvo was tenth best at 1:29.344.
At the conclusion of the day Colombian Cardenas said, “We only had the one session today but it went really positive. The bike was working quite well throughout the practice. We tried the other bike with a different setting but the first bike was better and I think we’re in good shape for qualifying tomorrow.
“We tested here recently and that helped a lot. The bike that I liked had the setting we found at the test.”
Despite his Laguna Seca disappointment that saw Martin crash out of the lead while seeking a seventh victory on the season two weeks ago, Cardenas still boasts a considerable 39-point advantage that he’ll look to further extend this weekend.
“I’m glad to be back racing again after what happened at Laguna,” Cardenas said. “I’m looking for a good result and hopefully another win.”
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LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 17, 2009) – A new name topped Friday’s Superpole qualifying session for the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tires at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as Josh Hayes put the No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1 on pole position for the weekend’s AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited doubleheader. AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL qualifying and Superpole sessions were rained out. Starting positions for the twin Daytona SportBike races will be set by tomorrow morning’s final qualifying session.
Claiming his first career pole in American Superbike competition, Hayes turned a lap of 1:26.303 (100.133 mph) around the 2.4-mile circuit to break the string of seven consecutive poles set this season by Mat Maldin (No. 7 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000). Hayes has positive history to fall back on for the weekend with three previous wins here in his last three Formula Extreme outings at the track.
“I was a little disappointed with my time I thought we could actually go faster than that,” said Hayes. “You kind of have to get into a rhythm, and I just didn’t put it together perfect by any stretch. The R1’s been pretty good this weekend. I’ve been pretty happy with it right out of the box and I’m just having fun riding and things seem to be clicking well. This is cool, it’s cool to get your first pole and I’m looking forward to going racing.”
Starting alongside Hayes will be Aaron Yates on the No. 23 Brand Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000, who ran the second-quickest lap of Superpole at 1:26.469 (99.921 mph). Yates has three American Superbike wins to his credit at Mid-Ohio, his last two coming in a doubleheader sweep in 2000.
“My lap, it was pretty decent, nothing really too eventful,” said Yates. “The bike was hooked up pretty well, just a little cautious, especially around the top of the keyhole, you are on the side of your tires so long. I got around pretty good.”
Geoff May qualified third on the No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R100 with a lap at 1:26.564 (99.810 mph). Both May and teammate Yates have finished on the podium three times this season and are in search of their first win of the year this weekend.
“We needed to kind of scope out the track after all of that rain (earlier in the day), it definitely changes this place and the grip level and the patches (in the asphalt),” said May. “It looks like everybody was way off the pace and you go out there on new stuff and think ‘is it going to stick or not going to stick,’ so I was a little tentative in the first split. Then I realized I was better than I thought I was and put the hammer down, put my head down for the second half of the track to try to make up time best I could. I really didn’t make any mistakes except for just going to slow in the first sector.”
The final spot on the front row belongs to Tommy Hayden with a time of 1:26.741 (99.607 mph) aboard the No. 22 Rockstar/Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Hayden is currently second in the point standings and looking to gain ground on Mladin, who leads him 355-228. Points leader Mladin starts from ninth with a time of 1:27.457 (98.792 mph).
“The lap seemed alright,” said Hayden. “The bike has been pretty good since I’ve gotten here, faster than it was in the tests straight away. So far today everything’s been going pretty smooth, I feel pretty solid out there.”
The first American Superbike race of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend rolls off from a standing start at 3:00 p.m. local time Saturday afternoon with a scheduled distance of 21 laps (50 miles). Sunday’s race is also scheduled for 21 laps (50 miles) and has a 4:00 p.m. local start time.
Rain Washes out Friday Daytona SportBike Qualifying
An afternoon rain shower put a damper on AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL basic qualifying. The time-certain schedule, combined with the time needed for the track to dry, did not allow for an opportunity to reschedule the basic qualifying or Superpole sessions. Saturday morning’s final qualifying session will set the grid for the weekend’s twin Daytona SportBike races.
Graves Motorsports’ Tommy Aquino paced the morning’s practice session on the No. 6 Yamaha YZF-R6 with a lap time of 1:28.587 (97.531 mph). Danny Eslick posted the second fastest time of 1:28.720 (97.385 mph) aboard the No. 9 Rossmeyer GEICO Powersports RMR Buell 1125R.
The first Daytona SportBike race will close Saturday’s schedule at 4 p.m. local time. The Sunday final is the first of three races that day and will start at 2 p.m. Like American Superbike, both Daytona SportBike races are 21 laps for 50 miles.
Scooter Superstore-Hooters and Touring Sport Ducshop Take Poles in SunTrust Moto-GT
In qualifying for tomorrow’s two-hour AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT, the No. 4 Scooter Superstore Hooters Aprilia RSV1000R of David Anthony and Ryan Elleby claimed the overall and Moto-GT1 class pole, while the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE of Elleby and Frank Shockley took the Moto-GT2 pole position.
The No. 4 Aprilia, which has earned podium positions in two of three outings this season, turned a best lap of 1:32.738 (93.166 mph) with Anthony at the controls and will be joined on the front row by the No. 13 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 of Dane Westby and Dustin Meador with a time of 1:33.787 (92.123 mph).
“My lap was just a normal lap,” said Anthony. “I wasn’t pushing that hard, I was just watching the board and saw that I was in second and it turns out I did my biggest lap not knowing where I was. The next lap I come around and I was in first.”
In Moto-GT2, the championship leading No. 77 Ducati of Elleby and Shockley will start from the class pole after turning a lap of 1.36:470 (89.562 mph). Starting second in GT2 will be the team’s No. 38 Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE shared by Cory Rech and Huntley Nash. The No. 38 Ducati posted a best qualifying lap at 1:37.093 (88.987 mph).
“I’m really proud of the two teams today,” said team owner Shockley. “Ryan Elleby did that pole lap which was really good and the two young guys here, Huntley and Cory, stepped up and ran the second bike really, really well. All is good and if I can just manage to keep the pace we’ll be alright.”
The No. 27 Four Feathers Racing entry of Matt Lynn originally qualified on the outside pole for tomorrow’s race but was sent to the back of the GT1 grid after failing post-qualifying technical inspection for exceeding the required fuel capacity.
The fifth round of the nine-race 2009 SunTrust Moto-GT season takes the green flag Saturday at 11:00 a.m. local time for a scheduled two hours.
Beach Paces SuperSport Practice
Friday’s AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei practice session was led by J. Beach aboard the No. 73 Honda CBR600R with a time of 1:33.266 (92.639 mph). Lloyd Worrell posted the second fastest lap of the session aboard the No. 13 Rockwall Performance Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:33.505 (92.401 mph).
Qualifying for AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei is scheduled for 8:40 a.m. local time on Saturday. A strong entry of 25 emerging young riders in AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei will split the Sunday Daytona SportBike and American Superbike finals with a 17-lap/40-mile race at 3 p.m.
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LTD Racing
Lexington, Ohio – Although wet and damp conditions meant most of Friday’s AMA Pro Supersport laps might not apply to the expected dry race on Sunday, the LTD Racing teammates of Tomas Puerta, Huntley Nash, and Joey Pascarella made progress at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Huntley Nash got the most laps of all on the day, as the Marietta, Georgia native rode his LTD Racing Yamaha as well as a guest ride with the Touring Sport Ducati Racing team. “Hunt” and Corey Rech qualified second in class in MotoGT.
“We really didn’t have much of a day in Supersport because of the conditions,” said Nash. “It was good to get to ride the MotoGT bike, though. My pal Corey Rech, my former Red Bull teammate, is also riding with me. That bike is a lot different than my Yamaha but it reminds me of the bikes I rode when I first started racing. This deal came together kinda late but we qualified second quickest in the class so we have a good shot at doing well tomorrow.” His best Supersport time was 1:36.098, set in the morning practice where he only completed a few laps.
Pascarella’s best lap of the day was 1:33.945. Joey, from Vacaville, California, set his quickest time of the day in the AM session. “We wanted to get some laps in a learn the track, but with the conditions it was no time to ride crazy or really do anything to crash and set us back for the weekend. Sunday’s weather is supposed to be different so there’s no reason to get ahead of ourselves.”
Tomas Puerta of Colombia posted his best time of 1:33.944 in the morning. “It was a crazy day, in both the morning and afternoon. We had a slick track in the first session and then in the afternoon, it was wet after the rain. We were hoping to get to know the track better and that’s what happened. I didn’t want to push and crash the bike. On the last lap, I pushed a little but the times were nothing to get too excited about.”
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