AMA Pro Road Racing riders and teams are on standby – again — at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course due to off and on rain showers at the track.
The day started off with a delay as overnight and early-morning rains left the track wet. The rain stopped, workers did their best to help the track dry and at 9:25 a.m. Local Time/Eastern Time the Superbike class went out to evaluate the damp-but-drying track.
Five of the six Superbike riders who participated in the damp practice reported that the track was extremely slippery and inconsistent and was not rideable in the wet, a feeling that has been consistent since Mid-Ohio was repaved in 2006.
The track continued to dry, and practice sessions for Daytona SportBike and SuperSport were run.
At the end of the SuperSport practice, however, rain began to fall again, causing the scheduled start time of the Superbike warm-up and race to be pushed back from 3:40 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Then more rain caused the start time to be pushed back further.
The rain stopped and the track dried again, and at 5:05 p.m. local time the Superbike riders were sent out for their 10-minute warm-up/track evaluation period. That session was led by Martin Cardenas, who did a 1:35.174, which was slower than the 1:31.889 Josh Hayes did in the first Superbike practice session.
Then just as the Superbike warm-up/evaluation period ended it started raining again, leading to another delay.
At post time, 5:45 p.m. local time, the on-track activities remain officially “on hold.”
Update:
The remainder of Saturday’s AMA Pro Racing program at Mid-Ohio has been postponed until Sunday, according to AMA Pro Racing Manager of Communications Patrick Buganski.
“The details for Sunday’s plan is still being worked out and will be announced later tonight, hopefully,” said Buganski. “The plan as of right now is to run the entire program of races on Sunday.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamalube/Westby Racing:
BLAME IT ON THE RAIN: BAD WEATHER POSTPONES AMA PRO ACTION AT MID-OHIO FOR YAMALUBE/WESTBY RACING
Lexington, OH (July, 19, 2014) – Dane Westby and Yamalube/Westby Racing did not get a chance to compete during the opening day of the AMA Pro weekend at Mid-Ohio as weather postponed the first of two scheduled races for this weekend.
Westby, with two previous wins in AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike at the track, wants clear weather tomorrow.
“We really need this double race for our championship,” said Westby, fifth in points. “We really want it. I would run in the rain. I’d do a unicycle race. Just let me out there.”
Westby spent most of the day interacting with fans, including giving away t-shirts to the series’ loyal supporters. Dane took to the track for one session and ran at or near the front for much of it.
AMA Pro will release tomorrow’s schedule at a later time.
More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
It’s a wash: Saturday’s rain makes for action-packed Sunday at Mid-Ohio
LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 19, 2014) – Mother Nature may not have cooperated for Saturday’s on-track action of the Buckeye SuperBike Weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but it makes for an action-packed Sunday schedule.
With the first day’s qualifying sessions and races washed out by rain, AMA Pro Racing will move all of the weekend’s green-to-checkered action to Sunday.
Early morning rainfall resulted in a delayed start Saturday, and the most experienced riders, those in the AMA Pro SuperBike class, tested the track and reported back on the circuit’s conditions. When the skies cleared and the track dried sufficiently, the SuperBike, GoPro Daytona GoPro SportBike, and SuperSport classes worked in afternoon practice sessions. Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes (1:31.889), RoadRace Factory/Red Bull’s Jake Gagne (1:30.944) and TOBC Racing Suzuki’s Hayden Gillim (1:37.700) led the way in their respective classes.
An abbreviated schedule then called for the races to be grid by points. Unfortunately, returning and recurring showers spoiled multiple attempts to stage Saturday’s contests as the day progressed.
In an attempt to hold races in the afternoon, the SuperBike riders had a 10-minute evaluation period, but between the completion of that session and the call to grid, conditions worsened and no bikes went on-track the rest of the day.
Sunday’s schedule has been pushed forward forty minutes and will now get underway at 8 a.m. local time (5 a.m. PT) with the opening AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series session. The remainder of the day’s slate is still being determined.
How to Watch
FansChoice.tv is the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track events in 2014. The site also provides coverage of IMSA’s development and single-make series, and NASCAR’s touring and weekly series.
About AMA Pro Road Racing:
AMA Pro Road Racing is the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America and is universally regarded as one of the most competitive road racing organizations in the world. The series is comprised of four production-based classes: AMA Pro SuperBike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series. Learn more about AMA Pro Road Racing at www.amaproracing.com/rr/.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Yamaha “Fast Four” Halted By Rain As Saturday’s AMA Pro Road Races At Mid-Ohio Are Postponed
Lexington, OH – July 19, 2014 – Following up their excellent results last weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Yamaha’s “Fast Four”–Josh Hayes, Cameron Beaubier, Garrett Gerloff, and JD Beach– were hoping to ride the wave of momentum into Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and pick up right where they left off. Unfortunately, their momentum was temporarily thwarted by persistent rain that fell frequently throughout the day, ultimately causing all racing to be cancelled for Saturday.
Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha: Hayes & Beaubier
Three-time AMA Pro SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes and his SuperBike rookie teammate Cameron Beaubier both ran a handful of laps in a couple of different practice sessions aboard their Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1 SuperBikes. However, AMA Pro Racing declared that the 2.4-mile, 15-turn road course was not suitable for racing.
As this press release was being written, the early word from AMA Pro is that Sunday’s schedule will include two individual SuperBike races. The start times for those two potential races were not yet available from AMA Pro.
Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha: Gerloff & Beach
Like Josh and Cameron, Garrett Gerloff and JD Beach also did a few laps during AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike practice aboard their Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6’s, but the track conditions were similar to those faced by the SuperBike riders and, again, AMA Pro declared that the course was not suitable for racing.
As with SuperBike, the early word from AMA Pro is that Sunday’s schedule will also include two individual DSB races. The start times for those two potential races were not yet available from AMA Pro.
For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, check out: www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racingor your favorite Yamaha social media channel.