Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier, the four-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, came out on top during the rain-affected second and final day of the official MotoAmerica pre-season test Wednesday at Barber Motorsports Park.

After rain and tire wear issues limited him to only a handful of laps on Day One, Beaubier got significantly more time on his Dunlop-shod 2020-model Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike on Day Two and finished with a best lap time of 1:24.332, which was the fastest time of the entire test.

“Everything went good. It’s a bummer we didn’t have more time, but we made the most of it,” Beaubier told Roadracingworld.com. “It was cool to ride this bike around this place, at a different track other than Buttonwillow back at California, where we have ridden every test so far.

“This bike is quite a bit different than my bike from last year, but it works good. There’s obviously some things we need to work on here and there just to get me a little more comfortable, get the balance a little bit better, but for the most part everything has been good so far.”

Beaubier said one big difference with his 2020-model Yamaha is its Magneti-Marelli engine electronics.

“I feel like the software we’re using now makes a big difference on engine braking,” said Beaubier. “We’re just using a little bit more cut. As you know, we used to run it pretty free on wheelie control and TC [traction control] and stuff like that, and now we’re starting to use a little more intervention. I think it’s helping. Everything with this software is just a little more precise, which is good for me, because that’s something we struggled with in the past. Our system was good, but I feel like this stuff is more precise in the areas where I need it.”

After riding only on Garrett Gerloff’s 2019-model Yamaha on Day One, Beaubier’s new teammate Jake Gagne got to sample his 2020-model YZF-R1 for the first time on Day Two. Gagne made the most of his time on the new machine and finished second-best with a 1:25.919.

Toni Elias ended up a relatively distant third on Day Two, but the Spaniard said he used the limited track time to do crucial development work on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 rather than focusing on going as fast as possible.

“Today, I test some wet maps [in the morning], and I tried another swingarm in the afternoon,” said Elias. “It is something totally different than what we used before. From that, we understand many things. It was important because from there we will take our direction for this year. So, we’ve been super lucky at the end to have that dry time and have the opportunity to test this.

“OK, we sacrifice the lap time. We had a lot of things to improve on from yesterday, but the most important thing today was this swingarm, know the feeling with that, give the information, and from there we have to build things. We don’t have much time, but we have to do it.”

Elias’ teammate Bobby Fong, the reigning MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, continued his education on his new GSX-R1000 Superbike and its advanced electronics Wednesday.

Four-time AMA Superbike Josh Hayes continued riding in place of injured Mathew Scholtz on Day Two and helping the Westby Racing team sort out the engine mapping on their new 2020-model Yamaha YZF-R1.

Josh Herrin, meanwhile, bounced back from his painful highside crash on Tuesday and was able to put in some valuable laps on his new Schiebe Racing BMW S1000RR Wednesday.

After a slightly rough start on Day One, PJ Jacobsen ended up with the fastest lap time in the Stock 1000 class with a 1:26.494 on his Celtic HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R. Jacobsen said some big changes to the chassis geometry and suspension settings on his new Ducati helped him feel more comfortable.

In the Supersport class, Hayes was the quickest rider in his one and only session on his MP13 Racing Yamaha YZF-R6, but the veteran was using the test at Barber to prepare for his Daytona 200 assault this coming weekend and has no plans to ride in MotoAmerica Supersport competition in 2020.

The fastest rider at the test who does plan to compete in MotoAmerica Supersport was Kevin Olmedo, who is moving up to Supersport in 2020 after enjoying success in MotoAmerica Junior Cup in 2019. Olmedo did a best lap time of 1:29.639 on his new Hagerty Tucker Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600.

Gus Rodio turned the fastest time in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup class, a 1:39.456 on his Rodio Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400, during a test session Wednesday afternoon that looked more like a four-rider race with Samuel Lochoff, Ben Gloddy, and Matias Mulet.

Following the postponement of the MotoGP/MotoAmerica event at Circuit of The Americas, the 2020 MotoAmerica season is set to kick off April 17-19 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Day Two Best Test Times (all on Dunlop tires):

Superbike:

1. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), 1:24.332
2. Jake Gagne (Yam YZF-R1), 1:25.919
3. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.819
4. Bobby Fong (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.386
5. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), 1:27.635
6. Josh Herrin (BMW S1000RR), 1:28.131
7. Mauricio Hidalgo (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:36.391

Stock 1000:

1. PJ Jacobsen (Duc Panigale V4 R), 1:26.494
2. Alex Dumas (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.136
3. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.530
4. Maximiliano Gerardo (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:30.318
5. Joseph Giannotto (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:30.835

Supersport:

1. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.297
2. Kevin Olmedo (Suz GSX-R600), 1:29.639
3. Sean Dylan Kelly (Suz GSX-R600), 1:29.897
4. Brandon Paasch (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.269
5. Lucas Silva (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.769
6. Nolan Lamkin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:31.424
7. Jaret Nassaney (Suz GSX-R600), 1:31.791
8. Tony Blackall (Yam YZF-R6), 1:34.247
9. Roberto Hernan Medina (Yam YZF-R6), 1:34.431
10. Shane Hobgood (Yam YZF-R6), 1:37.923
11. William Sweeney (Yam YZF-R6), 1:39.661

Liqui Moly Junior Cup:

1. Gus Rodio (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:39.456
2. Samuel Lochoff (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:39.990
3. Ben Gloddy (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:40.560
4. Matias Mulet (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:40.825
5. Jack Roach (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:41.035
6. Cameron Jones (Hon CBR500R), 1:43.054
7. Kody Kopp (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:49.081

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Beaubier Ends Barber Test On Top

Four-Time MotoAmerica Champion Leads Dunlop Test
BIRMINGHAM, AL (March 11, 2020) – Bad weather again led to less track time for the teams taking part in the MotoAmerica Dunlop Preseason Test at Barber Motorsports Park, but Mother Nature cooperated in the afternoon of day two with cloudy skies and a dry racetrack. And the riders responded with quicker laps as four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier knocked yesterday’s fast man Toni Elias from the top spot with his 1:24.332.

Beaubier’s best lap came in the seventh session of the two-day test and the first dry session on Wednesday, the 1:24.332 on his Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha knocking M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias from the top spot with Elias’ best of 1:25.371 coming on Tuesday afternoon.

“I think we got in 25-plus laps this afternoon, which is better than nothing considering the weather,” Beaubier said. “Everything was okay. It was actually pretty nice, riding my new bike on this track and trying to compare it with last year. I’ve ridden it at Buttonwillow the last few times, so it was nice to do kind of a back-to-back because the track surface really hasn’t changed other than it just being clean from the race. It was just nice to get on a new track. I feel like we have a couple things to work on. For the most part, everything was pretty damn good. Right now, I’m leaving content, even with just a few laps. We’re already down to a closer race pace on a super green track than we did last year. All in all, it was good.”

Second fastest on Wednesday and third overall went to Beaubier’s new teammate Jake Gagne with his 1:26.494 moving him ahead of KWR’s Kyle Wyman, who left early to start his drive to Daytona Beach, Florida, where he will defend his Daytona 200 victory this coming weekend. Wyman lapped at 1:26.336 on his Ducati Panigale V4 R on Tuesday.

Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen, meanwhile, was third fastest on Wednesday and fifth overall on the second Ducati in the class.

Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen was another who opted out of Wednesday’s proceedings, but his fourth quickest time from Tuesday put him sixth overall after the two-day test. FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong and Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin rounded out the top 10 overall from the two days of action.

MP13 Racing’s test rider Josh Hayes ended up the fastest of the Supersport riders over the course of the two days, topping Altus Motorsports’ Kevin Olmedo and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly.

The Liqui Moly Junior Cup riders were led by Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio, the Kawasaki rider topping Celtic HSBK Racing’s Sam Lochoff.

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Westby Racing Participates In MotoAmerica Dunlop Official Preseason Test With Josh Hayes Filling In For Injured Mathew Scholtz

Birmingham, AL – March 11, 2020 – Despite the challenging weather conditions and the unfortunate fractured right clavicle that Mathew Scholtz suffered this past Sunday in a training crash aboard a motocross bike, the Westby Racing team made solid progress at the two-day MotoAmerica Dunlop Official Preseason Test held at Barber Motorsports Park on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The first order of business was to find a rider who could thoroughly test the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 in place of Mathew and deliver the valuable data and feedback to keep advancing the team’s Superbike program. Josh Hayes was already en route to Barber, and he was planning to test the MP13 Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 that he is racing in Sunday’s Daytona 200. Westby Racing team manager contacted Josh, and the “Mississippi Madman” graciously accepted the invitation to participate in as many of the eight scheduled Superbike practice sessions as possible, while also finding the time to ride his R6 in some of the eight scheduled Supersport practice sessions.

Josh not only put in a number of fast laps on the Westby Racing Superbike, but he spent a lot of time after the practice sessions with crew chief Ed Sullivan and electronics specialist Herschel Auxier poring over the copious data that Josh had collected during his laps around the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course.

About the test, Josh said, “I got a call from Chuck on Sunday night, and he said, ‘Man, this thing happened with Matty and, unfortunately, he’s not going to be able to ride at the test. Is there any chance you would be interested in riding the bike a little bit and helping us out just to gather some data and information?’ ‘Of course, I want to help you guys, I said. ‘I have to work on my 600 a little bit, and I have my coaching to do with the boys, but I don’t see why I can’t get out a little bit and do a little bit of work and help you guys out.’

“Fortunately, I’ve been doing some riding, but I was trying to remember the last time I rode a proper Superbike. I did do a few laps on the Westby Superbike here at a test a year and a half ago. The thing is definitely a lot of motorcycle, and stuff happens really fast on that thing. Mat’s setup is quite a bit different from mine, too, so there were a handful of things that were a challenge to me as far as the ergonomics on the bike. But, that’s not really what we were here to try to solve. With the upgrades and updates to the 2020 Yamaha Superbike, they wanted to make sure that everything was working properly. With my experience through the years with the Yamaha Factory team, it was a good opportunity to get some information and provide a second opinion about where they were going with the electronics. The majority of what we were working on with the motorcycle was making sure that we give Mathew the best tool possible to go out and battle with the frontrunners when the season starts.”

Westby Racing’s newest team member Cody Wyman was also in attendance at the Preseason Test, and he got some valuable seat time on the #34 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R3 Junior Cup bike.

Cody was the fastest rider in Junior Cup Practice 3 on Tuesday, but laps on a dry track were at a premium because of the persistent rain that fell during both days of the test. Overall, the New Yorker ended up fourth-fastest overall among Junior Cup riders at the test.

“We didn’t get as much track time as we wanted, but we definitely made progress each session finding time and becoming more comfortable on the bike,” Cody said. “I cannot wait to get to Road Atlanta. I haven’t been there in a few years, but I love the layout, and I’m looking forward to the getting the season started.”

Mathew Scholtz Injury Update

While the team was testing at Barber, Mathew was with the team on Tuesday to provide moral support, and then, he drove back home to Atlanta where he had surgery Wednesday to plate his fractured right clavicle.

Mathew said, “According to the surgeon, it was actually a pretty big fracture, so I’m glad that I got it taken care of. I have to wear a sling for three or four days, and then I can start physical therapy and also get on a stationary bike to keep my fitness up. I will definitely be ready to race at the start of the season next month.”

Next up for Westby Racing is round one of the 2020 MotoAmerica Championship, which takes place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on April 17-19.

For more Westby Racing updates, including news, photos, and videos, visit https://www.westbyracing.com

Also, visit “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media site.

Veteran Toni Elias was the quickest rider Tuesday, Day One of a two-day official MotoAmerica pre-season test at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Riding his Dunlop-shod M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000, the same Superbike he finished the 2019 season with, Elias recorded a lap time of 1:25.371 (a little less than two seconds off Cameron Beaubier’s lap record of 1:23.514) during the only fully dry Superbike/Stock 1000 session of the day.

“It’s a long time without riding the bike, since the last race here, so it’s been great,” Elias told Roadracingworld.com. “We did some laps in Talladega [Gran Prix Raceway] two days ago. It was great to have the feeling back, but it’s a new team. We need to understand each other, what are my requests, and also I’m interested in listening to their solutions. We need to find a way to do everything together and make solid moves. That relationship takes some time to arrive to the perfect point.”

In spite of just starting to build the relationship with his new team, Elias said they found answers to why he lacked grip during the 2019 season finale at Barber Motorsports Park.
“The problems I suffered [during] the last race here, I’ve been very focused and determined to give the information to find different solutions,” said Elias. “We tried very different things, and it worked. It worked in wet, it worked in dry, but it’s just the first day. It’s cold. It’s not clean. But it’s good. It feels good to arrive here after five months and lead the first day in both conditions. Let’s keep going like this. It’s a good start.”

While Elias rode in three of the four 50-minute Superbike/Stock 1000 sessions Tuesday, experiencing wet, drying, and dry conditions, defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Beaubier opted to wait until the final session and dry conditions to try his 2020-spec Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 for the first time. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan for Beaubier.

“We went with the 2662,” compound front Dunlop tire, said Beaubier, who ended up second-best with a 1:25.992. “It’s not the hardest option, but it’s one of the harder options and it stilled shredded up in five laps. We thought the [new asphalt] would be a little more broken in than it was last year, but that wasn’t the case. The rear tire shredded up pretty good and we didn’t have anything else ready on the [tire] warmers. So, we’re waiting until tomorrow.”

Third in the dry session and near the top of the order all day was Kyle Wyman, who was testing his updated KWR Ducati Panigale V4 R for only the second time since undergoing surgery on his neck during the off-season.

“It went really well,” said Wyman, who was third-fastest with a 1:26.336. “It was very calm. I want to say leisurely because we were so prepared coming in here.

“We kind of rolled the same bike we had at the end of the year last year, except for the updated parts, and just worked into it. We didn’t really change anything. We just put a new tire on that last session and just put laps on it. There’s not much to say. Physically, I feel better than I’ve ever felt. I’m just living the day that I tried to envision for a long time.”

Wyman said his Panigale V4 R has been fitted with new Ducati Corse triple clamps, a Ducati Corse-spec Öhlins shock, and an updated custom fuel tank. He said he also has a full-spec Ducati Corse Superbike engine ready to plug in when the time is right.

Cameron Petersen ranked fourth overall and was the top Stock 1000 rider with a 1:26.667 on his Hagerty Tucker Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000, edging out Beaubier’s new teammate Jake Gagne (1:27.019).

Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes tested the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike in place of Mathew Scholtz, who broke his collarbone when he crashed his motocross bike while training on March 8. Hayes was seventh overall at 1:28.151 and was second-best in drying conditions during Session Three.

Josh Herrin, another former AMA Superbike Champion, crashed his new Scheibe Racing BMW S1000RR early in the wet second session. Herrin highsided and injured his right shoulder enough that he decided to sit out the remainder of Day One and try to regroup for Day Two.

In the Supersport class, Sean Dylan Kelly came out on top with a 1:30.263 on his M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600.

“I’m happy about Day One, happy to be back working with the team, happy to be riding my Suzuki GSX-R600 again,” said Kelly. “It’s been a little bit of a break, so overall I’m just happy to jump back on and start working. The feeling was good. We did test out some stuff already, which is a good start. We have a lot that we want to try out tomorrow. I’m not too worried about fast laps right now because we just want to answer some questions and gather some information, but so far, I’m feeling good and happy with how it’s going.”

Kelly’s performance was impressive considering he is still recovering from a broken leg he suffered in January.

“It’s been an interesting eight weeks,” said the 17-year-old from Florida. “I had an accident while training on my dirt bike and broke my tibia and fibula in my left leg, and I had to get surgery two days after that. We were in a little bit of an unknown for a few weeks after that and weren’t really sure how things were going to go in terms of my recovery and things like that. But I did what the doctors recommended me to do, and everything went really well from that point on. I got my cast off three weeks ago. It’s been a lot of work since then. It’s been tough, but it’s doing better than expected right now. We still need some recovery time and still need to keep working at it, but I’m happy to be here and feeling good.”

Ben Gloddy was quickest among the Liqui Moly Junior Cup riders with a time of 1:40.631 on his Quarterley Racing/On Track Development Kawasaki Ninja 400.

No riders from the MotoAmerica Twins Cup class rode on Day One.

MotoAmerica Pre-Season Test

Barber Motorsports Park

Birmingham, Alabama

March 10, 2020

Superbike/Stock 1000 Session Four Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Toni Elias (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 1:25.371
2. Cameron Beaubier (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:25.992
3. Kyle Wyman (Duc Panigale V4 R), Superbike, 1:26.336
4. Cameron Petersen (Suz GSX-R1000), Stock 1000, 1:26.667
5. Jake Gagne (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:27.019
6. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 1:27.124
7. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:28.151
8. Bobby Fong (Suz GSX-R1000), Superbike, 1:28.169
9. Max Flinders (Yam YZF-R1), Superbike, 1:28.725, crash
10. PJ Jacobsen (Duc Panigale V4 R), Stock 1000, 1:29.252
11. Bradley Ward (Kaw ZX-10R), Superbike, 1:29.599
12. Maximiliano Gerard (Kaw ZX-10R), Stock 1000, 1:29.973
13. Alex Dumas (Suz GSX-R1000), Stock 1000, 1:30.558
14. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), Stock 1000, 1:30.734
15. Hunter Dunham (Yam YZF-R1), Stock 1000, 1:31.159
16. Joseph Giannotto (Kaw ZX-10R), Stock 1000, 1:33.521
17. Mauricio Hidalgo (Kaw ZX-10R), Superbike, 1:38.987
18. Josh Herrin (BMW S1000RR), Superbike, no lap time recorded
19. Lindsay McGregor (Yam YZF-R1), Stock 1000, no lap time recorded

Supersport Session Four Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Sean Dylan Kelly (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.263
2. Brandon Paasch (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.974
3. Lucas Silva (Suz GSX-R600), 1:31.711
4. Benjamin Smith (Yam YZF-R6), 1:31.972
5. Xavier Zayat (Yam YZF-R6), 1:32.594
6. Nolan Lamkin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:33.412
7. Jaret Nassaney (Suz GSX-R600), 1:33.869
8. Kevin Olmedo (Suz GSX-R600), 1:35.278
9. Roberto Hernan Medina (Yam YZF-R6), 1:36.029
10. Tony Blackall (Yam YZF-R6), 1:50.783
11. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R6), no lap time recorded
12. Carl Soltisz (Yam YZF-R6), no lap time recorded
13. William Sweeney (Yam YZF-R6), no lap time recorded
14. Shane Hobgood (Yam YZF-R6), no lap time recorded

Twins Cup/Liqui Moly Junior Cup Session Four Results (all on Dunlop tires):

1. Benjamin Gloddy (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:40.631
2. Gus Rodio (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:40.681
3. Cody Wyman (Yam YZF-R3), 1:40.790
4. Jack Roach (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:42.685
5. Samuel Lochoff (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:43.635
6. Cameron Jones (Hon CBR500R), 1:43.777
7. Kody Kopp (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:48.788
8. Mathias Mulet (Kaw Ninja 400), 1:57.195
9. Taylor Knapp (Kaw Ninja 400), no lap time recorded

More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:

Elias Leads Day One Of The MotoAmerica Dunlop Preseason Test At Barber

Wet And Dry At Barber Motorsports Park For First Day Of Test

BIRMINGHAM, AL (March 10, 2020) – Inclement weather struck the Birmingham area on Tuesday morning, creating a wet Barber Motorsports Park and not a lot of track activity in the early sessions. But things cleared for the afternoon and it was business as usual with M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias barely besting four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier in the final session to top the Superbike timesheets on the opening day of the two-day MotoAmerica Dunlop Preseason test.

Elias was fastest on the day by virtue of his 1:25.371 on his 21st and final lap of the final session to best Beaubier, the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha rider not going on track until the last session and even then only doing seven laps. Beaubier’s best was a 1:25.992.

For comparison’s sake, the best race lap in the 2019 MotoAmerica season finale at Barber Motorsports Park was set by Beaubier in race one with a 1:23.871.

“Well, it’s a long time without riding the bike,” Elias said. “Since the last race here, it’s been great. We did some laps in Talladega two days ago. Was great to have the feeling back, but it’s a new team. We need to understand each other, whether my request. I’m also open to listen to their solutions. But we need to find a way to do everything together and everyone agree to make the solid moves. That’s a relationship and takes some time to arrive to the perfect point. Anyway, just is the first day and it’s the beginning. But from the problems I had during the last years with this bike and the problems I suffered at the last race here, I’ve been very focused and very determined to give the information to find a different solution. We tried very different things and it worked. It worked in wet. It worked in dry. But it’s just the first day. It’s not clean. Yamaha guys have much more miles than us, much more work in advance. So, it’s going to be difficult. Probably tomorrow they’ll be faster than us. It’s good and feels good after five months arrive here and kind of lead the first day in both conditions. So pretty happy.”

KWR Ducati Team’s Kyle Wyman ended the day third, the racer/team owner having a good opening day to his season with a lap that was .925 of a second off Elias’ best.

Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen was a surprise fourth, the South African – like Beaubier – also sitting out the wet sessions but jumping to fourth fastest when it counted. Petersen lapped at 1:26.667, .331 of a second slower than Wyman and .352 faster than Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne, the Californian rounding out the top five.

Sixth fastest on day one was FLY Racing’s ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony. Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes, filling in for the injured Mathew Scholtz on the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, was seventh fastest. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong was eighth with Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders and Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen rounding out the top 10 on opening day.

Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin crashed in the second of four sessions and sat out the rest of the day with an injured right shoulder. Herrin said he will attempt to ride tomorrow.

The Supersport class was led by M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly, the Floridian lapping at a best of 1:30.263 to lead Celtic HSBK Racing’s Brandon Paasch by .711 of a second. Kelly’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Lucas Silva was third fastest with his 1:31.711.

“Really good day one,” said Kelly in his first ride since breaking his tibia/fibia two months ago. “Happy to be back, first of all. Nice to jump back on my Team Hammer 600 and nice to be working with the guys again. Good feeling with the bike. Just been working at it. We’ve been trying out some different things. Haven’t really focused too hard on a fast lap or anything. I’ve just been out there and getting the confidence up. That’s important for day one. Just happy to be back and looking forward to tomorrow. We’ll definitely be testing out some more stuff and seeing how we continue.”

The Liqui Moly Junior class was led by Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Gloddy, the New Hampshire resident lapping at 1:40.6321 on his Kawasaki Ninja 400.

“This morning I didn’t go out for the first session,” Gloddy said. “I didn’t want to risk anything in the first with the wet. Then it kept raining all day, so the second session I just decided to go out and was able to lead that session towards the end and came on top with P1 at the end. I didn’t go out for the third session, either. Just it was half dry, half wet. I didn’t want to ruin a set of rain tires. Just decided to stay in. Then we went out for the fourth session and came in and ended up being P1 on an almost completely dry track.”