Cory West will start the MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan races from pole position at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, West turned a 1:29.624 to lead the field of 32 entries during Friday’s Qualifying One (Q1). With cooler ambient and track temperatures affecting grip during Qualifying Two (Q2) early Saturday morning, West’s time held up to lock him in at pole position.
In fact, none of the top eight riders from Q1 went faster in Q2.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis (1:29.777) will start from second on the grid, and defending Champion Tyler O’Hara (1:29.934) and his S&S Indian FTR will line up in the third and final spot on the front row.
Row-two starters include KWR Harley-Davidson teammates Cody Wyman (1:29.983) and Hayden Schultz (1:30.020) and O’Hara’s teammate, reigning Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss (1:30.230).
Lining up on row three will be Cody Wyman’s older brother Travis Wyman (1:30.493) on the third Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, Stefano Mesa (1:31.427) on the Tytlers Cycle Racing Energica Eva Ribelle RS electric machine, and Roland Sands Design/Trackhouse Racing Indian’s Hawk Mazzotta, who improved from 1:33.949 to 1:33.267 in the inferior track conditions of Q2.
Adrian Huertas won FIM Supersport World Championship Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V2 on Pirelli control tires, the Spaniard won the 19-lap race by 4.679 seconds. It was his third straight win and fourth win of the season, extending his lead in the Championship standings.
Stefano Manzi was the runner-up on his Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing machine, just ahead of Yari Montella and his Barni Spark Racing Ducati in third.
Jorge Navarro was fourth on his Orelac Racing Verdnatura Ducati, and former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise was just 0.238 second behind Navarro in fifth on his Evan Bros. Yamaha.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) celebrates his Race One win at Donington Park. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) smashed the lap record at Donington Park to claim the 15th pole position of his career. The Turkish star finished the session with an advantage of over half a second from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Bulega continued his run of five consecutive front row starts while a track limit infringement cost his teammate, Alvaro Bautista. The reigning World Champion’s time was deleted and a potential second row start became 11th on the grid
Track limits and yellow flag infringements also cost Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) leading grid positions while Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) set the third fastest time
Nicolo Bulega (11) and Scott Redding (45). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Redding’s front row start was his first since Magny Cours in 2022
Race 1 highlights: Starting from pole position Razgatlioglu led from the start and claimed his fifth consecutive WorldSBK victory. The victory margin of 11.384s was is the largest of Razgatlioglu’s career
From the third row of the grid Alex Lowes was able to finish second after a combative ride. At two-thirds race distance the Kawasaki rider passed Bulega and then proceeded to open a comfortable margin in the closing laps. It is the fifth podium of the season for Lowes
Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Dorna.
From the front row of the race Redding was able to stay in podium contention throughout the first half of the race. The BMW rider though suffered a technical problem in the closing stages but will still be able to avail of his leading grid position for tomorrow’s Tissot Superpole Race
Bautista’s podium leaves him level on points with his teammate Bulega in the championship standings. The Spaniard was the only leading rider to use the softer SCX tyre and he used it well to come through from 11th on the grid to finish third. He overtook Bulega for the final step on the podium with four laps remaining
Petrucci ended the race as the leading Independent rider in seventh position after battling with the Pata Prometeon Yamaha teammate’s Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli throughout the 23 lap race
Championship Standings: Razgatlioglu now holds a 33 point advantage over Bulega and Bautista who are now tied on 171 points
Alvaro Bautista (1) and Jonathan Rea (65). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Key Points:
Pole position: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’24.629s
Race 1 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Race fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW)– 1’25.786s
More on worldsbk.com
P1| Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“This is an amazing feeling because Donington is my favourite track. This was a strong win with a big gap to the other riders. I’m fast this weekend and I take advantage of this because the Championship is important for me. We started the weekend very strong and when I did a race simulation yesterday my pace was amazing. It gave me confidence to know we are strong. I wasn’t pushing in the corners, I was just riding and I focused and I was patient and finished the race. It was a really good job by my team because every session we improved the bike and now the feeling with the bike is perfect. We have two more races tomorrow and I’ll try my best again.”
P2 | Alex Lowes | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
“I’m really happy. After losing my lap in the Superpole I thought I might have made it a little bit more difficult for myself. It’s so competitive in World Superbike now and if you give the other guys a little bit it can be really hard to come back. There’s 15 guys who can be on the podium now but I really enjoyed this race. I felt my pace was strong and at the end of the race I was struggling a little bit with the front but I’m not going to complain about second place. Toprak was in his own race. It’s fantastic to be back on the podium. We’ve two more chances tomorrow but it’s a shame to be starting from 9th in the Superpole Race.”
P3 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“It wasn’t easy because it’s always difficult to start from the back. There aren’t many places to overtake at Donington so I gambled and used the soft tyre on the rear. The track temperature was higher than all the weekend so I tried the SCX. During practice I did 10 laps with that tyre and I didn’t know what would happen using it. I’m happy because this was the maximum we could do in this race. The feeling with the bike isn’t the best right now but we have to improve because I can’t ride the bike as I want. I can’t push but we’ll try to do better tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu ran away to victory in FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. On board his Pirelli-shod ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR, the Turkish star pulled away from the 23-rider field to win the 23-lap race by over 11 seconds.
Alex Lowes was the runner-up on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Alvaro Bautista finished third on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Bautista’s teammate Nicolo Bulega crossed the finish line 1.7 seconds behind him in fourth.
Six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea got fifth – his best result so far on his new Pata Prometeon Yamaha YZF-R1.
American Garrett Gerloff got 14th on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Carrasco celebrates her first WorldWCR win of the season
Race 1 Highlights:
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) stormed to victory in Race 1 at Donington Park, crossing the line half a second ahead of her closest rival after a four-way battle for victory
The weekend’s first WorldWCR race at Donington Park saw polesitter Carrasco battle it out against fellow Spaniards Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha)
Less than a second separated the Spanish foursome as they fought tooth and nail for the podium positions, with Neila and Sanchez ultimately joining Carrasco on the rostrum, a fraction of a second ahead of current championship leader Herrera
Over the twelve-lap race, the four frontrunners set a blistering pace, with Neila setting the fastest time, a 1’39.593, on lap eleven. Beatriz will therefore start from pole for Sunday’s Race 2
Lap 5 brought an innocuous crash for Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team); the French rider was able to rejoin the race and complete it, albeit at the back of the field. British entry Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) also suffered a crash and has been passed unfit to continue, having sustained a left wrist contusion in the incident
A last lap crash for American Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) through turn 12 saw fellow rider Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) receive a 3-second penalty for irresponsible riding
Championship Standings:
Herrera continues to lead the way in the WorldWCR general standings with a tally of 63 points
Carrasco and Sanchez remain hot on Herrera’s heels, with 61 and 52 points respectively
Key Points:
Pole position: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) – 1’40.581
Race 1 winner: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
“It was tough because I didn’t expect the leading group to be so big; some of the riders took quite a big step between yesterday and today. But I was confident as the race got going. The slipstream was important, especially today with the wind along the back straight, but I tried to remain calm and maintain strong pace. On the final lap I decided to go for it to avoid being involved in any difficult situation through the last turns. My strategy paid off, and I was perhaps expecting them to try to pass through the final corners, but it feels a long time since I won my last race so I’m really happy with the result. And I’ll do my best to do it again tomorrow, but it will be more difficult because everyone is improving with every session. We also have to see if the weather remains dry. We’ll keep working to take another step anyway and see what we can do.”
“The race went really well; we were all strong from start to finish and I was able to set the fastest lap time right at the end, on lap eleven. Before the race, I didn’t think I’d be able to fight like that to be honest because this morning I’d had a few issues with the rear. But we made a change to the bike and that really worked. I’m so pleased with my first podium and want to thank the whole team for all their help and support. Tomorrow, I expect a similar race and will be doing all I can to score another top three result.”
P3 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team
“It was tough at first and I thought that the others perhaps had a little more than us, but in the end, we were able to fight at the front. I spent most of the race in third and then Neila came past me, and I realised I was fourth with Ponziani not far behind. I didn’t want to miss out on the podium so I reacted on the last lap and got up to second before Neila got back in front and I ultimately crossed the line third. It was a great race anyway, and I’m happy with the result, the important thing is that we’ve scored solid points. I think Race 2 will play out in the same way, with a group of four or five of us battling for the top three; I’m looking forward to getting back out there again tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu crushed the lap record and the competition during World Superbike Superpole qualifying Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR on Pirelli control tires, the Turkish star turned a lap time of 1:24.629 around the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) circuit. Not only was that good enough to top the 23-rider field and the next-fastest rider by more than 0.5 second, it blew away the All-Time Lap Record of 1:25.823 that Remy Gardner set earlier in the day during Free Practice Three (FP3) by 1.2 seconds!
Rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega was the best of the rest with a 1:25.202 on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, and Scott Redding thrilled the English fans by claiming the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:25.406 on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Sam Lowes was fourth with a 1:25.492 in spite of crashing his Elf Marc VDS Racing Ducati during the session. Dominique Aegerter qualified fifth with a 1:25.528 on his GYTR GRT Yamaha YZF-R1. And Razgatlioglu’s teammate Michael van der Mark earned the sixth spot on the grid with a 1:25.621.
American Garrett Gerloff, Redding’s teammate, qualified 12th with a lap time of 1:25.845 – just 0.6 second from P2.
Ducati rider Broc Pearson has claimed the Saturday spoils in round four of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland.
On a brisk day at the 2.96km circuit where ambient and track temperatures remained very low, the 23-year-old secured his second career pole position in the Alpinestars Superbike class after the final qualifying session was cut short following two red-flag stoppages.
That wasn’t to the detriment of the Gold Coast-based realtor though, who had already laid down the fastest marker which will position him at the pointy end of the grid for tomorrow’s two 16-lap races.
It was also qualifying in the other four ASBK Championship classes today – Michelin Supersport, Race and Road Supersport 300, ShopYamaha R3 Cup and the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – and all but Supersport kicked off their race programs.
That sets the scene for Sunday: 10 races at a circuit where exceptionally close racing is a staple. Off-track activities on Sunday will include pit walks, ‘Mini Moto come and try’ sessions for the kids, the ASBK Trade Alley and autograph sessions with riders and ASBK ambassadors Garry McCoy, Chris Vermeulen and Steve Martin.
There’s also a big screen in the heart of the ASBK Fan Zone at turn three displaying all the on-track action, with a bevy of food trucks in the vicinity.
Pearson stopped the clock at 1m12.830sec on his Panigale V4 R, with Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) to start alongside him.
The two red-flag stoppages in qualifying came after near identical crashes for Stauffer and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) at turn three – both riders okay – but the former was fortunate that he had already locked in a sharp time.
Meanwhile, Allerton qualified sixth behind championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) in fourth and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) in fifth.
Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha), Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha), Bryan Staring (MotoGP Yamaha) and Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) rounded out the top 10 qualifiers in the 18-rider field.
Race one is at 11:25am tomorrow.
Michelin Supersport
Jonathan Nahlous has secured his second Michelin Supersport pole position of the season – and he’ll be hoping it’s a portent of things to come after converting his first one at Phillip Island into a clean sweep!
Nahlous, the current championship leader, will have fellow Yamaha riders Tom Toparis and Tom Bramich alongside him for tomorrow’s two 14-lap races.
Nahlous only pipped Toparis by 0.003 seconds, while it’s extremely tight between Bramich, Hayden Nelson (Kawasaki), Jack Favelle (Yamaha), Archie McDonald (Yamaha) and Olly Simpson (Yamaha).
All sixteen riders qualified for the two 14-lap races.
Race and Road Supersport 300
Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) has been in the Race and Road Supersport 300 hot zone since he arrived at Morgan Park, and it showed in race one as he bolted from pole position and cruised to a four-second victory – his third of the season after previous successes at Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway.
While the imperious Knezovic made the 10-lapper his own, the battle for second was a five-way doozy and eventually fell the way of Casey Middelton (Yamaha) ahead of Josh Newman (Kawasaki), Will Nassif (Yamaha), Harrison Watts (Kawasaki) and Jordan Simpson (Yamaha).
New Zealander Jesse Stroud (Yamaha) was in the early mix as well before crashing at turn six – the same piece of tarmac that also claimed Georgia Stephens (Yamaha) a few laps later. They were the only two DNFs in the 17-rider field.
The championship battle has now tightened appreciably, with Newman 6pts (189 to 183) in front of Watts, followed by the charging Knezovic (182).
Races two and three will be held tomorrow.
ShopYamaha R3 Cup
What a breathtaking way to start the new ShopYamaha R3 Cup season, with Valentino Knezovic outlasting Jesse Stroud by a miniscule 0.032 seconds after a race full of punching and counter-punching.
They were glued together the whole way as Knezovic continued his rich vein of form and Stroud hit back hard after a crash in the earlier Supersport 300 opener.
The battle for third was also eye-catching, with Will Nassif securing the last spot on the podium from Jordan Simpson, John Pelgrave and Ryder Gilbert.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Hunter Corney’s spectacular bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup season has continued, with the 13-year-old Toowoomba rider winning his sixth race of the season in front of Ethan Johnson, Elijah Andrew, Nicolas Lazos, William Strugnell and Jed Louis.
The race was red-flagged early after an incident involving front runners Hunter Charlett and Ross McAdam, after what been another breathtaking battle between the Yamaha YZF-R15 brigade.
Corney’s lead has now ballooned to 43pts over Johnson, who takes over second from McAdam.
Cory West was the rider to beat in MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan Qualifying One Friday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, West lapped the historic 2.2-mile track in 1:29.624 to head the field of 32 entries.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis was second-best with a time of 1:29.777.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara was third-fastest with a 1:29.934 on his S&S Indian FTR.
KWR Harley-Davidson teammates Cody Wyman (1:29.983) and Hayden Schultz (1:30.020) were fourth and fifth, respectively. And O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss was sixth (1:30.230).
Cody Wyman’s older brother Travis Wyman (1:30.493) was seventh on the third Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, Stefano Mesa (1:31.427) was eighth on the Tytlers Cycle Racing Energica Eva Ribelle RS electric machine, Hawk Mazzotta (1:33.949) was ninth on his Roland Sands Design/Trackhouse Racing Indian, and Kole King (1:35.529) rounded out the top 10 on a King Performance Triumph.
Kyle Wyman was fastest in MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. On board his Dunlop-shod Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide, the New Yorker covered the 2.2-mile road course in 1:28.583, which topped the field of 14 entries.
Riding a new wave of confidence since Brainerd, Rocco Landers was second in Q1 with a 1:28.705 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim, the defending Champion, did the third-quickest lap time, a 1:28.773 – just 0.190 second slower than Wyman.
Provisional row-two qualifiers included S&S Indian’s Troy Herfoss (1:29.622), Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli (1:29.822), and Bobby Fong (1:29.966) on his SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian Challenger.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara was hindered by technical issues in Q1 and finished 11th in the session with a 1:32.940 on his first flying lap.
Jayson Uribe was fastest in MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Qualifying One Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR on spec Dunlop slicks, the Californian lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:24.733 to lead the field of 33 entries.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was second-best with a time of 1:26.049 on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Andrew Lee, another California native, earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:26.214 on his Motorsport Exotica BMW.
Josh Herrin was fastest during MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:23.827 to lead the tight session.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier led practice on Friday morning and was second in Q1 with a time of 1:23.885 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW in spite of still recovering from a broken right foot suffered at Road America.
Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly jumped up to third in the final 90 seconds of Q1 with a lap of 1:24.107 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne limited the laps he did during Q1, presumably to keep from aggravating his ongoing arm pump issues, but he was fourth-fastest at 1:24.168 on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen was right behind him with a fifth-fastest 1:24.192.
Current Superbike Championship point leader Bobby Fong didn’t put in any fast laps at the end of Q1 and ended up sixth with a 1:24.307 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was seventh with a lap time of 1:24.379, making it 0.552 second separating the top seven riders.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch finished Q1 in eighth with a time of 1:24.928.
Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach (1:24.940) was ninth, and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores (1:25.808) rounded out the top 10 riders.
Herrin Stays Hot With Provisional Pole At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Josh Herrin Leads Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying 1 In Ultra-Close Afternoon Session
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MONTEREY, CA (July 12, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin continued with the hot hand in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike series as he stormed to provisional pole position on Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Herrin, the lap record holder at the 2.238-mile course in the hills east of Monterey, lapped at 1:23.827 to better Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier’s best by just .058 of a second. Herrin, who won the second of two races at Ridge Motorsports Park two weeks ago, said his lap record of 1:22.908 will be difficult to top as the track is bumpier than when that record was set in 2018.
TopPro Racing’s Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly continues to impress as he ended the opening day third fastest and just .280 of a second off Herrin’s session leader.
Fourth fastest on Friday was Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne with the three-time and defending series champion turning in a best of 1:24.168 to finish slightly faster than his teammate Cameron Petersen.
Steel Commander Superbike Championship points leader Bobby Fong was sixth fastest on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 and less than half a second from Herrin.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was seventh and .552 of a second from his teammate. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Forés rounded out the top 10.
Stock 1000 – Uribe On Top
OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe used all of his home-track knowledge to lead the way in the first of two Stock 1000 qualifying sessions, besting his championship rival Hayden Gillim by .306 of a second.
Uribe lapped at 1:25.733 with Gillim turning in a 1:26.049 with the Californian getting the best of the Kentuckian for the first time in a qualifying session.
Another Californian was third quickest with Motorsport Exotica’s Andrew Lee ending up third on his BMW M 1000 RR. Two more racers were within a second of Uribe with FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith fourth and OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman fifth.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman Down And Up
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman didn’t let a little crash slow him down as he bounced back from an early-session tipover in turn 11 to earn provisional pole position for the two Mission King Of The Baggers races.
Wyman’s fast lap came late in the session and his 1:28.705 topped RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Rocco Landers by just .122 of a second. Yes, you read that right – Rocco Landers.
Landers continued to gain momentum in his rookie season of Baggers racing and he put that all together to hold the top spot until getting knocked down a peg by Wyman in the closing stages of the session.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim was third fastest, the defending class champion only .190 of a second behind Wyman.
Laguna first-timer Troy Herfoss was fourth fastest on the S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle Challenger, a second slower than Wyman and .2 faster than Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli.
Supersport – Jacobsen Strikes First
The season-long Supersport battle between Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen and Mathew Scholtz resumed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with Jacobsen striking first in Q1 on Friday afternoon.
But, like all the races held thus far in 2024, the pair weren’t separated by very much.
Jacobsen ripped off a 1:27.031 lap to lead the way over Scholtz, with the South African just .032 of a second adrift of the New Yorker with his 1:27.063. But those two were by no means alone at the top.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis was next best, and he was closer to the front than he’s been all year, trailing Jacobsen by just .217 of a second.
TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo ended up fourth quickest with Jacobsen’s teammate Corey Alexander rounding out the top five.
The top nine were all within a second of Jacobsen with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, the only rider other than Scholtz or Jacobsen to win a race in 2024, ninth and .990 of a second from the top.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – West Goes West
Saddlemen Racing/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West saved his best for last in stealing provisional pole position for the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship in the waning moments of the final session of the day at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
West and his Harley-Davidson Pan America lapped at 1:29.624 to snatch pole from his teammate Jake Lewis by .153 of a second.
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara ended the day third fastest with KWR Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman and his teammate Hayden Schultz rounding out the top five.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin shines at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Friday
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 12, 2024 — When you’re hot, you’re hot! That’s exactly how Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin feels after topping the Friday times for the sixth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Noting the increased confidence and stability that stems from his second year within the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati superbike team, Herrin completed the opening practice session in third place but then rocketed to P1 with a 1:23.827s lap time. Herrin completed a marathon of 36 laps of the legendary 2.23-mile venue over the day.
The result puts Herrin in a provisional pole position. The final grid places for the two 20-lap races will be decided after Qualifying 2 tomorrow morning.
Fellow Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teamster Loris Baz was also on the pace in California. The Frenchman circulated 27 times around the undulating WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca across the day to finish seventh overall, 0.55s off his teammate Herrin in an incredibly close top 10.
2024 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:23.827
P2 – Cameron Beaubier 1:23.885
P3 – Sean Dylan Kelly 1:24.107
P4 – Jake Gagne 1:24.168
P5 – Cameron Petersen 1:24.192
P6 – Bobby Fong 1:24.307
P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 1:24.379
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’m really happy with that,” Herrin said. “I just feel like everything has been clicking of late. I really like this track but this second year—I’ve been talking it up—but having two years on the same bike and the same team has been a huge help. We have what it takes to not just win but win by five, but 10 seconds or more.
“I’m getting confident again now that we haven’t had as many wet races. Everything is feeling great in the team and it’s really nice being able to put on a show in Ducati North America’s backyard for the fans. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team is so good to be around, and that makes my job easier when all the pieces fall together.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Today wasn’t as good as the last round at The Ridge, where we had a super good feeling of the bike as today I missed a bit of feeling with the front and a bit of rear grip, but that’s the same for everyone,” Baz said. It’s really tight—we have seven guys within half a second.
“We’ll try to find a better set-up for the front-end. More than anything, I want a bike that will allow me to take different lines and overtake people, so that’s what we’re working towards. I love this track, so we’ll go through the data, improve the bike, and make sure we are in the battle for the win.”
Qualifying 2 for round six of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. PST on Saturday, July 13.
Race one of the Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike class is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. PST on Saturday, July 13, with race two set for 3:10 p.m. PST on Sunday, July 14.
Cory West will start the MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan races from pole position at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, West turned a 1:29.624 to lead the field of 32 entries during Friday’s Qualifying One (Q1). With cooler ambient and track temperatures affecting grip during Qualifying Two (Q2) early Saturday morning, West’s time held up to lock him in at pole position.
In fact, none of the top eight riders from Q1 went faster in Q2.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis (1:29.777) will start from second on the grid, and defending Champion Tyler O’Hara (1:29.934) and his S&S Indian FTR will line up in the third and final spot on the front row.
Row-two starters include KWR Harley-Davidson teammates Cody Wyman (1:29.983) and Hayden Schultz (1:30.020) and O’Hara’s teammate, reigning Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss (1:30.230).
Lining up on row three will be Cody Wyman’s older brother Travis Wyman (1:30.493) on the third Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, Stefano Mesa (1:31.427) on the Tytlers Cycle Racing Energica Eva Ribelle RS electric machine, and Roland Sands Design/Trackhouse Racing Indian’s Hawk Mazzotta, who improved from 1:33.949 to 1:33.267 in the inferior track conditions of Q2.
Adrian Huertas won FIM Supersport World Championship Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V2 on Pirelli control tires, the Spaniard won the 19-lap race by 4.679 seconds. It was his third straight win and fourth win of the season, extending his lead in the Championship standings.
Stefano Manzi was the runner-up on his Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing machine, just ahead of Yari Montella and his Barni Spark Racing Ducati in third.
Jorge Navarro was fourth on his Orelac Racing Verdnatura Ducati, and former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise was just 0.238 second behind Navarro in fifth on his Evan Bros. Yamaha.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) celebrates his Race One win at Donington Park. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) smashed the lap record at Donington Park to claim the 15th pole position of his career. The Turkish star finished the session with an advantage of over half a second from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Bulega continued his run of five consecutive front row starts while a track limit infringement cost his teammate, Alvaro Bautista. The reigning World Champion’s time was deleted and a potential second row start became 11th on the grid
Track limits and yellow flag infringements also cost Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) leading grid positions while Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) set the third fastest time
Nicolo Bulega (11) and Scott Redding (45). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Redding’s front row start was his first since Magny Cours in 2022
Race 1 highlights: Starting from pole position Razgatlioglu led from the start and claimed his fifth consecutive WorldSBK victory. The victory margin of 11.384s was is the largest of Razgatlioglu’s career
From the third row of the grid Alex Lowes was able to finish second after a combative ride. At two-thirds race distance the Kawasaki rider passed Bulega and then proceeded to open a comfortable margin in the closing laps. It is the fifth podium of the season for Lowes
Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy Dorna.
From the front row of the race Redding was able to stay in podium contention throughout the first half of the race. The BMW rider though suffered a technical problem in the closing stages but will still be able to avail of his leading grid position for tomorrow’s Tissot Superpole Race
Bautista’s podium leaves him level on points with his teammate Bulega in the championship standings. The Spaniard was the only leading rider to use the softer SCX tyre and he used it well to come through from 11th on the grid to finish third. He overtook Bulega for the final step on the podium with four laps remaining
Petrucci ended the race as the leading Independent rider in seventh position after battling with the Pata Prometeon Yamaha teammate’s Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli throughout the 23 lap race
Championship Standings: Razgatlioglu now holds a 33 point advantage over Bulega and Bautista who are now tied on 171 points
Alvaro Bautista (1) and Jonathan Rea (65). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Key Points:
Pole position: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’24.629s
Race 1 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Race fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW)– 1’25.786s
More on worldsbk.com
P1| Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“This is an amazing feeling because Donington is my favourite track. This was a strong win with a big gap to the other riders. I’m fast this weekend and I take advantage of this because the Championship is important for me. We started the weekend very strong and when I did a race simulation yesterday my pace was amazing. It gave me confidence to know we are strong. I wasn’t pushing in the corners, I was just riding and I focused and I was patient and finished the race. It was a really good job by my team because every session we improved the bike and now the feeling with the bike is perfect. We have two more races tomorrow and I’ll try my best again.”
P2 | Alex Lowes | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
“I’m really happy. After losing my lap in the Superpole I thought I might have made it a little bit more difficult for myself. It’s so competitive in World Superbike now and if you give the other guys a little bit it can be really hard to come back. There’s 15 guys who can be on the podium now but I really enjoyed this race. I felt my pace was strong and at the end of the race I was struggling a little bit with the front but I’m not going to complain about second place. Toprak was in his own race. It’s fantastic to be back on the podium. We’ve two more chances tomorrow but it’s a shame to be starting from 9th in the Superpole Race.”
P3 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“It wasn’t easy because it’s always difficult to start from the back. There aren’t many places to overtake at Donington so I gambled and used the soft tyre on the rear. The track temperature was higher than all the weekend so I tried the SCX. During practice I did 10 laps with that tyre and I didn’t know what would happen using it. I’m happy because this was the maximum we could do in this race. The feeling with the bike isn’t the best right now but we have to improve because I can’t ride the bike as I want. I can’t push but we’ll try to do better tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu ran away to victory in FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England. On board his Pirelli-shod ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR, the Turkish star pulled away from the 23-rider field to win the 23-lap race by over 11 seconds.
Alex Lowes was the runner-up on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
Two-time and defending Champion Alvaro Bautista finished third on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Bautista’s teammate Nicolo Bulega crossed the finish line 1.7 seconds behind him in fourth.
Six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea got fifth – his best result so far on his new Pata Prometeon Yamaha YZF-R1.
American Garrett Gerloff got 14th on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Carrasco celebrates her first WorldWCR win of the season
Race 1 Highlights:
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) stormed to victory in Race 1 at Donington Park, crossing the line half a second ahead of her closest rival after a four-way battle for victory
The weekend’s first WorldWCR race at Donington Park saw polesitter Carrasco battle it out against fellow Spaniards Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha)
Less than a second separated the Spanish foursome as they fought tooth and nail for the podium positions, with Neila and Sanchez ultimately joining Carrasco on the rostrum, a fraction of a second ahead of current championship leader Herrera
Over the twelve-lap race, the four frontrunners set a blistering pace, with Neila setting the fastest time, a 1’39.593, on lap eleven. Beatriz will therefore start from pole for Sunday’s Race 2
Lap 5 brought an innocuous crash for Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team); the French rider was able to rejoin the race and complete it, albeit at the back of the field. British entry Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) also suffered a crash and has been passed unfit to continue, having sustained a left wrist contusion in the incident
A last lap crash for American Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) through turn 12 saw fellow rider Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) receive a 3-second penalty for irresponsible riding
Championship Standings:
Herrera continues to lead the way in the WorldWCR general standings with a tally of 63 points
Carrasco and Sanchez remain hot on Herrera’s heels, with 61 and 52 points respectively
Key Points:
Pole position: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) – 1’40.581
Race 1 winner: Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team)
“It was tough because I didn’t expect the leading group to be so big; some of the riders took quite a big step between yesterday and today. But I was confident as the race got going. The slipstream was important, especially today with the wind along the back straight, but I tried to remain calm and maintain strong pace. On the final lap I decided to go for it to avoid being involved in any difficult situation through the last turns. My strategy paid off, and I was perhaps expecting them to try to pass through the final corners, but it feels a long time since I won my last race so I’m really happy with the result. And I’ll do my best to do it again tomorrow, but it will be more difficult because everyone is improving with every session. We also have to see if the weather remains dry. We’ll keep working to take another step anyway and see what we can do.”
“The race went really well; we were all strong from start to finish and I was able to set the fastest lap time right at the end, on lap eleven. Before the race, I didn’t think I’d be able to fight like that to be honest because this morning I’d had a few issues with the rear. But we made a change to the bike and that really worked. I’m so pleased with my first podium and want to thank the whole team for all their help and support. Tomorrow, I expect a similar race and will be doing all I can to score another top three result.”
P3 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team
“It was tough at first and I thought that the others perhaps had a little more than us, but in the end, we were able to fight at the front. I spent most of the race in third and then Neila came past me, and I realised I was fourth with Ponziani not far behind. I didn’t want to miss out on the podium so I reacted on the last lap and got up to second before Neila got back in front and I ultimately crossed the line third. It was a great race anyway, and I’m happy with the result, the important thing is that we’ve scored solid points. I think Race 2 will play out in the same way, with a group of four or five of us battling for the top three; I’m looking forward to getting back out there again tomorrow.”
Toprak "Stoprak" Razgatlioglu in action on Saturday at Donington Park. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Toprak Razgatlioglu crushed the lap record and the competition during World Superbike Superpole qualifying Saturday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR on Pirelli control tires, the Turkish star turned a lap time of 1:24.629 around the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) circuit. Not only was that good enough to top the 23-rider field and the next-fastest rider by more than 0.5 second, it blew away the All-Time Lap Record of 1:25.823 that Remy Gardner set earlier in the day during Free Practice Three (FP3) by 1.2 seconds!
Rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega was the best of the rest with a 1:25.202 on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, and Scott Redding thrilled the English fans by claiming the third and final spot on the front row with a time of 1:25.406 on his Bonovo Action BMW.
Sam Lowes was fourth with a 1:25.492 in spite of crashing his Elf Marc VDS Racing Ducati during the session. Dominique Aegerter qualified fifth with a 1:25.528 on his GYTR GRT Yamaha YZF-R1. And Razgatlioglu’s teammate Michael van der Mark earned the sixth spot on the grid with a 1:25.621.
American Garrett Gerloff, Redding’s teammate, qualified 12th with a lap time of 1:25.845 – just 0.6 second from P2.
Ducati rider Broc Pearson has claimed the Saturday spoils in round four of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland.
On a brisk day at the 2.96km circuit where ambient and track temperatures remained very low, the 23-year-old secured his second career pole position in the Alpinestars Superbike class after the final qualifying session was cut short following two red-flag stoppages.
That wasn’t to the detriment of the Gold Coast-based realtor though, who had already laid down the fastest marker which will position him at the pointy end of the grid for tomorrow’s two 16-lap races.
It was also qualifying in the other four ASBK Championship classes today – Michelin Supersport, Race and Road Supersport 300, ShopYamaha R3 Cup and the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup – and all but Supersport kicked off their race programs.
That sets the scene for Sunday: 10 races at a circuit where exceptionally close racing is a staple. Off-track activities on Sunday will include pit walks, ‘Mini Moto come and try’ sessions for the kids, the ASBK Trade Alley and autograph sessions with riders and ASBK ambassadors Garry McCoy, Chris Vermeulen and Steve Martin.
There’s also a big screen in the heart of the ASBK Fan Zone at turn three displaying all the on-track action, with a bevy of food trucks in the vicinity.
Pearson stopped the clock at 1m12.830sec on his Panigale V4 R, with Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) to start alongside him.
The two red-flag stoppages in qualifying came after near identical crashes for Stauffer and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW) at turn three – both riders okay – but the former was fortunate that he had already locked in a sharp time.
Meanwhile, Allerton qualified sixth behind championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) in fourth and Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) in fifth.
Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha), Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha), Bryan Staring (MotoGP Yamaha) and Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) rounded out the top 10 qualifiers in the 18-rider field.
Race one is at 11:25am tomorrow.
Michelin Supersport
Jonathan Nahlous has secured his second Michelin Supersport pole position of the season – and he’ll be hoping it’s a portent of things to come after converting his first one at Phillip Island into a clean sweep!
Nahlous, the current championship leader, will have fellow Yamaha riders Tom Toparis and Tom Bramich alongside him for tomorrow’s two 14-lap races.
Nahlous only pipped Toparis by 0.003 seconds, while it’s extremely tight between Bramich, Hayden Nelson (Kawasaki), Jack Favelle (Yamaha), Archie McDonald (Yamaha) and Olly Simpson (Yamaha).
All sixteen riders qualified for the two 14-lap races.
Race and Road Supersport 300
Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) has been in the Race and Road Supersport 300 hot zone since he arrived at Morgan Park, and it showed in race one as he bolted from pole position and cruised to a four-second victory – his third of the season after previous successes at Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway.
While the imperious Knezovic made the 10-lapper his own, the battle for second was a five-way doozy and eventually fell the way of Casey Middelton (Yamaha) ahead of Josh Newman (Kawasaki), Will Nassif (Yamaha), Harrison Watts (Kawasaki) and Jordan Simpson (Yamaha).
New Zealander Jesse Stroud (Yamaha) was in the early mix as well before crashing at turn six – the same piece of tarmac that also claimed Georgia Stephens (Yamaha) a few laps later. They were the only two DNFs in the 17-rider field.
The championship battle has now tightened appreciably, with Newman 6pts (189 to 183) in front of Watts, followed by the charging Knezovic (182).
Races two and three will be held tomorrow.
ShopYamaha R3 Cup
What a breathtaking way to start the new ShopYamaha R3 Cup season, with Valentino Knezovic outlasting Jesse Stroud by a miniscule 0.032 seconds after a race full of punching and counter-punching.
They were glued together the whole way as Knezovic continued his rich vein of form and Stroud hit back hard after a crash in the earlier Supersport 300 opener.
The battle for third was also eye-catching, with Will Nassif securing the last spot on the podium from Jordan Simpson, John Pelgrave and Ryder Gilbert.
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Hunter Corney’s spectacular bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup season has continued, with the 13-year-old Toowoomba rider winning his sixth race of the season in front of Ethan Johnson, Elijah Andrew, Nicolas Lazos, William Strugnell and Jed Louis.
The race was red-flagged early after an incident involving front runners Hunter Charlett and Ross McAdam, after what been another breathtaking battle between the Yamaha YZF-R15 brigade.
Corney’s lead has now ballooned to 43pts over Johnson, who takes over second from McAdam.
Cory West was the rider to beat in MotoAmerica RSD Mission Super Hooligan Qualifying One Friday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, West lapped the historic 2.2-mile track in 1:29.624 to head the field of 32 entries.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis was second-best with a time of 1:29.777.
Defending Champion Tyler O’Hara was third-fastest with a 1:29.934 on his S&S Indian FTR.
KWR Harley-Davidson teammates Cody Wyman (1:29.983) and Hayden Schultz (1:30.020) were fourth and fifth, respectively. And O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss was sixth (1:30.230).
Cody Wyman’s older brother Travis Wyman (1:30.493) was seventh on the third Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America, Stefano Mesa (1:31.427) was eighth on the Tytlers Cycle Racing Energica Eva Ribelle RS electric machine, Hawk Mazzotta (1:33.949) was ninth on his Roland Sands Design/Trackhouse Racing Indian, and Kole King (1:35.529) rounded out the top 10 on a King Performance Triumph.
Kyle Wyman was fastest in MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. On board his Dunlop-shod Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide, the New Yorker covered the 2.2-mile road course in 1:28.583, which topped the field of 14 entries.
Riding a new wave of confidence since Brainerd, Rocco Landers was second in Q1 with a 1:28.705 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim, the defending Champion, did the third-quickest lap time, a 1:28.773 – just 0.190 second slower than Wyman.
Provisional row-two qualifiers included S&S Indian’s Troy Herfoss (1:29.622), Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli (1:29.822), and Bobby Fong (1:29.966) on his SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian Challenger.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara was hindered by technical issues in Q1 and finished 11th in the session with a 1:32.940 on his first flying lap.
Jayson Uribe was fastest in MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Qualifying One Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR on spec Dunlop slicks, the Californian lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:24.733 to lead the field of 33 entries.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was second-best with a time of 1:26.049 on his Real Steel Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
Andrew Lee, another California native, earned the third and final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:26.214 on his Motorsport Exotica BMW.
Josh Herrin was fastest during MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying One (Q1) Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R on Dunlop Sportmax Slick control tires, Herrin lapped the 2.2-mile course in 1:23.827 to lead the tight session.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier led practice on Friday morning and was second in Q1 with a time of 1:23.885 on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW in spite of still recovering from a broken right foot suffered at Road America.
Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly jumped up to third in the final 90 seconds of Q1 with a lap of 1:24.107 on his EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Three-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne limited the laps he did during Q1, presumably to keep from aggravating his ongoing arm pump issues, but he was fourth-fastest at 1:24.168 on his Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen was right behind him with a fifth-fastest 1:24.192.
Current Superbike Championship point leader Bobby Fong didn’t put in any fast laps at the end of Q1 and ended up sixth with a 1:24.307 on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha.
Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz was seventh with a lap time of 1:24.379, making it 0.552 second separating the top seven riders.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch finished Q1 in eighth with a time of 1:24.928.
Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach (1:24.940) was ninth, and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores (1:25.808) rounded out the top 10 riders.
Herrin Stays Hot With Provisional Pole At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Josh Herrin Leads Steel Commander Superbike Qualifying 1 In Ultra-Close Afternoon Session
Josh Herrin (2). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MONTEREY, CA (July 12, 2024) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin continued with the hot hand in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike series as he stormed to provisional pole position on Friday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Herrin, the lap record holder at the 2.238-mile course in the hills east of Monterey, lapped at 1:23.827 to better Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier’s best by just .058 of a second. Herrin, who won the second of two races at Ridge Motorsports Park two weeks ago, said his lap record of 1:22.908 will be difficult to top as the track is bumpier than when that record was set in 2018.
TopPro Racing’s Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly continues to impress as he ended the opening day third fastest and just .280 of a second off Herrin’s session leader.
Fourth fastest on Friday was Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne with the three-time and defending series champion turning in a best of 1:24.168 to finish slightly faster than his teammate Cameron Petersen.
Steel Commander Superbike Championship points leader Bobby Fong was sixth fastest on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 and less than half a second from Herrin.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was seventh and .552 of a second from his teammate. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach and Paasch’s teammate Xavi Forés rounded out the top 10.
Stock 1000 – Uribe On Top
OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe used all of his home-track knowledge to lead the way in the first of two Stock 1000 qualifying sessions, besting his championship rival Hayden Gillim by .306 of a second.
Uribe lapped at 1:25.733 with Gillim turning in a 1:26.049 with the Californian getting the best of the Kentuckian for the first time in a qualifying session.
Another Californian was third quickest with Motorsport Exotica’s Andrew Lee ending up third on his BMW M 1000 RR. Two more racers were within a second of Uribe with FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith fourth and OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman fifth.
Mission King Of The Baggers – Wyman Down And Up
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman didn’t let a little crash slow him down as he bounced back from an early-session tipover in turn 11 to earn provisional pole position for the two Mission King Of The Baggers races.
Wyman’s fast lap came late in the session and his 1:28.705 topped RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Rocco Landers by just .122 of a second. Yes, you read that right – Rocco Landers.
Landers continued to gain momentum in his rookie season of Baggers racing and he put that all together to hold the top spot until getting knocked down a peg by Wyman in the closing stages of the session.
Landers’ teammate Hayden Gillim was third fastest, the defending class champion only .190 of a second behind Wyman.
Laguna first-timer Troy Herfoss was fourth fastest on the S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle Challenger, a second slower than Wyman and .2 faster than Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli.
Supersport – Jacobsen Strikes First
The season-long Supersport battle between Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen and Mathew Scholtz resumed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with Jacobsen striking first in Q1 on Friday afternoon.
But, like all the races held thus far in 2024, the pair weren’t separated by very much.
Jacobsen ripped off a 1:27.031 lap to lead the way over Scholtz, with the South African just .032 of a second adrift of the New Yorker with his 1:27.063. But those two were by no means alone at the top.
N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto’s Blake Davis was next best, and he was closer to the front than he’s been all year, trailing Jacobsen by just .217 of a second.
TopPro Racing’s Maxi Gerardo ended up fourth quickest with Jacobsen’s teammate Corey Alexander rounding out the top five.
The top nine were all within a second of Jacobsen with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, the only rider other than Scholtz or Jacobsen to win a race in 2024, ninth and .990 of a second from the top.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – West Goes West
Saddlemen Racing/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West saved his best for last in stealing provisional pole position for the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship in the waning moments of the final session of the day at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
West and his Harley-Davidson Pan America lapped at 1:29.624 to snatch pole from his teammate Jake Lewis by .153 of a second.
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara ended the day third fastest with KWR Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman and his teammate Hayden Schultz rounding out the top five.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin shines at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Friday
Sunnyvale, Calif., July 12, 2024 — When you’re hot, you’re hot! That’s exactly how Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin feels after topping the Friday times for the sixth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Noting the increased confidence and stability that stems from his second year within the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati superbike team, Herrin completed the opening practice session in third place but then rocketed to P1 with a 1:23.827s lap time. Herrin completed a marathon of 36 laps of the legendary 2.23-mile venue over the day.
The result puts Herrin in a provisional pole position. The final grid places for the two 20-lap races will be decided after Qualifying 2 tomorrow morning.
Fellow Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati teamster Loris Baz was also on the pace in California. The Frenchman circulated 27 times around the undulating WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca across the day to finish seventh overall, 0.55s off his teammate Herrin in an incredibly close top 10.
2024 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:23.827
P2 – Cameron Beaubier 1:23.885
P3 – Sean Dylan Kelly 1:24.107
P4 – Jake Gagne 1:24.168
P5 – Cameron Petersen 1:24.192
P6 – Bobby Fong 1:24.307
P7 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 1:24.379
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’m really happy with that,” Herrin said. “I just feel like everything has been clicking of late. I really like this track but this second year—I’ve been talking it up—but having two years on the same bike and the same team has been a huge help. We have what it takes to not just win but win by five, but 10 seconds or more.
“I’m getting confident again now that we haven’t had as many wet races. Everything is feeling great in the team and it’s really nice being able to put on a show in Ducati North America’s backyard for the fans. The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team is so good to be around, and that makes my job easier when all the pieces fall together.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Today wasn’t as good as the last round at The Ridge, where we had a super good feeling of the bike as today I missed a bit of feeling with the front and a bit of rear grip, but that’s the same for everyone,” Baz said. It’s really tight—we have seven guys within half a second.
“We’ll try to find a better set-up for the front-end. More than anything, I want a bike that will allow me to take different lines and overtake people, so that’s what we’re working towards. I love this track, so we’ll go through the data, improve the bike, and make sure we are in the battle for the win.”
Qualifying 2 for round six of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. PST on Saturday, July 13.
Race one of the Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike class is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. PST on Saturday, July 13, with race two set for 3:10 p.m. PST on Sunday, July 14.
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Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
July 11, 2025
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
