Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz and Josh Herrin had a perfect afternoon at Ridge Motorsports Park with the pair riding their Ducati Panigale V4 Rs to the top two spots on the front row provisionally heading into tomorrow morning’s Q2 session.
The pair were just .063 of a second apart after the 40-minute Q1 session on a sunny Friday with both setting their best laps on their 12th go-around. Baz lapped at a best of 1:40.034 with Herrin turning in a 1:40.197.
MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Championship points leader Bobby Fong ended up third quickest on his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R1 and just .270 of a second behind Baz.
Next came the two Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne with those two the last two riders in the 1:40s.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier was sixth fastest in his return to action after undergoing surgery three weeks ago on his broken right heel. Beaubier’s session was shortened with a slow tip-over and he ended up just a tick over a second from Baz’s best lap.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Xavi Forés was seventh and the best Suzuki and just ahead of EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly and his BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim and Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach rounded out the top 10 heading into tomorrow’s Q2 session.
Stock 1000 – Gillim Over Uribe
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim was the only rider to lap in the 1:41s with him and his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP breaking the lap record in the Stock class with his 1:41.180 on Friday, which was .870 of a second better than OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe.
Gillim has won three of the first four Stock 1000 races of the season with Uribe winning the fourth.
Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, who earned his first podium finish of the season at the past round in Brainerd, Minnesota, ended the day third fastest with FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith and OrangeCat Racing’s Travis Wyman completing the top five in Q1.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Supersport – Scholtz!
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz broke the Supersport lap record on Friday afternoon at Ridge Motorsports Park on Friday en route to earning provisional pole position on his Yamaha YZF-R6.
Scholtz, who sits second in the Supersport series point standings coming into the Ridge Motorsports Park round, led championship points leader PJ Jacobsen and his Rahal Ducati Moto Panigale V2 by .450 of a second to earn provisional pole.
Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis ended opening day third and .493 of a second off Scholtz’s best lap.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/Code 3 Associates’ Corey Alexander ended the day fourth fastest and just ahead of his teammate Kayla Yaakov with three Rahal Ducatis in the top five on opening day.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – O’Hara Starts It Off
S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycles’ Tyler O’Hara led the way in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship class on Friday with the defending series champion earning provisional pole position.
O’Hara ran off track early in the session but bounced back to lap at 1:46.432 and top championship points leader Cory West and his Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson Pan America by just .017 of a second.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis ended the day third fastest with KWR/Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Schultz and Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa rounding out the top five. Lewis was just .260 of a second behind O’Hara
O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss, who sits second in the title chase, only did four laps before his Indian had a technical issue and only completed two laps on a track he’d never seen before. Herfoss ended the day 11th.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race – Who Else But Moore
Mikayla Moore did what she normally does on a Friday, on a Saturday and a Sunday. She went fast. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland, rider started off her weekend with provisional pole position and a new lap record on her Royal Enfield Continental GT 650.
Moore lapped at a best of 2:04.845, which was 4.455 faster than second-placed Aubrey Credaroli. Lauren Prince had her best effort to date with the third fastest lap of the day and less than a second off Credaroli’s best.
Kira Knebel and Emma Betters rounded out the top five.
