With MotoAmerica set to bring AMA Superbike racing back to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, August 16-18, we’re taking a closer look at past Superbike races at the iconic racetrack in Lexington, Ohio.
Josh Hayes had it all his way at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July of 2012. Not only did Hayes and his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 win both of the two AMA Superbike races, but he also tied a record in the process.
In Saturday’s race one, Hayes romped to his ninth win of the season. On Sunday, he raced to his 10th win – and record-tying seventh in a row.
Saturday’s victory came with a few challengers. First it was Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Young who led the first two laps before getting passed by Hayes. On the next lap, Hayes’ teammate Josh Herrin moved into second and the two Yamahas started to distance themselves from Young, who now had company in the form of National Guard Jordan’s Roger Hayden.
Hayes and Herrin had more than three seconds on the Young/Hayden battle when Herrin crashed his Yamaha close to the end of lap 11. That left Hayes alone at the front and he rode to a 5.6-second win over Young, who took over the spot from Hayden for good on the penultimate lap.
On Sunday, Hayes continued his win streak, taking his record-tying seventh win a row, which matched the single-season mark held jointly by Mat Mladin and Ben Spies. Mladin won eight races in a row over two seasons – the final race of 2008 and the first seven of 2009.
While Hayes had it easy on Saturday, Sunday’s win was a bit more difficult as he had his hands full for the full 21 laps. This time it was Hayden applying the pressure for the duration, with the Kentuckian and youngest of the Hayden boys coming up just .224 of a second short at the finish line.
Herrin was a lonely third, a day after crashing out of his early race battle with Hayes.
Hayes’ win was the 27th of his career, which at the time had him one short of Ben Spies on the all-time Superbike win list.
Hayes left Mid-Ohio with a whopping 67-point lead over Young, who suffered a crash in race two, remounted and finished 13th.
