Photo by Brian J. Nelson
For a few minutes on Friday afternoon it looked as though Cameron Petersen was going to earn a surprise provisional pole position for this weekend’s two MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races at Road America. Turns out, it was only for a few minutes as his teammate Jake Gagne burst his bubble and snatched the top spot away on his final go-around.
Gagne lapped at 2:11.384 on a sunny but windy day in Elkhart Lake to lead Petersen by .349 of a second with the Yamaha duo putting a little fear in the rest as they have a gap over the field.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz was third fastest – 1.2 seconds behind Gagne and almost a second behind Petersen.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen ended up fourth with his 2:13.4789, set prior to crashing out of the session. He was just a tick faster than Road America first-timer Danilo Petrucci, the Italian ending up with a best of 2:13.514 and struggling with his fitness as well as a new track to learn.
Jacobsen’s teammate Hector Barbera was sixth fastest, some .6 of a second clear of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim. Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante and Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates rounded out the top 10 on opening day.
Supersport – Herrin Gets it Started
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin led Friday’s Q1 session in the Supersport class, the Ducati Panigale V2 rider lapping at 2:19.805 – the only rider to drop into the 2:19s. That put him .726 of a second faster than Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott with Mesa37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa completing the provisional front row. Mesa ended the day 1.2 seconds off Herrin’s best on the four-mile circuit.
Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander Bounces Back
Two short weeks ago, Corey Alexander was scratched from the two Yuasa Stock 1000 races at VIRginia International Raceway after suffering a concussion in his crash on Saturday morning. Today, Alexander showed he hasn’t lost any of his swagger as he earned provisional pole position for Saturday’s lone Yuasa Stock 1000 race.
Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim ended the session second with Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman completing the provisional front row.
Alexander’s best was a 2:14.632, .868 of a second quicker than Gilim’s best. It was also a new lap record for the class.
Twins Cup – Still Barry
Twins Cup Championship leader Jody Barry showed that he may just win a fourth race in a row, at least based on his performance on Friday afternoon at Road America.
Barry and his Veloce Racing Aprilia RS 660 lapped at 2:26.829, a new lap record and .633 of a second faster than his teammate and defending class champion Kaleb De Keyrel. Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing’s Anthony Mazziotto ended the day third fastest. The first non-Aprilia on Friday was the BARTCON Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 ridden to the fifth-fastest lap by Dominic Doyle.
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Dreher Rules
Bad Boys Racing’s Avery Dreher led the way in SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Q1 on Friday with his best lap of 2:41.320. That was .951 of a second faster than the next fastest lap set by SportbikeTrackGear.com’s Joe LiMandri Jr. on his SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki Ninja 400. Alpha Omega’s Cody Wyman ended the day third fastest.
Mission King Of The Baggers – It’s A Wyman, Travis Wyman
H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Travis Wyman was fastest on the first day of qualifying for the Mission King Of The Baggers as he led a Harley-Davidson one-two and a one-two for the Wyman clan with brother Kyle ending up second.
Travis Wyman lapped at a best of 2:23.631 to lead Kyle Wyman by .292 of a second with both riders doing their fastest lap on their final lap. Mission Foods/S&S Cycle/Indian Challenger Team’s Jeremy McWilliams ended up third, .671 of a second behind and just a 10th of a second ahead of his teammate Tyler O’Hara. Vance & Hines Racing’s James Rispoli rounded out the top five on Friday.
