Photo by Brian J. Nelson
With MotoAmerica set to bring AMA Superbike racing back to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend, August 16-18, we’re taking a closer look at past Superbike races at the iconic racetrack in Lexington, Ohio. This is the last of those…
With weather seemingly always a factor when the AMA Superbike Series visited Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and the track needing a resurface to allow races to be safely held in the rain, delays “back in the day” were commonplace. But the last of the AMA Superbike races held at the iconic racetrack, prior to this coming weekend’s MotoAmerica races on a repaved racetrack, was all of that in a nutshell.
When all was said and done, Monster Energy Graves Yamaha teammates Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier turned the 2014 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course round into two scintillating battles in what was the last time the AMA Superbike Series ventured to the track in Lexington, Ohio. The Yamaha pair battled hard in both races, leaving fans with smiles on their faces.
Scheduled as a two-day doubleheader, recurring rain showers turned Saturday into a washout with both races taking place on a very hectic Sunday.
Turns out, it was worth the wait as Beaubier and Hayes split wins after two intense battles with Beaubier winning race one and Hayes winning race two over his upstart young teammate by just .001 of a second. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden finished third in both after battles with his teammate Martin Cardenas.
“My team worked so hard with limited track time,” Beaubier said post-race. “I’m happy we got two races today. I’ll try to do it again.”
Beaubier’s win in race one was his third straight and it put an end to Hayes’ four-race win streak, but he couldn’t stop the defending series champion from winning race two on Sunday. And it also wasn’t going to be enough to prevent the then 39-year-old Hayes from ultimately taking his fourth Superbike title a few weeks later at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
