Claiming his first career pole in American Superbike competition, Hayes turned a lap of 1:26.303 (100.133 mph) around the 2.4-mile circuit to break the string of seven consecutive poles set this season by Mat Maldin (No. 7 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000). Hayes has positive history to fall back on for the weekend with three previous wins here in his last three Formula Extreme outings at the track.
"I was a little disappointed with my time I thought we could actually go faster than that," said Hayes. "You kind of have to get into a rhythm, and I just didn't put it together perfect by any stretch. The R1's been pretty good this weekend. I've been pretty happy with it right out of the box and I'm just having fun riding and things seem to be clicking well. This is cool, it's cool to get your first pole and I'm looking forward to going racing."
Starting
alongside
Hayes will
be Aaron
Yates on the
No. 23 Brand
Jordan
Suzuki
GSX-R1000,
who ran the
second-quickest
lap of
Superpole at
1:26.469
(99.921
mph). Yates
has three
American
Superbike
wins to his
credit at
Mid-Ohio,
his last two
coming in a
doubleheader
sweep in
2000.
"My lap, it
was pretty
decent,
nothing
really too
eventful,"
said Yates.
"The bike
was hooked
up pretty
well, just a
little
cautious,
especially
around the
top of the
keyhole, you
are on the
side of your
tires so
long. I got
around
pretty
good."
Geoff May
qualified
third on the
No. 54
National
Guard Jordan
Suzuki
GSX-R100
with a lap
at 1:26.564
(99.810
mph). Both
May and
teammate
Yates have
finished on
the podium
three times
this season
and are in
search of
their first
win of the
year this
weekend.
"We needed
to kind of
scope out
the track
after all of
that rain
(earlier in
the day), it
definitely
changes this
place and
the grip
level and
the patches
(in the
asphalt),"
said May.
"It looks
like
everybody
was way off
the pace and
you go out
there on new
stuff and
think ‘is it
going to
stick or not
going to
stick,' so I
was a little
tentative in
the first
split. Then
I realized I
was better
than I
thought I
was and put
the hammer
down, put my
head down
for the
second half
of the track
to try to
make up time
best I
could. I
really
didn't make
any mistakes
except for
just going
to slow in
the first
sector."
The final
spot on the
front row
belongs to
Tommy Hayden
with a time
of 1:26.741
(99.607 mph)
aboard the
No. 22
Rockstar/Makita
Yoshimura
Suzuki
GSX-R1000.
Hayden is
currently
second in
the point
standings
and looking
to gain
ground on
Mladin, who
leads him
355-228.
Points
leader
Mladin
starts from
ninth with a
time of
1:27.457
(98.792
mph).
"The lap
seemed
alright,"
said Hayden.
"The bike
has been
pretty good
since I've
gotten here,
faster than
it was in
the tests
straight
away. So far
today
everything's
been going
pretty
smooth, I
feel pretty
solid out
there."
The first
American
Superbike
race of the
Honda Super
Cycle
Weekend
rolls off
from a
standing
start at
3:00 p.m.
local time
Saturday
afternoon
with a
scheduled
distance of
21 laps (50
miles).
Sunday's
race is also
scheduled
for 21 laps
(50 miles)
and has a
4:00 p.m.
local start
time.
Rain
Washes out
Friday
Daytona
SportBike
Qualifying
An afternoon
rain shower
put a damper
on AMA Pro
Daytona
SportBike
presented by
AMSOIL basic
qualifying.
The
time-certain
schedule,
combined
with the
time needed
for the
track to
dry, did not
allow for an
opportunity
to
reschedule
the basic
qualifying
or Superpole
sessions.
Saturday
morning's
final
qualifying
session will
set the grid
for the
weekend's
twin Daytona
SportBike
races.
Graves Motorsports' Tommy Aquino paced the morning's practice session on the No. 6 Yamaha YZF-R6 with a lap time of 1:28.587 (97.531 mph). Danny Eslick posted the second fastest time of 1:28.720 (97.385 mph) aboard the No. 9 Rossmeyer GEICO Powersports RMR Buell 1125R.
The first Daytona SportBike race will close Saturday's schedule at 4 p.m. local time. The Sunday final is the first of three races that day and will start at 2 p.m. Like American Superbike, both Daytona SportBike races are 21 laps for 50 miles.
Scooter
Superstore-Hooters
and Touring
Sport
Ducshop Take
Poles in
SunTrust
Moto-GT
In
qualifying
for
tomorrow's
two-hour AMA
Pro SunTrust
Moto-GT, the
No. 4
Scooter
Superstore
Hooters
Aprilia
RSV1000R of
David
Anthony and
Ryan Elleby
claimed the
overall and
Moto-GT1
class pole,
while the
No. 77
Touring
Sport
Ducshop
Ducati
PS1000LE of
Elleby and
Frank
Shockley
took the
Moto-GT2
pole
position.
The No. 4
Aprilia,
which has
earned
podium
positions in
two of three
outings this
season,
turned a
best lap of
1:32.738
(93.166 mph)
with Anthony
at the
controls and
will be
joined on
the front
row by the
No. 13
Westby
Racing
Yamaha
YZF-R6 of
Dane Westby
and Dustin
Meador with
a time of
1:33.787
(92.123
mph).
"My lap was
just a
normal lap,"
said
Anthony. "I
wasn't
pushing that
hard, I was
just
watching the
board and
saw that I
was in
second and
it turns out
I did my
biggest lap
not knowing
where I was.
The next lap
I come
around and I
was in
first."
In
Moto-GT2,
the
championship
leading No.
77 Ducati of
Elleby and
Shockley
will start
from the
class pole
after
turning a
lap of
1.36:470
(89.562
mph).
Starting
second in
GT2 will be
the team's
No. 38
Touring
Sport
Ducshop
Ducati
PS1000LE
shared by
Cory Rech
and Huntley
Nash. The
No. 38
Ducati
posted a
best
qualifying
lap at
1:37.093
(88.987
mph).
"I'm really
proud of the
two teams
today," said
team owner
Shockley.
"Ryan Elleby
did that
pole lap
which was
really good
and the two
young guys
here,
Huntley and
Cory,
stepped up
and ran the
second bike
really,
really well.
All is good
and if I can
just manage
to keep the
pace we'll
be alright."
The No. 27 Four Feathers Racing entry of Matt Lynn originally qualified on the outside pole for tomorrow's race but was sent to the back of the GT1 grid after failing post-qualifying technical inspection for exceeding the required fuel capacity.
The fifth round of the nine-race 2009 SunTrust Moto-GT season takes the green flag Saturday at 11:00 a.m. local time for a scheduled two hours.
Beach
Paces
SuperSport
Practice
Friday's AMA
Pro
SuperSport
presented by
Shoei
practice
session was
led by J.
Beach aboard
the No. 73
Honda
CBR600R with
a time of
1:33.266
(92.639
mph). Lloyd
Worrell
posted the
second
fastest lap
of the
session
aboard the
No. 13
Rockwall
Performance
Yamaha
YZF-R6 at
1:33.505
(92.401
mph).
Qualifying
for AMA Pro
SuperSport
presented by
Shoei is
scheduled
for 8:40
a.m. local
time on
Saturday. A
strong entry
of 25
emerging
young riders
in AMA Pro
SuperSport
presented by
Shoei will
split the
Sunday
Daytona
SportBike
and American
Superbike
finals with
a
17-lap/40-mile
race at 3
p.m.