2012 AMA Pro Road Racing
GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing first began racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park as part of the 2009 season, and of the six AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike race finals that have been contested at the facility, Josh Hayes (No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1) and Yamaha have taken the top spot on the podium in all but one.
The two-time, defending SuperBike Champ is on a dominant march in 2012, heading to New Jersey this weekend with an imposing lead in the point standings on the strength of a string of impressive performances. With his win at Mazda Raceway in July, the Mississippian became the first rider in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike history to score eight consecutive wins in a single season and he is now tied with international standout Ben Spies for third on the National Guard SuperBike all-time win list.
Suzuki’s leading man Blake Young (No. 79 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000) took the most recent race win at New Jersey Motorsports Park following an epic battle for the 2011 championship that came down to the final lap. Despite the fact that Young has placed second or better in all but two races – including three victories – he still sits a distant second in the standings, 74 points back.
This season has been a successful freshman year in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike for Hayes’ Yamaha teammate, Josh Herrin (No. 2 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1). The three-time GoPro Daytona SportBike winner at New Jersey Motorsports Park has been impressive, leading several races and grabbing up a number of podium finishes as he learns the ropes of the heavier, more powerful 1000cc machine.
Michael Jordan Motorsports teammates Roger Hayden (No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) and Ben Bostrom (No. 23 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000) have both shown speed recently and are historically strong at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Hayden’s last outing at New Jersey resulted in a third-place finish and he currently sits fourth behind Herrin in the points. The Kentuckian had an impressive showing during July’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course event, leading at times and taking second- and third-place results. Although 2012 has been a hit-or-miss season for Bostrom, he grabbed a second-place result in New Jersey last year and looked strong as he took home a fifth place result at Mazda Raceway in July.
Geoff May (No. 99 Team Amsoil/Hero EBR 1190RS) and Danny Eslick (No. 69 Team Hero EBR 1190RS) have both led consistent seasons so far in 2012, highlighted by a set of podiums split between the two at Infineon Raceway in May. The EBR 1190RS is the only American-made machine in the field, and the new motorcycle’s accolades were bolstered by Eslick’s strong performance and fourth-place result last round in front of the international audience at Mazda Raceway.
May sits fifth in the point standings, followed by Larry Pegram (No. 72 Foremost Insurance Pegram BMW S1000RR), Eslick, Bostrom, Young’s Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Chris Clark and closing out the top 10 is Steve Rapp (No. 15 Attack Performance/ Motorcycle Superstore/ M1 PowerSports Kawasaki ZX-10R).
The American Red Cross Devil’s Showdown presented by Team ProMotion will take place this weekend, September 7-9.
The AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike class will take to the track for their first practice session on Friday, September 7 at noon, and will be featured in a set of 23-lap sprint races on Saturday, September 8 at 3:15 p.m. and Sunday, September 9 at 3:30 p.m. local time.
New Jersey Motorsports Park AMA Superbike on TV:
GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing’s National Guard SuperBike and GoPro Daytona SportBike divisions will be featured on SPEED in a set of back-to-back, same-day delayed broadcasts, scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Saturday night and at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on Sunday night.
AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Point Standings (After Round 8): 1. Josh Hayes (Gulfport, MS) – 415; 2. Blake Young (Waunakee, WI) – 341; 3. Josh Herrin (Glendale, CA) – 246; 4. Roger Hayden (Owensboro, KY) – 217; 5. Geoff May (Gainesville, GA) – 205; 6. Larry Pegram (Hebron, OH) – 193; 7. Danny Eslick (Broken Arrow, OK) – 165; 8. Ben Bostrom (Malibu, CA) – 162; 9. Chris Clark (Las Vegas, NV) – 152; 10. Steve Rapp (Hawthorne, CA) – 151.
