Herrin in a Squeaker

Henny Ray Abrams | July 17, 2010

LEXINGTON, OHIO, JULY 17 – Team Graves Yamaha’s Josh Herrin made a bold final lap pass to win the Daytona SportBike race on a sunny afternoon at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.Herrin took the lead from M4 Monster Energy Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas in the turn 2 Keyhole left on the last of the 21 laps. Cardenas countered by outbraking Herrin into turn six, the very popular passing zone taken hard on the brakes at the end of the backstraight.Between there and the finish line there are very few passing zones, but Herrin found one. The Yamaha rider went up the inside of Cardenas in the turn 11 right just that leads onto the Thunder Valley straight.”Usually I get passed there and I don’t ever have the guts to pass anybody there, because it’s pretty hairball,” Herrin said. “But I knew it was what I had to do and we extended the points, which is really good. I’m having a really consistent year, so I’m really happy”With his fourth win, Herrin stretched his points lead over Geico Powersports/RMR Suzuki’s Danny Eslick, fourth today,  to 30 points. After ten of 18 races, Herrin has 247 points to 217 for Eslick. Cardenas is third with 205.DNA Energy Drink CNR Motorsports Ducati’s Bobby Fong also passed Cardenas when the Colombian made a small mistake in Thunder Valley. Fong chased Herrin to the stripe, coming up short by .045 secs. Still, it was a career best finish for Fong. Cardenas was only .206 secs. back in third.Eslick finished a distant fourth after having run in the lead pack for the duration. The Oklahoman was in the mix for the podium until he ran wide and onto the grass in the turn 13 left at the end of Thunder Valley on the last lap.Team Graves Yamaha’s Tommy Aquino caught and passed Team Latus Motors Racing’s Steve Rapp (Duc) on the final lap to claim fifth.Then came a gap of over 24 secs. before the fight for seventh was decided. It went to Vesrah Suzuki’s Chris Fillmore over teammate Cory West. Project 1 Atlanta’s Clinton Seller was a close ninth and only a bikelength in front of Josh Day (Four Feathers Racing Yamaha), who finished tenth.

Results:

1 Josh Herrin (Yamaha)

2. Bobby Fong (Ducati)

3. Martin Cardenas (Suzuki)

4. Danny Eslick (Suzuki)

5 Tommy Aquino (Yamaha)

6. Steve Rapp (Ducati)

7. Chris Fillmore (Suzuki)

8. Cory West (Suzuki)

9. Clinton Seller (Yamaha)

10. Josh Day (Yamaha)

 

Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor

Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.