Hayes on Pole at Wet Miller Motorsports Park

Henny Ray Abrams | May 29, 2011

TOOELE VALLEY, UT, MAY 29 – Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes wanted good weather in final qualifying, but he didn’t get his wish. And it wouldn’t make him unhappy.A light rain at Miller Motorsports Park meant that Hayes’ Saturday provisional pole time would stand up as the best in overall qualifying, giving him an extra point in the Superbike championship.The rain sealed the front row for Sunday’s single Superbike race as Hayes, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Blake Young and Tommy Hayden, and Roger Lee Hayden.The pole is Hayes’ third of the year and increases his points lead over Tommy Hayden, 108 to 101, heading into Monday’s fifth round of the championship.”As far as this weekend, tomorrow morning I have some things that we’re ready to try,” Hayes said. “Otherwise, I think we’re ready to grid up and race. Hopefully, we’re competitive at the front. I don’t think that’ll be a problem. I think we’ll be there. It’ll just be a matter of who can pull it off there at the end”If today’s session had determined qualifying Hayes would still have been on the front row, but not on pole. On the wet 3.05-mile Perimeter Course, the reigning Superbike champion finished second fastest to Team Iron Horse BMW’s Chris Peris, the Canadian whose only race win came in a Daytona SportBike race in the streaming rain at Road America in 2009.Peris finished with a best lap of 2:06.705 mins. Hayes was 1.125 secs. behind with National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Lee Hayden third fastest, another 1.510 secs. behind, and Larry Pegram fourth fastest in the wet.

Superbike Qualifying:

1. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 1:50.401

2. Blake Young (Suzuki) 1:50.551

3. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 1:50.664

4. Roger Hayden (Suzuki) 1:51.196

5. Larry Pegram (BMW) 1:51.382

6. Martin Cardenas (Suzuki) 1:51.408

7. JD Beach (Kawasaki) 1:51.746

8. Chris Peris (BMW) 1:51.768

9. Geoff May (Buell) 1:51.963

10. David Anthony (Suzuki) 1:52.138