TOOELE, UTAH, MAY 24 – Three-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes put his Monster Energy Graves Yamaha on pole today at Miller Motorsports Park for the final round of the Superbike Shootout series, beating the lap record previously set by Jeremy Toye in 2009 on the 2.2-mile west track by 1.36 seconds.
With the Yoshimura Suzuki team absent for this final round in order to prepare for next weekend’s second round of the AMA Pro Road Racing Championship at Road America, it was an easy bet to say this weekend was going to be a battle between the boys in blue: Hayes and rookie Cameron Beaubier. And it was. That is until Beaubier’s bike stopped on the front straight five laps into the session. With the Yamaha team only running one bike this weekend – also in preparation for Road America – it meant Beaubier’s day was over and he had to settle for third.
“Getting around the racetrack pretty well right now,” Hayes said. “I got a little lucky with cam not being out for the whole session, lucky for me not so much for him probably. Tried to go out around with Chris [Fillmore] a little bit around here, but I messed up [ran off track]. But he’s riding good that’s why I messed up. I was trying to chase him. I’m having fun, looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
So with the second spot and his second front-row qualifying in a row was KTM HMC Racing’s Chris Fillmore. Fillmore and the team have made great use of the extra seat time with the Superbike Shootout Series and it shows. And Fillmore attributes it to his good pace at a track he normally struggles with.
“I’d have to say it’s more the work that we’ve been doing and kind of the momentum we’ve been rolling with,” Fillmore said. “Because every year we come here I struggle quite a bit, mostly with setup.
“Luckily we had a lot of time at Sonoma to sit on the bike and try things and that’s what we are doing here. So far just throwing different stuff at it. I’m happy. Surprised. And proud of the team for giving me something that can get me as close as we are right now.”
In fourth was ADR Motorsports David Anthony who was a bit disappointed to come here a little off the pace of the other guys, but felt that race day would be better.
Behind Anthony on the GEICO Honda was Chris Ulrich also in the 1:29s.
In sixth was privateer Marcel Irnie on a BMW. Trailing Irnie was a pair of Canadian Utah Sportbike Association regulars – 59-year old Peter de Graf Fellow and the 2011 USBA champ Jesse Sherston.
Qualifying ninth was privateer Matthew Orange on a BMW and in 10th – also on a BMW – was Michael Bradshaw.
2014 Superbike Shootout
Miller Motorsports Park
Pro Superbike Qualifying Results
1. Josh Hayes (Yamaha) 1:34.620
2. Chris Fillmore (KTM) 1:28.358
3. Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha) 1:29.133
4. David Anthony (Suzuki) 1:29.490
5. Chris Ulrich (Honda) 1:29.835
6. Marcel Irnie (BMW) 1:30.647
7. Peter deGraf (Suzuki) 1:31.174
8. Jesse Sherston (Suzuki) 1:31.861
9. Matthew Orange (BMW) 1:32.007
10. Michael Bradshaw (BMW) 1:32.089
