Josh Hayes (right) shares some time with former AMA Superbike Champion Thomas Stevens at Road Atlanta. Hayes was fastest in the first practice session.
Photography by Larry Lawrence
It was a tricky track, but Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha’ Josh Hayes used his veteran skills to top the first Superbike session at Road Atlanta Friday morning.
Hayes was the first of the rider to switch to slicks.
“The dry line was about six inches wide, but I knew it was going to get wider,” Hayes said. “I was trying to stay on that dry line anyway so I figured I would give the slicks a try.”
On the narrow dry line Hayes was able to clock a 1:28.979, putting him over a half-second faster than his Yamaha teammate Cameron Beaubier. Roger Hayden was third fastest on the Yoshimura Suzuki and his teammate Jake Lewis fourth, making the factory Superbikes first through fourth.
Former World Superbike racer Mark Heckles topped the Superstock 1000 machines on his Ryders Alley Racing Yamaha. Heckles’ 1:32.119 was the fifth fastest overall in the combined Superbike/Superstock times.
Josh Day, who replaced Geoff May on the Westby Racing Yamaha, was second fast in Superstock, followed by the Dustin Dominguez on an Aprilia.
Friday Morning Combined Superbike/Superstock 1000 Practice from Road Atlanta, April 17, 2015
1 1 SBK Josh Hayes 01:28.979 0 23 Yamaha YZF-R1
2 6 SBK Cameron Beaubier 01:29.584 0 21 Yamaha YZF-R1
3 95 SST Roger Hayden 01:31.246 0 19 Suzuki GSX-R1000
4 85 SBK Jake Lewis 01:32.117 0 27 Suzuki GSX-R1000
5 191 SST Mark Heckles 01:32.119 0 21 Yamaha YZF-R1
6 00 SST Joshua Day 01:33.353 0 17 Yamaha YZF-R1
7 68 SST Dustin Dominguez 01:34.720 0 22 Aprilia RSV4
8 29 Barrett Long 01:34.850 0 14 Ducati 1199R
9 18 SBK Chris Ulrich 01:35.701 0 9 Suzuki GSX-R1000
10 66 SST Scott Harwell 01:35.901 0 9 Suzuki GSXR1000
11 172 SST Billy Ethridge 01:38.640 0 10 Suzuki GSXR1000
12 44 SST Taylor Knapp 01:39.602 0 13 Yamaha YZF-R1
13 912 SST Brad Burns 01:39.719 0 17 Suzuki GSX-R1000
14 37 SBK Stefano Mesa 01:39.859 0 23 Honda CBR1000RR
15 19 SST Tyler O’Hara 01:40.071 0 19 Yamaha YZF-R1
16 76 SBK Bernat Martinez 01:40.578 0 14 Yamaha YZF-R1
17 75 SBK Huntley Nash 01:40.655 0 11 Ducati 1199 Panigale S
18 63 SST Devon McDonough 01:40.753 0 12 Aprilia RSV4 Factory
19 21 SBK Elena Myers 01:44.672 0 19 Suzuki GSX-R1000
20 194 SST Gene Burcham 01:44.887 0 9 Yamaha YZF-R1
21 174 SST Marcel Irnie 01:47.028 0 24 BMW S1000RR
22 64 SST Shane Narbonne 02:08.253 0 3 Yamaha YZF-R1
23 32 SST Jake Gagne 03:29.305 0 2 Yamaha YZF-R1
