Photography by Larry Lawrence
Josh Hayes did what he needed to do and that was keep pressure on his Monster Energy/Graves Motorsports Yamaha teammate Cameron Beaubier. Hayes won the rain-shortened Superbike race one at New Jersey Motorsports Park, while Beaubier was second. Roger Hayden was a close third.
That set up the stage for the final race where Beaubier needs to finish third or better to ensure the 2015 title.
“I’m did the best I could out there,” Hayes said. “I’m going to do everything I can to win again in the second race and see where that lands me.”
During the race Jake Gagne, who finished fourth overall, clinched the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 title on his RoadRace Factory Yamaha.
Hayden led off the start over Hayes ad Beaubier. At the start of the second lap Beaubier slipstreamed past his teammate going into turn one to take over second. Jake Gagne was running just behind the leading trio in an early four-rider breakaway.
Lap three began with both the Yamaha moving past Hayden into turn one with Beaubier leading the way. It was Jake Lewis moving up to fifth, but five laps in he was three-seconds back from the leading quartet. Josh Day and Taylor Knapp were right in the draft of Lewis’s Yoshimura Suzuki, with Danny Eslick and Kyle Wyman not far back.
On lap six Hayes took his turn at the front as the leading four remained together.
On lap eight Lewis took a hard tumble bringing out the red flag. He was unable to make the restart, the early reports indicating a broken collarbone.
During the red a light rain began to fall.
KTM rider Chris Fillmore had to start from pit lane after his bike was not ready in time to make the warm-up lap.
On the restart it was Hayes sprinting off to a quick start ahead of Hayden, Beaubier and a surprisingly fast starting Kyle Wyman.
Beaubier moved up to second going into turn one on the third lap of the restart. At about the same time Gagne took fourth from Wyman.
With four laps to go Beaubier did the normal turn one overtake to go into P1, but Hayes came charging right back to the lead a few turns later. Just then it began sprinkling again. A few seconds later riders were signaling to the starter and the red flag was thrown.
Provisional MotoAmerica Superbike/Superstock 1000 Race 1 Results from NJMP – Sept. 13, 2015
1 1 Josh Hayes, Yamaha.
2 6 Cameron Beaubier, Yamaha.
3 95 Roger Hayden, Suzuki.
4 32 Jake Gagne, Yamaha.
5 33 Kyle Wyman, Yamaha.
6 00 Joshua Day, Yamaha.
7 44 Taylor Knapp, Yamaha.
8 69 Danny Eslick, Aprilia.
9 64 Shane Narbonne, Yamaha.
10 99 Geoff May, Honda.
