The AMA Pro Superbike racers took to the grid at Mazda Laguna Seca raceway Sunday to put on what ended up being the show of the day. Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Hayes led the majority of the race, but not without Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden pacing Hayes' every move. Hayes set a blistering pace, leading 18 of 23 laps of the race and earning valuable points for leading most laps. However, with 4 laps remaining, Hayden was able to make the move on Hayes and into first position. Not ready to settle for second, Hayes passed Hayden back to maintain the lead. What transpired was 4 laps of bar-to-bar racing action as the two veterans swapped positions. The race came right down to the wire, with Hayden coming out on top by 0.233 seconds.
According to Hayes, Laguna is not an easy track for him. Midway through the race his arms started to tire, and then he felt a burning sensation in his ankle, which turned out to be a bee sting. Hayes, always a hard worker, pressed on and put up a strong and exciting fight. When asked about the overall championship, Hayes asserted that the team was going to put up a fight at the final round in New Jersey and that if current points leader Blake Young is to win the championship, he was going to have to work for it.
Hayden's team mate, Blake Young, came in third place to maintain a lead in the championship.
The final round of the AMA Pro Superbike series takes place at New Jersey Motorsport Park September 2-4, 2011.
