Hayes takes provisional SuperBike pole

From Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes, the 2010 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike champion, is beginning the 2011 season on the right note.

On Thursday, Hayes captured the provisional pole for the SuperBike rounds on Friday and Saturday. The rider of the No. 1 Yamaha R1 toured the 2.9-mile road course at one minute, 38.804 seconds, 127.890 mph.

“The boys worked hard and gave me what I needed to get up to speed pretty quick today,” Hayes said.

Hayes hopes the provisional pole-winning effort from his team translates into the start of another championship season.

“I won the championship last year and I came out of here horribly,” Hayes said. “I think I had 13th and a sixth or seventh or something. If I come out of here strong, I think it definitely would send a pretty good message across to everybody that I ‘m not going to start slow.”

SuperBike practice was rained out on Thursday morning so the series moved directly to qualifying in the afternoon.

“I thought this might play into my favour,” Hayes said. “I get up to speed pretty quick.”

Tommy Hayden and Blake Young, both aboard Suzukis, and Larry Pegram on a BMW rounded out the front row. SuperBike qualifying continues on Friday morning. The first 15-lap SuperBike race is set for 4:30pm on Friday followed by the second 15-lap race on Saturday at 11:15am.

Calgary's Chris Peris was seventh in provisional qualifying aboard the Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP S1000RR, 1.627 secs. off Hayes' pole time.

This weekend’s motorcycle events, highlighted by the 70th Daytona 200 on Saturday afternoon, are the first two-wheel racing action on the new surface of Daytona International Speedway.

The track was repaved for only the second time in history following last July’s Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

“The new pavement is great,” Hayes said. “The track is beautiful. As far as racing goes, I don’t think it’s going to change the racing a whole lot. It’s just nice. It’s a little bit easier on you physically. You don’t have the bruised chest riding around the race track. My neck feels a whole lot better. That part is kind of nice.

“Otherwise it offers the same great racing that it always did.”

In other provisional qualifying, Miles Thornton on a Yamaha took the provisional pole in SuperSport with a time of one minute, 54.888 seconds, 109.986 mph. Emerson Connor was top Canadian in 12th with a 1:57.440 on his Ducati 848, while Ben Young placed 17th at 1:58.630 aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6.

In the XR1200 provisional qualifying, Steve Rapp was fastest with a lap of two minutes, 8.317 seconds, 98.475 mph.

In Daytona SportBike practice for Saturday’s Daytona 200, Jason DiSalvo aboard a Ducati was fastest with a lap 93.678 mph, one minute, 51.445 seconds.

SuperBike Qualifying Results
1. Josh Hayes (Monster Energy Graves Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.804
2. Tommy Hayden (Rockstar ·Makita ·Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +0.085
3. Blake Young (Rockstar ·Makita ·Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +0.363
4. Larry Pegram (Foremost Insurance ·Pegram Racing) BMW S1000RR +0.486
5. Ben Bostrom (Jordan Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +0.589
6. Roger Hayden (National Guard) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +0.856
7. Chris Peris (Team Iron Horse BMW ·ESP) BMW S1000RR +1.627
8. Martin Cardenas (M4 Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +2.108
9. Jeremy Toye (San Diego BMW Racing Powered by Lees Cycle) BMW S1000RR +2.119
10. David Anthony (ADR Fly Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +2.293
11. Chris Clark  Yamaha YZF-R1 +2.327
12. Chris Ulrich (M4 Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +2.533
13. Eric Bostrom (Cycle World Attack Performance) Kawasaki ZX-10 +2.705
14. Shane Narbonne (DASPerformance.com) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +2.999
15. Geoff May (Erik Buell Racing) Buell 1125R +4.486
16. Chris Trounson (ADR Fly Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +4.788
17. Bostjan Skubic (Inotherm Yamaha Racing Team Slovenia) Yamaha YZF-R1 +5.428
18. Eric Haugo (Viking Moto) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +6.055
19. Jeffrey Lampe (Kissimmee Motorsports Kawasaki) Kawasaki ZX-10 +6.163
20. Jordan Burgess (ADR Fly Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +6.814
21. Chris Siebenhaar (Rockwell Time/BCS Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +6.941
22. Trent Gibson (Seven Sports) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +6.978
23. Johnny Rock Page (ADR Fly Racing) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +7.516
24. Gary Orr (San Diego BMW Motorsports) BMW S1000RR +8.784
25. Skip Salenius (Run 1 Racing Motorsports) Yamaha YZF-R1 +9.973
26. Eric Pinson (Go 4 One) BMW S1000RR +10.631