It Was "Fast-Four Friday" At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca As The Yamaha U.S. Road Racers Start World Superbike Weekend On A High Note2014-07-13 11:24The “Fast Four” riders who make up Yamaha’s U.S. Road Racing Teams competing in AMA Pro SuperBike and AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike started their annual visit to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on a high note with practice and qualifying sessions that netted excellent results. Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha: Hayes & Beaubier Right from the start of first practice in the morning, three-time AMA Pro SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes was the fastest rider on the track. As expected, he continued his dominance in first qualifying…until his teammate, SuperBike rookie Cameron Beaubier, nipped him with a slightly faster lap time, putting the Northern Californian on provisional pole at one of his favorite tracks. “Morning practice went pretty well for me, and then, I got off to a little bit of a slow start in qualifying,” Cameron said. “It’s my first time on this track on a SuperBike, so I guess a bit of a learning curve is to be expected. I got going pretty well there towards the end, and I’m happy to get provisional pole today. We’ve got another qualifying session tomorrow, so I’ll be working hard to stay up front.” Saturday’s two-part final qualifying, which includes a second session to set the grid among the 12 fastest riders, will commence at 2:15 PM PST. Sunday’s SuperBike race is scheduled for 4:20 PM PST. Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha: Gerloff & Beach Rider of the #8 Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6, Garrett Gerloff, looked fully fit after his incident at Barber Motorsports Park late last month, in which he fractured his wrist. The quick-healing Texan was equally quick on track and qualified provisionally in third place on the grid. His teammate, Kentuckian JD Beach, is currently slotted into sixth place aboard his #6 R6, but both he and Garrett are separated by only .243 second, and they’re each just a few thousands of a second off provisional pole. Garrett and JD will be looking to improve on their lap times in Saturday’s final qualifying session, which is scheduled for 10:40 AM PST. Sunday’s DSB race will go green at 1:25 PM PST. Visit The Yamaha Display Area At The Marketplace And Demo A 2015 FZ-07 The Yamaha Display Area At The Marketplace, which is located in the track infield between turns 5 and 6 at the Raceway, will be open Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 13, from 8 AM to 5 PM. You’ll be able to take a demo ride aboard the all-new 2015 Yamaha FZ-07 sportbike. Demo rides will take place at the Yamaha Display Area At The Marketplace on Friday and Saturday, July 11 and 12, from 9 AM to 4 PM, and on Sunday, July 13, from 9 AM to 1 PM. You’ll need a valid motorcycle license (permits are not allowed), a DOT-approved helmet, long pants, enclosed shoes, a shirt, and eye protection to take your ride. Meet The Yamaha U.S. Road Racers All your favorite Yamaha U.S. riders will be available for autographs during two Saturday "Meet & Greet" sessions, including Josh and Cameron from Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha; Garrett and JD from Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha; Jake Gagne and Tomas Puerta from RoadRace Factory/Yamaha; Jake Lewis, Tucker Lancaster, Andre Ochs, Erick Sanchez, and Bernat Martinez from MotoSport.com/Meen Yamaha; along with Dane Westby from Yamalube/Westby Racing. The Monster Energy and Y.E.S. Umbrella Girls will also be there: • Saturday, July 12, 12:45 - 1:15 PM, Yamaha Display Area At The Marketplace • Sunday, July 13, 12:00 - 12:45 PM, Team Transporters (infield paddock) See Garrett Gerloff’s “Misty Morning Hop” First practice was a misty one for Garrett Gerloff at Mazda Raceway Laguna. Check out what he had to say: http://youtu.be/W2qCOTVo2cA For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, check out: www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing or your favorite Yamaha social media channel. Source: Yamaha Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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