STEAM CORNERS, Ohio — If the first qualifying session of the weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is any indication, it seems as though Cameron Beaubier and Bobby Fong smell blood in the water.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Beaubier and Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Fong started the weekend first and second in Q1, the pair separated by just .121 of a second, and half a second faster than Fong’s teammate Jake Gagne.
Fong has the hot hand with four-straight MotoAmerica Superbike wins coming into this weekend’s seventh round. He trails Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s defending class champion Josh Herrin by five points after Herrin’s race-two crash at Virginia International Raceway two weeks ago.
Beaubier’s title hopes were also bolstered by Herrin’s miscue, and the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion is back in the hunt, 16 points behind Herrin and his Ducati.
Beaubier’s best of 1:24.176 on Friday was .537 of a second off Ben Spies’ Mid-Ohio lap record of 1:23.639, which was set by the Texan and his factory Yoshimura Suzuki in 2008.
With Beaubier, Fong, and Gagne making up the provisional front row, the second row was led by Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim, with the Kentuckian .717 of a second off Beaubier’s best. Those four were the only riders to crack the 1:25 barrier with their 1:24s.
Herrin ended the day fifth-fastest and .943 of a second slower than Beaubier’s quick lap. The championship points leader and defending champion was .728 of a second faster than Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly.
Kelly’s teammate Richie Escalante was seventh, with Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau, and FLO4LAW/SBU Racing’s Benjamin Smith rounding out the top 10 qualifiers on a sunny Friday in Ohio.
As has become the norm, Motovation Supersport Q1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was a Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen/Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz battle with Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen keeping watch from close range.
When the 30-minute session was complete, it was Jacobsen on top with his 1:27.032, which was .202 of a second better than his rival and championship points leader Scholtz. Petersen was .634 of a second behind Jacobsen to complete the provisional front row heading into tomorrow morning’s Q2. The top three were the only riders to lap in the 1:27s.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott was fourth, a tick over a second adrift of Jacobsen and just .107 of a second ahead of Scholtz’s teammate Blake Davis, with Rahal Ducati Moto w/Roller Die’s Corey Alexander completing the provisional second row.
Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki’s Max Van, Team Hammer’s ageless Larry Pegram, Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, and the returning-to-racing Brandon Paasch, on the 3D Motorsports Suzuki, rounded out the top 10.
