AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas heat announced itself immediately as the MotoAmerica paddock rolled into Circuit of The Americas for the penultimate round of the 2026 season. Friday at COTA became as much a test of endurance as outright speed.
Four championship battles – Quad Lock Superbike, Supersport, Mission King Of The Baggers and Talent Cup – remain unsettled with just two rounds to go, while Mission Super Hooligan National Championship riders arrived in Texas for the winner-take-all finale of their season.
Five classes set an early tone for a weekend with Free Practice and Qualifying sessions that could shake up the championship picture in a hurry.
Quad Lock Superbike riders opened their COTA weekend with a 40-minute Free Practice session in the morning before returning to the sweltering afternoon heat for Timed Practice. Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong set the pace in the morning with a 2:08.631, just ahead of OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly (+0.294 seconds) and Wrench Motorcycles’ Cameron Petersen (+0.380 seconds).
Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law’s Cameron Beaubier and Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz rounded out the top five.
When Timed Practice wrapped up, the order at the front had been rewritten. Petersen carved a massive 1.4 seconds off his morning pace, stopping the clock at a 2:07.230 on just the sixth lap of the session. The South African posted the highest trap speed of any rider at the MotoAmerica/Dunlop Tire Test back in March, and Friday was proof that his straight-line speed hasn’t gone anywhere.
Right on his heels was Beaubier, who built on his momentum from the morning by trimming another second off his own time to finish just over a second behind Petersen (2:08.271). For a rider who spent nearly four months away from the paddock recovering from a shoulder injury suffered at Road America, the six-time and defending Superbike champion looked every bit like he’d never left.
Kelly capped off the top three with a 2:08.397, keeping himself well within striking distance ahead of tomorrow’s Final Qualifying. Fong, fastest in the morning, slipped to fourth in the afternoon session, with Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen rounding out the top five.
Fong’s teammate JD Beach was sixth fastest, ahead of Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz in seventh and OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe in eighth. Beaubier’s teammate Benjamin Smith finished the session in ninth, while M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch rounded out the top 10 on day one.
In Superbike Cup, Real Steel Honda’s Andrew Lee set the fastest time of the day at 2:12.159, a fitting start to a weekend where he could wrap up the title one round early. Lee carries a commanding 102-point lead into COTA and needs only to leave Saturday’s Race 1 with more than a 100-point cushion to lock down the 2026 Superbike Cup crown in Texas.
Right behind him was Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Simon Reid, just 0.319 seconds off the pace in his MotoAmerica Superbike debut. The Banbridge, Northern Ireland native, who competes in the UK’s Pirelli National Superstock Championship, wasted no time showing he belongs on American soil. Danilo Lewis (Team Brazil) rounded out the top three, 0.558 seconds behind Lee.
Supersport’s Qualifying 1 delivered a nail-biter, with the top five separated by barely a second. Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse Ducati’s Darryn Binder set the fastest time of the session at 2:13.506, but his closest pursuer wasn’t far behind – Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila’s Josh Herrin, the South African’s primary championship rival, trailed by just 0.069 seconds.
