MONTEREY, Calif. — Quad Lock Superbikes concluded day one of action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca which included free practice and timed practice, ultimately setting the field for Saturday’s 15-minute final qualifying session.
The morning began under typical Monterey Peninsula fog, which cleared to reveal perfect, sunny skies by the time riders hit the track.
The top three riders in the morning practice session were separated by just 0.066 of a second. The 40-minute session ran flag-to-flag without stoppage, giving teams ample time to evaluate the undulations of the Laguna layout and develop their setups for the afternoon’s timed practice session.
Mathew Scholtz took the top spot with a 1:23.980 lap time. The South African Strack Racing rider was on rails aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1, standing as the only competitor to drop into the 1:23 range—just 0.293 seconds ahead of second place.
OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly turned in a 1:24.273 to secure second aboard his BMW M 1000 RR. Kelly found speed late in the session on his 15th lap after making adjustments in the pits during a red-flag period. The stoppage was caused by Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law rider Benjamin Smith, who crashed in the Corkscrew. Although Smith walked away under his own power, he ended the session in 11th.
Wrench Motorcycles rider Cameron Petersen secured a top-three position on his Ducati Panigale V4 R, returning to form following a difficult previous round. The South African expressed confidence, signaling strong prospects for tomorrow’s qualifying session and Race 1.
Two more riders bouncing back after difficult prior outings are Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen, who ended the session in fourth, and fill-in rider Loris Baz. Riding the Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law Panigale V4 R, Baz secured fifth place, just six-tenths of a second off the leader’s pace.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Richie Escalante finished the session in seventh, seven-tenths of a second behind Scholtz. Despite a low-side crash late in the session on his GSX-R1000R, Escalante settled into a 1:24.743 and clearly demonstrated front-running pace.
In Superbike Cup, Real Steel Honda’s Andrew Lee once again put the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP at the top of the speed charts with a 1:26.003 lap time.
Middleweight action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca kicked off early Friday morning with the opening Supersport practice session, where the field began dialing in their setups. Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila’s Josh Herrin set the baseline standard for the weekend by leading the morning session with a 1:26.786 lap time.
He was followed closely by Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse rider Darryn Binder (+0.507 seconds) and BPR Racing Yamaha’s Brenden Ketelsen (+0.942 seconds).
The afternoon qualifying session built upon those fast times, delivering an intense battle in the closing minutes that culminated in a dominant Ducati sweep of the provisional front row.
Herrin asserted his dominance on his 14th lap to capture provisional pole with a spectacular 1:26.778. He narrowly beat out championship rival Binder, who sat just 0.140 seconds behind, while Rahal Ducati Moto with Roller Die & Forming teammate Alessandro Di Mario made his presence known in third place (+0.732 seconds) to complete the manufacturer’s lockout at the front. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott followed in fourth aboard his GSX-R750 (+0.965 seconds), with Strack Racing’s Blake Davis (+0.989 seconds) rounding out the top five on his Yamaha YZF-R9.
