STEAM CORNERS, Ohio — The first day of action at Permco MotoAmerica Superbikes at Mid-Ohio delivered blistering speeds under sweltering summer conditions as six classes took to the 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for practice and qualifying.
Despite the heat, riders wasted little time rewriting the record books, with several new lap records falling as championship contenders and local favorites alike laid down impressive performances ahead of a packed weekend of racing.
Friday’s pace could prove especially significant, however, as the forecast calls for rain on both Saturday and Sunday, making the dry-track sessions all the more valuable as teams prepare for what could become a dramatically different race weekend.
The Quad Lock Superbike class finished day one at Mid-Ohio with Sean Dylan Kelly’s OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR at the front.
Kelly had to work for the top time, capturing the fastest lap by the narrowest margins in Timed Practice. The points leader ended the session just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL rider PJ Jacobsen, who looked comfortable aboard the 2026 Ducati Panigale V4R.
Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law rider Loris Baz rounded out the top three.
Baz’s teammate Benjamin Smith and Wrench Motorcycles’ Cameron Petersen, aboard the 2025 model Ducati Panigale V4 R registered matching times of 1:25.130 to slot in 0.387 seconds behind the top time.
The field at Mid-Ohio looks extremely tight based on today’s lap times. Looking all the way back to 10th, there is just over one second between the top nine riders. OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe finished day one in fifth, ahead of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante in sixth aboard the GSX-R1000R and Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s JD Beach in seventh on the YZF-R1.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz clicked off a 1:25.500 for eighth fastest. The South African, however, has missed track time in each session of the day. In the first practice session, he discovered smoke coming from his Yamaha YZF-R1 during the morning’s Free Practice, cutting that session short. Later, in the timed session, Scholtz missed more valuable track time as the team sorted out the problem further before turning only eight laps.
Rounding out the top riders within a second of the leader’s pace was Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Gillim, like Scholtz, will head into tomorrow’s Final Practice with less track time after crashing following his fifth lap, destroying the bike and ending his session early.
In Superbike Cup, Real Steel Honda’s Andrew Lee was once again fastest in the first sessions here in Ohio. The California native set a time of 1:26.621 to take the fastest Cup lap.
Supersport Q1 was topped by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes aboard the Yamaha YZF-R9. The 51-year-old, four-time Superbike champion clicked off a blistering 1:27.521, shaving six-tenths off his morning practice time and edging out Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila rider Josh Herrin and his Ducati Panigale V2 by a tenth of a second for provisional pole.
