Daytona, FL March 16, 2012 – Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider Josh Hayes was a man on a mission in AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Race 1 at Daytona International Speedway as he successfully began his defense of his Championship title with a dominant win at “The World Center of Racing.”
Josh moved to the front of the pack in very quick fashion and clicked off fast lap after fast lap. He scored a valuable bonus point for leading the most laps—in fact, he led every lap of the 15-lap race—then took the checkered flag more than eight seconds ahead of 2nd-place finisher Blake Young. Josh also recorded the fastest lap of the race.
His Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha SuperBike teammate Josh Herrin actually got the holeshot when the race went green in his first-ever SuperBike race. For a brief moment on lap one, Herrin and Hayes were in first and second position, respectively, on their identically prepared crossplane-crankshaft Yamaha YZF-R1® SuperBikes before Hayes ultimately took the lead and was never fronted. Herrin unfortunately low-sided his bike and eventually had to retire from the race.
After celebrating the win with his crew and climbing to the top of the podium in Victory Circle, Josh Hayes said, “Man, my 2012 R1 is fast. What a day…I’m so happy. I’ve got to thank my whole Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team, including my crew chief Jim Roach for working so hard in the off-season and this weekend to give me such a dominant motorcycle. It’s a great start to the season, and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s race.”
SuperBike Race 2 is set for Saturday, March 17 at 11:00 AM. Check your local TV listings for Speed TV’s telecast of the race.
