Cypress, CA – July 16, 2013 – Coming off an historically successful weekend in Ohio, the Yamaha U.S. Road Racing Teams are back in action again this weekend in California at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The American riders are set to share the stage with MotoGP at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
MONSTER ENERGY/GRAVES/YAMAHA: HAYES & HERRIN
Over the past weekend, three-time reigning AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes regained the lead in the 2013 Championship standings, and he’ll be looking to press his advantage aboard his #1 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R1 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Josh has won every pole position so far this season, which is four in a row, along with five races.
Hayes’ toughest competitor is his own teammate Josh Herrin, who rides the #2 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1. Herrin has won two SuperBike races so far this season, including an exciting victory this past Sunday in SuperBike Race 2 at Mid-Ohio. The 2012 SuperBike Rookie of the Year is gaining more and more confidence with each race, and he is in second place in the SuperBike Championship standings, just four slim points adrift of Hayes.
Look for the two Joshes–Hayes and Herrin–up front and battling for the win this weekend at the home of the famed Laguna Seca Corkscrew, where the riders negotiate a twisting, 59-foot drop in elevation from the entrance of Turn 8 to the exit of Turn 8A.
YAMAHA EXTENDED SERVICE/MONSTER ENERGY/GRAVES/YAMAHA: BEAUBIER & GERLOFF
In the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class, Cameron Beaubier, rider of the #6 Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha YZF-R6, is having a season for the ages. The 20-year-old northern Californian has won six out of seven races so far this season, including the Daytona 200. Last weekend at Mid-Ohio, Cameron had his second perfect-points weekend in a row, in which he earned the pole, won both DSB races, and led the most laps in both races. On top of that, he set a new Mid-Ohio DSB lap record–twice–during qualifying, and then he went even faster than his lap record in Saturday’s race.
Cameron is looking forward to racing again at Laguna Seca, not only because it is close to his home in Roseville, but he’ll also get to see his good friend and former teammate Marc Marquez, who races in MotoGP and is the current World Championship points leader.
Garrett Gerloff, rider of the #8 Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha and Cameron’s teammate, has had six top-five finishes out of seven races so far in this, his first full season of Daytona SportBike racing. Garrett finished second to his teammate in this year’s Daytona 200, and he’ll be looking to make his mark at another historic venue as he goes for the win in front of the world at Laguna Seca.
MEET THE YAMAHA U.S. ROAD RACERS
On Sunday, from 1:00 to 1:45 PM in the Yamaha Marketplace–located in the track infield between turns 5 and 6–come and say hello to Josh Hayes, Josh Herrin, Cameron Beaubier, and Garrett Gerloff as they greet fans and sign autographs. They’ll be joined by Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Yamaha R1 SuperBike rider Larry Pegram, Meen Motorsports Yamaha R6 DSB rider Jake Lewis and R6 SuperSport rider Wyatt Farris, along with RoadRace Factory Yamaha R6 DSB riders Jake Gagne and J.D. Beach and R6 SuperSport rider Tomas Puerta. And, of course, the Monster Energy and Yamaha Extended Service Umbrella Girls will be there, as well.
