AMA Press Release:
Infineon Raceway has been a staple on the AMA Pro Road Racing calendar for over four decades, and the series makes a return to the picturesque 2.32-mile natural road course located in Sonoma, Calif. this weekend for the Great Clips West Coast Moto Jam. Based on the fierce battles witnessed during the opening two rounds of the 2012 season, the cool climate of California’s wine country is set to turn red hot beginning with the first official practice session, scheduled for Friday, May 4 at 12:00 p.m. noon.
There are 21 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBikes representing six manufacturers entered for this weekend’s doubleheader, led in the point standings by two-time defending Champ Josh Hayes and hard-charging Blake Young.
Hayes is the only entered rider with an AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike win to his credit at Infineon Raceway and his riding prowess at the track makes him a solid prospect for success this weekend. His breakthrough SuperBike win came here in 2009 over Mat Mladin, and he has taken victory by at least three seconds in four of the last six SuperBike races here. Hayes has also turned in consistent fast qualifying times in Sonoma to capture two consecutive pole positions; his qualifying lap in 2011 was 1:35.717, just .006 seconds off of his 2010 pole time of 1:35.711.
His strategy during both of his championship-winning seasons involved grabbing the all-important bonus points for fastest qualifier and lap leader as often as possible, and he is on a similar track this season. Although the 2012 SuperBike wins are split 2-2 between Hayes and Young, the Mississippian has grabbed every available bonus point and leads the Wisconsin-native 116-110 in the point standings heading into this weekend’s doubleheader.
Despite Hayes’ strength in Sonoma, success isn’t guaranteed. Young’s dramatic and inspirational victory in Race 1 at Road Atlanta last month served as a notice that his championship aspirations are as strong as ever and that he has the mettle to clinch victories against the odds. Young’s late-race talents are remarkable, as is his ability to overcome issues throughout the weekend leading up to the race and then turn it on and find the winning pace when it matters the most. If Young wins, it will likely be a battle to the end; of his 12 SuperBike victories, only one has been taken by more than a second.
Suzuki is the outright leader in SuperBike wins at Infineon with 19, including the win of Young’s former teammate Tommy Hayden over Hayes in Race 2 last year. This season, Young is joined by Chris Clark and the young talent has already shown speed, posting lap times within a second of his veteran teammate during a test at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March.
The latest addition to the National Guard SuperBike division is Hayes’ teammate on the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha squad, Josh Herrin. Herrin has enjoyed a relatively speedy transition to the class and the more powerful 1000cc Yamaha flagship, grabbing hole shots and taking home a set of podiums in just his second event weekend. The rising star has been strong here, earning a podium finish in each of the three years that he competed in AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike with a best result of second place in the 2010 running.
Current AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Standings:
1 Josh Hayes
2 Blake Young
3 Roger Hayden
4 Josh Herrin
5 Larry Pegram
6 Steve Rapp
7 Chris Clark
8 Chris Fillmore
9 Robertino Pietri
10 Geoff May
11 Danny Eslick
12 Jake Holden
13 Taylor Knapp
14 David Anthony
15 Chris Ulrich
16 Ben Bostrom
17 Johnny Rock Page
18 Jordan Burgess
19 Reese Wacker
20 Eric Pinson
21 Eric Haugo
22 Trent Gibson
23 Jeffrey Lampe
24 Lloyd Bayley
25 Shawn Higbee
SPEED will once again feature the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike and AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike race finals in a set of same-day delayed broadcasts scheduled to begin during prime-time on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT) and on Sunday at 11:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. PT).
