Daytona Update: Corey Alexander Wins SuperSport Pole

Reigning AMA Pro SuperSport East Champion Corey Alexander qualified on pole for the season-opening SuperSport races at Daytona International Speedway based on the 1:53.331 lap he turned on his Celtic/HVMC Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 in Qualifying 1 on Thursday afternoon.

Due to chilly temperatures and slippery on-track conditions during Friday morning’s final qualifying session, only Dustin Dominquez was able to get within a few seconds of Alexander’s previous best lap. Alexander himself was credited with just two circuits of the 3.51-mile “long” course, the best being a 2:03.627. Miles Thorton (Triumph) and Jason Aquilar (Yamaha) will also start on the front row for Friday afternoon’s race.

“Two years ago, we did some high 1:52s,” said Alexander, “so I think we’ve have quite a bit of time left. There’s some more progress to be made, but we’re happy to be on pole for the races.”

Asked why he chose to stay in SuperSport this season rather than chase the Daytona SportBike crown, Alexander replied, “A lot of it comes down to budget. It’s quite a bit more money to run SportBike, and we lost our title sponsorship with National Guard pretty late in the off-season.

“We’re fortunate to be doing what we’re doing here in SuperSport. We’ll try to get something better for next year, either here or overseas.”