In the Daytona Sport Bike class, Cameron Beauvier led after a red flag began the race. Not sure what the incident was that caused the red flag. But, Beauvier along with Martin Cardenas and Jason DiSalvo are the top three. Can DiSalvo pass the leaders here in this 22 lap race at Infineon Raceway? Five laps into the event thus far. Rocky Nash battles with Bryce Beck. Cardenas started on the outside of the front row. It's a battle between DiSalvo and Cardenas in the early laps. Cameron Beaubier maintains the lead.
Martin Cardenas manages to pass Jason DiSalvo, nine laps into the race. Two laps before halfway. DiSalvo overcooked the entry into turn ten. Cardenas ran slightly wide into the final corner and almnst gave DiSalvo an opportunity to pass. Cameron Beauvier continues to hold down third place. Dane Westby, Tommy Hayden and Joey Pascarella follow. The trick is to know when the tires go away and who can ride through having worn tires before the end of the race. One lap to halfway now. The battle continues between Westby and Hayden. Garrett Gerlach (who usually rides the bike Tommy Hayden is on), may be back for the race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Cardenas and DiSalvo are the ones to watch in this race coming up to halfway. It's sunny and hot. The temps during practice and qualifying were much cooler and there was a fair wind blowing. Tire degradation is a major issue at Infineon Raceway because there isn't a true straightaway on the course.
Joey Pascarella holds down sixth place. DiSalvo has taken the lead from Martin Cardenas. Where is the Triumph stronger or weaker vs. the Suzuki? The two bikes touched and fortunately continued. This is a majorly difficult track with it's 2.32 mile, 11 turn layout. No rider can afford mistakes around this track. It's very slippery on course. Tires are falling off as the bikes make their way through the uphill section and onto the back part of the course. There's lapped treffic all over the place. If you see the blue flag, move over!
The earlier red flag was caused by a backmarker. The #181 bike of Craig Mason was in the way of the leaders and almost caused a crash. Mason was in a battle of his own with another rider. Jason DiSalvo passed Cardenas for the lead. Martin Cardenas went deep into turn seven allowing DiSalvo to go by. Just five laps left as the riders pass David Sadowsky Jr. The rest of the top ten includes riders like J.D. Beach and Jake Zemke. This is the first of two races for the weekend at Infineon. Westby and Hayden battle for fourth and fifth. Cardenas can carry more corner speed in the middle of the corner as compared to DiSalvo.
DiSalvo runs a motorcycle riding school. Cardenas sweeps around DiSalvo on the outside in the Carousel. Just three laps left in this race. Cardenas has the lead now. The battle between Westby and Hayden continues. This is for fourth spot. The two leaders can handle their tires fading better than the other bikes in the top five can. Just two laps remain. Hayden wishes that Westby would make a mistake. This is the last lap of the race. Cory West, Bobby Fong and J.D. Beach battle for the back half of the top ten. Martin Cardenas has been able to virtually vanquish DiSalvo and the Triumph. Cardenas wins another race.
#36 Martin Cardenas Suzuki
Coming up, it's the Daytona Sport Bike race.
This is the first of two races for the Superbike series race, the first of two races in Daytona Sport Bike in the wine country of northern California.
The EBR bike could be successful on this track since it's about riding skill more than horsepower. Josh Hayes will also be looking for another chance after winning the second race at Road Atlanta. Hayes scored his first Superbike win at Infineon Raceway over former champion Mat Mladin. KTM has Chris Fillmore and German super bike champion Stefan Nabel.
At the start, Josh Hayes takes the lead. Danny Eslick slots into third. Blake Young shoots up to second spot. It's going to be another Hayes vs. Young battle for the lead. Danny Eslick on the Buell is close to the leaders. Steve Rapp's Kawasaki and the two Jordan Suzuki's of Ben Bostrom and Roger Hayden are also coming up through the pack in this 22 lap race. Eslick's #69 bike is actually the EBR, not the Buell. Danny Eslick and Roger Hayden both run wide allowing Josh Herrin (team mate to Josh Hayes), to get by. Eslick was on maximum braking as his rear wheel lifted.
Ben Bostrom is sliding back through the field. Hayes is ahead. Meanwhile, Heron and Eslick are still battling. Eslick and Heron battle. These two have run together in Daytona Sport Bike as well. Heron's arm is sore. He has trouble using the brake lever and can't use the pressure. The Superbikes are much more difficult to ride than a 600cc motorcycle. Rapp, Hayden and Fillmore battle for fifth, sixth and seventh. The race is four laps old. Ben Bostrom is not running as well as he wants. Ditto for Geoff May. May rides behind the #72 BMW of Larry Pegram.
May passes Pegram on the inside. It's EBR vs. BMW. Eslick and Heron continue their battle. Hayes is beginning to gap the field. All he has to do is stay calm and ride the bike. Blake Young is still second. He's running laps in the 1:37 range. Danny Eslick is quicker than Young right now. Roger Hayden, Steve Rapp and others battle for fifth place. Hayden loses three spots. Chris Fillmore on the KTM moves up. Ben Bostrom is in the pocket on his Jordan Suzuki. Bostrom is a true veteran of the sport and has run AMA Superbike, World Superbike, and MotoGP. Rapp is into the top five. He's the only rider in the division riding a Kawasaki ZX10R.
Two laps before halfway. The Kawasaki ZX10R has won in World Superbike and World Endurance motorcycle competition. But, the bike has yet to win in the U.S. as the suspension setups are very different between U.S. spec bikes and European spec FIM bikes. Chris Fillmore is beginning to gap Steve Rapp. He passed Rapp and is pulling away. In turn 11, Filmmore is able to be more stable on the KTM under braking. Josh Hayes continues to lead. He was 9/10ths quicker over everyone else in qualifying. Hayes has a 7.8 second lead. Young and Eslick scrap for second and third.
The EBR stands for Eric Buell Racing and is not related at all to the Buell brand. That's the bike Eslick pilots. Eslick whistles by Blake Young. Just eight laps to go. Into turn nine, Eslick swept by Young who struggled into the corner. Eslick on the EBR is hooked up. He has no traction control or electronic assistance. The EBR came into the series two races before the end of last season. Geoff May passes Ben Bostrom. May is on the sister EBR. Just six laps left to run. Geoff May reels in Chris Fillmore. It's EBR vs. KTM. Stefan Nabel is the original rider who developed the KTM bike.
Like EBR, KTM does not have factory support for their U.S. racing efforts. Four more laps to run. Josh Hayes appears to have this race in the bag. But, Chris Fillmore ditched his KTM in turn 11. He lost the bike int turn nine, leaning over too far. The handlebar broke on impact. Former seven time Superbike champion Mat Mladin is in attendance at Infineon Raceway. Just three laps to go. Robertino Pietri and Chris Ulrich on Suzuki's battle. Stefan Nabel is also in contention. He's done well in the German Superbike Championship. Nabel was floored by the track at Infineon Raceway.
Two laps left. Nabel passes Chris Ullrich. Meanwhile, Josh Hayes is cruising. The white flag is up. One lap to go. Blake Young made a mistake. Eslick still wants the spot. Neither Hayes nor Blake Young have finished lower than second this year so far. Eslick has got to be happy about his performance on the EBR. He'll be on the podium. It's the last lap. Young runs defense over Eslick. Hayes wins! Blake Young holds off Danny Eslick.
#1 Josh Hayes Suzuki
There will be two more races, tomorrow.
Next race: Miller Motorsports Park
The race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, takes place in three weeks time.
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