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ROGER HAYDEN
ROGER HAYDEN : MOTUL SUPERBIKE
Roger Hayden had a solid start to the 2017 MotoAmerica season as he came away from the opening round at Circuit
of the Americas with a pair of podium finishes. He seems to be feeling comfortable on the brand new GSX-R1000 as he battled for victory all the way to the bitter end of the opening two races. Road Atlanta carries loads of history as one of the premier racing facilities in North America, even more so for Roger Hayden -- the veteran rode on of his first professional races as a fresh-faced sixteen year old at Road Atlanta in the early 2000’s. The Factory Yoshimura Suzuki rider is sitting second in the points after the opening round of the series heading to a track where he finished both races on the podium in 2016, placing the fan favorite in a good position for the weekend.
Hayden put his best foot forward as the action got underway at Road Atlanta, piecing together a successful Superpole session that put him on the front row of the grid with a 1:24.958. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider absolutely nailed the start in the first race as he blasted into the first corner when the lights went out, stealing the advantage from Beaubier and Elias with a crafty tight line. The Kentuckian was able
to lead the way for the first couple of laps, but he was soon overtaken by the charging veteran presence of Josh Hayes. A lot of commotion took place on the third lap and Hayden dropped back to the tail-end of the leading pack behind Cameron Beaubier. The Yoshimura Factory Suzuki rider became entwined in a battle with the defending champion throughout the middle portion of the race as the two of them bided their time until the final laps, simultaneously forcing their way past Josh Herrin. >>
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ROGER HAYDEN
ROAD ATLANTA