Page 14 - GRID-4

VIRGINIA
JOSH HAYES : MOTUL SUPERBIKE
Hayes’ experience and knowledge of dialing in the settings on his motorcycle played a major part in his early success at VIR. Friday was a wash due to intermittent rainfall, providing both Superbike sessions with cold and damp conditions. Therefore, the majority of the teams were scrambling on Saturday morning to find an optimal setup for the changing track conditions during Superpole. The forty-two year old put
in an impressive stint on the pre-qualifiers, dropping his lap times with each and every circulation of the 2.25 mile circuit, and he eventually went onto clinch pole position in the final stages of the session with a lightning fast 1:24.226. It’s never a surprise to see the #4 Yamaha lined up at the head of the grid, especially considering it was the fortieth pole position of his career. In the first race, the Mississippian pulled a wheelie off the line that forced him to fall out of the top five on the opening lap.
14 GRIDMOTO • JUNE 2017
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JOSH HAYES : MOTUL SUPERBIKE
“IT REALLY HELPS GOIN’ INTO ROAD AMERICA WHICH IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRACKS”