Herrin Storms To Provisional Pole On Opening Day At Road Atlanta

Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin Leads The Way In
Steel Commander Superbike

BRASELTON, GA – April 20, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin had two reasons to be happy with his Friday qualifying at Road Atlanta. For starters, Herrin earned provisional pole position in Q1 with his 1:24.627. He then followed that up by pocketing an “I owe you” from his teammate Loris Baz as he towed the Frenchman to third, giving Ducati two bikes on the provisional front row heading into tomorrow’s Q2 session.

Josh Herrin was the fastest of the fast on Friday at Road Atlanta as he rode his Ducati to provisional pole heading into Saturday’s final qualifying. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Bobby Fong led the way in Mission King Of The Baggers qualifying on Friday.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson

If Q1 is any indication, the Steel Commander Superbike Championship is going to be hotly contested as eight riders circulated within a second of Herrin.

Three-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne ended the session third fastest and just .096 of a second behind Herrin’s best. With the aforementioned Baz ending the session third in his return to the MotoAmerica paddock, it was Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong slotting into fourth, the last rider in the 1:24s on the 2.55-mile road course.

Superbike rookie Sean Dylan Kelly had an impressive first day on the TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR, the 2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion ending up fifth fastest and less than half a second behind Herrin.

Gagne’s Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Cameron Petersen was sixth fastest, the fastest of the two Camerons on day one with five-time champ Beaubier ending up seventh on the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR. Beaubier returned to action with just a handful of minutes left in the session after his crew did a good job of getting him back on track after an early session crash in turn 10-A.

Beaubier’s teammate JD Beach ended up eighth in his first qualifying session on the BMW.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Richie Escalante and Brandon Paasch rounded out the top 10.

Supersport – Alexander’s Surprise

Of the three Supersport riders on the Rahal Ducati Moto team, Corey Alexander came into the 2024 season with the least amount of fanfare. On Friday afternoon, Alexander let his riding do the talking as he emerged from the 43-rider field with the fastest lap to earn provisional pole position at Michelin…