Baz Is Best On Friday at New Jersey Motorsports Park

Frenchman Loris Baz And His Ducati Panigale V4 R Lead The Way In Iffy Conditions On Opening Day At NJMP

MILLVILLE, NJ – September 28, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – By the time the Steel Commander Superbike class took to New Jersey Motorsports Park for Q1, the racetrack was mostly dry which translated to everyone doing their quick laps on slicks. The quickest of those ended up being Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz with the Frenchman posting a 1:22.737 on his 23^rd and final lap of the 40-minute session.

Loris Baz was the fastest of the Steel Commander Superbike men in Friday’s Qualifying 1 session at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Rocco Landers suffered a crash on Friday in Mission King Of The Baggers Q1, but not before he posted the fastest time to earn provisional pole position. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

The Supersport class was led by PJ Jacobsen with his 1:34.649 lap on Friday at NJMP.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Baz was the only rider to crack into the 1:22s with his 1:22.737 leading Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier by .413 of a second. Beaubier didn’t do as many laps as Baz and his best came on his 13^th and final go-around, a 1:23.150.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch was a career-best third in Q1 with a 1:23.769.

Fourth fastest on Friday was Superbike Champion-elect Josh Herrin with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider the last one in the 1:23s with his 1:23.931, fractions quicker than Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen with the South African ending up fifth.

Petersen’s fill-in teammate Xavi Forés ended the day sixth fastest, some .4 of a second ahead of EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly, who was still riding the high of his first Superbike win two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas.

Wrench Motorcycle’s Bobby Fong, Beaubier’s Tytlers Cycle Racing teammate JD Beach, and FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith rounded out the top 10 heading into tomorrow morning’s Q2 session.

Supersport – Jacobsen On Top

Tricky conditions in the first Supersport qualifying session meant there were crashes and two red flags. When it was all said and done it was PJ Jacobsen right where he needs to be – at the front.

Light rain fell for most of the session and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Jacobsen saved his best for the end as he does all he can to get closer to Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, who leads the Supersport title chase by 39…