LEXINGTON — The chase for the AMA Pro SuperBike Series points championship is all but decided, but there will still be plenty of drama at the Buckeye Superbike Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The support series races could steal the show Saturday and Sunday.
In the SuperBike Series, stalwart Josh Hayes holds a commanding 40-point lead over Cameron Beaubier with just four races remaining on the schedule. Two of them will be this weekend at the 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road course with the running of the twin Wiseco SuperBike 100s. The first of the 21-lap features is at 4 p.m. Saturday and the second is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday.
The 39-year-old Hayes won the first of three straight points titles in 2010 and finished second last year. The Mississippi native has dominated at Mid-Ohio with six previous wins. He could claim the title as early as this weekend.
Hayes has won five of the seven races this season and finished runner-up once. Consistency is his key.
“On my bad days, I’m off a very small amount from my good days,” Hayes said in a story published by amaproracing.com. “That keeps me steady. I’ve worked hard at it. I spend a lot of time focused on me and my motorcycle and I go out there and do my work. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish.”
While Hayes has a death grip on the SuperBike Series title, the chase for the GoPro Daytona SportBike class is still wide open. The top five riders in the series standings are separated by just 24 points. Jake Gagne leads with 139 points with Jake Lewis in second with 134. Danny Eslick (130), J.D. Beach (126) and Dane Westby (115) aren’t far behind.
Gagne and Westby have each won twice this year. Lewis took the checkered flag last week at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
In the Pro SuperSport class, Corey Alexander and Hayden Gillim are tied atop the points standings list with 141. Dustin Dominguez is third with 129 while Wyatt Faris is fourth with 107.
Dominguez won the last race at Barber Motorsports Park.
Danny Eslick leads the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series standings with 95 points, but all eyes will be on Ryan Kerr this weekend at Mid-Ohio. The 23-year-old Kerr, who is tied for ninth in the points standings with 40, is a native of nearby Johnstown and considers Mid-Ohio his home course.
“I invite everyone to come out to Mid-Ohio and stop by and say hello at (Sunday morning’s) fan walk,” said Kerr, who has a pair of sixth-place finishes this season at Road America and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “It’s always a great racing event and I appreciate the support of my family and hometown fans.”
The gates open at 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Qualifying begins Saturday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 8:40 a.m. For more information go to MidOhio.com.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
