Game on as Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés Charge Into Day One at Barber Motorsports Park
Sunnyvale, Calif., May 19, 2023 — Under grey Alabama skies, Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) settled into action at Barber Motorsports Park, finishing the second qualifying session in sixth place on the factory Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Herrin knocked out a total of 20 laps of the iconic 2.3-mile venue, his best time a 1:23.742 behind early leader, Jake Gagne.
Herrin noted an improvement in his immediate day one pace compared to the opening round of the championship at Road Atlanta, which puts him and the team in a good mood heading into the all-important second qualifying session that will determine the grid for both races on Saturday morning.
For Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC), his first visit to the stunning grounds of Barber Motorsports Park was a fruitful one. Aboard the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship-winning Ducati Panigale V2, Forés finished the day third overall behind leader Tyler Scott after a total of 26 laps.
Tomorrow, Saturday, May 20, will see the first long-distance MotoAmerica Supersport race with a mandatory pitstop and refuel to be held over 31 laps, something the Spaniard with his years of experience in the Endurance World Championship is looking forward to.
Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:22.805
P2 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 1:23.195
P3 – Cameron Beaubier (BMW) 1:23.372
P4 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 1:23.588
P5 – PJ Jacobsen (BMW) 1:23.593
P6 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:23.742
Supersport Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 1:26.605
P2 – Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) 1:27.415
P5 – Xavi Forés (Ducati) 1:27.445
P4 – Joshua Hayes (Yamaha) 1:27.568
P5 – Teagg Hobbs (Suzuki) 1:27.737
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC– #12)
“I’m very happy with the position, but we are still looking for more,” Forés said. “Overall, I didn’t do as many laps as I would have liked but to be this close to the top two positions on my first time here is something I’m happy with. It’s going to be tricky with the long race as the tire life is a question, but it is the same for everyone. I want to make some adjustments on the bike to get a bit more life out of the tires because this will be the key point for tomorrow.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC– #2)
“Today was good,” Herrin started. “One thing I’ve been focusing on is trying take things smoothly on Friday, make sure the times are good, and work forward from there. The field is tight and we’ve improved already in comparison to Road Atlanta where we were 1.8s off the lead on Friday. Today we’re only 0.8s, so we’re heading in the right direction. We just need to stay calm, look at the data and make the right choice. Looking at the field, they have so much data on their bikes and we’re only just beginning to understand how to go fast on the V4 R, and this gives me lots of confidence as we’re extremely close to the top with a lot of room for improvement.”
The racing action for round two of the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will kick off with race one tomorrow, Saturday, May 20, at 3:00 pm CDT. The Supersport Long Race is scheduled for 4:00 pm CDT.
