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1929 Grindlay-Peerless JAP to Bonhams

July 30, 2012 at 6:18 AM

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Bonhams Autumn Stafford Motorcycle Auction

The 1929 Grindlay-Peerless JAP 500cc "Hundred Model" that is one of only two of its kind known to survive lapped Brooklands at over 100mph in 1937.

An extremely rare racing motorcycle from the 1920s that lapped the famous Brooklands race circuit at over 100mph is expected to generate intense competition among bidders at the Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale on Sunday 21st October 2012.

One of only two of its kind known to survive, the 1929 Grindlay-Peerless-JAP 500cc 'Hundred Model' (estimate £50,000 - £70,000) won the Brooklands 'Gold Star' award in 1937 in the hands of prominent VMCC member, the late Edmond 'Boy' Tubb.

When Grindlay-Peerless rider C W G "Bill" Lacey became the first man to cover 100 miles in an hour on British soil in August 1928, the Coventry factory lost no time in bringing out a replica of his machine, the Brooklands "Hundred Model," of which only five or six were ever made.

Offered for sale by the Tubb family, this Grindlay has been displayed at the Brookland Museum since the late 1980s, and used by the Brooklands Society on numerous demonstration runs in recent years.

Other notable early consignments for the Stafford sale include a collection of three Velocettes owned by world-famous motorcycling authority and prolific author, the late Jeff Clew.

The collection includes a 1930 KTT racer (estimate £20,000 - £25,000), an ultra-rare 1929 Speedway model (estimate £7,000 - £10,000), and a 1957 Valiant (estimate £36,000 - £40,000), all of which have been displayed at the Haynes Motor Museum in Dorset since Jeff's passing in 2009.

Raced at Brooklands and in the Manx Grand Prix by its first owner Harold Lamacraft and later at Brooklands by Bert Perryman, the KTT was restored by Jeff in the 1960s to be as close as possible to original specification. Since the completion of this restoration in 1967, it has been ridden on closed roads over part of the Isle of Man TT course for the Manx Grand Prix's 50th anniversary in 1973, and also at 'Brooklands Revived' events.

Veloce Ltd made only 21 Speedway (dirt-track) models, and Jeff's re-creation uses a genuine 415cc "KDT" engine (basically an over-bored 350cc KTT unit), which is housed in a KSS roadster frame modified to dirt-track specification by many-times grass-track champion Lew Coffin.

A classic racing motorcycle from the post-war era, the 1957 Matchless G45 was delivered new to Australia, spending several years in museums there after its retirement from active competition. Repatriated from Western Australia in 2004, it was overhauled by a marque specialist and has had only one outing to date: the Festival of 1000 Bikes at Mallory Park in 2008.

Other highlights of what promises to be another sensational sale include a recently restored 1910 Rex 5hp De Luxe V-twin that has participated in the Pioneer and Banbury Runs since completion in 2007 (estimate £14,000 - £18,000) and a 1930 Brough Superior 'Overhead 680' restoration project (estimate £20,000 - £30,000).

Ben Walker (Director of the Bonhams Motorcycle Department) says: "Brooklands machines rarely come to market so we are truly honoured to be offering not one but two important examples at our Autumn Stafford sale.

"The ex-Edmond 'Boy' Tubb 1929 Grindlay-Peerless represents the period of 'no fear' motorcycle racing when Brooklands was the centre for the world's most epic speed record attempts.

"Jeff Clew is sorely missed by all and we look forward to continuing his legacy through the sale of his much-loved and highly-prized Velocettes, one of which has Brooklands and Manx Grand Prix history."

For additional information, log onto Bonhams.com.

2012 Laguna Seca AMA SBK | Results

July 30, 2012 at 6:10 AM

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2012 AMA SuperBike Results

Spoiler Alert: 2012 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike results from Laguna Seca listed below

Josh Hayes established a new single-season record for consecutive AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victories with a crushing performance to secure his eighth in a row on Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The defending two-time champion was once again in a class of his own as he notched up yet another dominant victory. The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha superstar pulled his rookie teammate, Josh Herrin, clear of the chasing pack in the race's early stages before breaking Herrin's pursuit as well by lap 5 of the 23-lap affair.

Once free Hayes put it in cruise control early and still managed to take the checkered flag with a 9.084-second margin of victory.

The Mississippian continues to stake his claim in the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing record books. In addition to the historic win streak, Hayes has now notched up 11 victories this season, just one shy of Mat Mladin's all-time record with six races still remaining on the '12 slate. Sunday's victory also sees Hayes move into a tie for third place on the all-time SuperBike wins list at 28, tying three-time champion Ben Spies, who was in attendance to watch Hayes' conquering ride following the day's MotoGP World Championship race.

Josh Hayes (Monster Energy Yamaha YZF-R1 SuperBike) says: "Good things are happening right now. I'll ride the train as long as I can. If I get into a battle in a hard race, you're going to see me fighting for it for that individual race; it has nothing to do with streaks or race wins or anything like that. It's for that race win.

"I'm in a position where I can try for every single one of them. I don't have anything to worry about. I've got a points situation that I don't even think about at this point in the season. I'm just focused on winning every race that I can. If I toss one down the road -- or two down the road -- then I'll reevaluate how I'm going to approach it. But, right now, I just want to win everything.

"I'm still riding like I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I still remember last year very clearly. I remember if more clearly than I remember winning eight races in a row. It seems like things have happened pretty quickly and it doesn't feel like that to me. I'll just keep focusing, and trying hard, and pushing myself."

While Hayes was out of reach, the battle for second still proved to be a thrilling affair. Herrin's early tow saw him race out to an immediate three-second advantage over a heated scrap for third, which involved National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Roger Hayden, Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young, Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom, Team Amsoil/EBR's Geoff May and Team Hero EBR's Danny Eslick.

As Hayden went backwards and fell from the fight, Herrin faded as well and fell into the clutches of Young and company.

The race's final lap saw Young and Herrin trade second position multiple times with hard and tight passes. The nod ultimately went to Suzuki ace Young by a scant 0.023 seconds, thanks to a superior drive out of the final corner in the sprint to the flag.

Blake Young (Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R 1000 SuperBike) says: "It was a pretty good race for us today. I was making it harder on ourselves by not having great qualifying. It seems like we've let it slip a little bit this year, and I'm just finding myself getting it together at the beginning of the weekend, but I guess the good thing is, we definitely get it together by the end of the weekend in time for the race. I'm obviously happy with second, but I want to get back up to the front and get racing with Josh where I feel we belong.

Josh Herrin (Monster Energy Yamaha YZF-R1 SuperBike) says: "It was a great last lap -- it was fun. I wish I could have held him off but I just couldn't. He kind of outsmarted me there a little bit. We'll be back at the next race to try to beat him next time."

Eslick and Bostrom finished just fractions of a second behind in fourth and fifth, respectively.

After running as high as third, May dropped to a lonely sixth at the flag, while Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki's Taylor Knapp also managed to work past the struggling Hayden, who ultimately finished a disappointing eighth on the heels of his Mid-Ohio breakthrough and subsequent strong weekend form here at Laguna Seca.

KTM/HMC Racing's Stefen Nebel won out in a fight for ninth with Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing's Larry Pegram, who completed the race's top ten.

Hayes continues his march to a third AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike title as he'll head to New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 7-9 boasting an imposing 74-point advantage.

2012 Laguna Seca AMA SuperBike Results:

Pos	No.	Rider(s)	Team	Bike	Interval	Gap	Best Lap	Points
1.	1	Josh Hayes	Monster Energy Graves Yamaha	Yamaha R1	23 Laps	WINNER	1:24.706	0
2.	79	Blake Young	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	9.084	9.084	1:25.441	0
3.	2	Josh Herrin	Monster Energy Graves Yamaha	Yamaha R1	9.108	0.023	1:25.264	0
4.	69	Danny Eslick	Team Hero	EBR 1190RS	9.497	0.389	1:25.446	0
5.	23	Ben Bostrom	Jordan Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	9.920	0.422	1:25.404	0
6.	99	Geoff May	Team Amsoil/Hero	EBR 1190RS	14.968	5.048	1:25.493	0
7.	44	Taylor Knapp	Riders Discount K&L Supply	Suzuki GSX-R1000	31.647	16.679	1:26.020	0
8.	54	Roger Hayden	National Guard Jordan Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	40.448	8.801	1:25.763	0
9.	12	Stefan Nebel	KTM/HMC Racing	KTM RC8R	44.152	3.703	1:26.598	0
10.	72	Larry Pegram	Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing	BMW S1000RR	46.278	2.126	1:26.873	0
11.	18	Chris Ulrich	M4 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	53.709	7.430	1:27.306	0
12.	111	Glenn Allerton	DVS Suspension Racing	BMW S1000RR	55.896	2.186	1:27.522	0
13.	77	Ricky Corey	RCR Performance	Yamaha R1	1:11.638	15.742	1:27.232	0
14.	33	Jordan Burgess	Kneedraggers.com/ Motul/Fly Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	1:17.940	6.301	1:28.405	0
15.	6	Chris Clark	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	1:24.170	6.230	1:27.204	0
16.	171	Ivan Sala	RacersEdgePerformance.com	Suzuki GSX-R1000	22 Laps	1 Lap	1:29.748	0
17.	269	Johnny Rock Page	Kneedraggers.com/ Motul/Fly Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	4.014	4.014	1:29.954	0
18.	57	Bostjan Skubic	Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	6.874	2.859	1:30.082	0
19.	59	Jake Holden	Buyredline.com	Honda CBR1000RR	9 Laps	13 Laps	1:26.506	0
20.	15	Steve Rapp	Attack Performance	Kawasaki ZX-10	6 Laps	3 Laps	1:26.689	0
21.	25	David Anthony	Kneedraggers.com/ Motul/Fly Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	DNS	DNS	-no times-	0
22.	48	Reno Karimian	Team Air	Kawasaki ZX-10	DNS	DNS	-no times-	0

2012 Laguna Seca MotoGP | Results

July 29, 2012 at 7:52 PM

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2012 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Results

Spoiler Alert: 2012 MotoGP results from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca listed below

For the 14th time, the MotoGP Championship got underway at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the California circuit with the famed corkscrew, a left-right turn that drops four stories within hundredths of a second.

Heading into the race at the shortest circuit on the 2012 MotoGP schedule, Laguna Seca a mere 2.243 miles, Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo was untouchable; the Spaniard not only led the championship by 18 points over Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, but also set a new circuit record of 120.554 while qualifying on the pole.

But though Lorenzo led most of the 32 laps at Laguna Seca, with 11 to go Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner placed his RC213V with new engine out front. The reigning MotoGP champ wasted now time and immediately opened a gap, eventually finishing 3.429 seconds ahead of Lorenzo. Taking the final podium position was Stoner's teammate Dani Pedrosa, who finished 7.633 seconds behind Stoner.

When the race began Stoner, who started from second on the grid, fell back to third behind Lorenzo and Pedrosa, respectively. Behind were Yamaha Factory Racing's Ben Spies, the Monster Tech Yamaha duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl, San Carlo Honda Gresini's Alvaro Bautista, and the Ducati Team of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi, respectively.

Drama began on the first lap when San Carlo Honda Gresini's Michele Pirro crashed out on turn one. On the second lap, Pramac Racing Ducati's substitute rider for Hector Barbera, 2010 Moto2 Champion Toni Elias, also crashed out. But up front, the action was just beginning when Stoner passed Pedrosa and began chasing down Lorenzo.

Ten laps into the race, and the grid began forming groups. Up front, Lorenzo led Stoner and Pedrosa. Nine seconds behind the top three was another group with Spies leading Dovi and Crutchlow. Further back Bradl led Hayden, with Rossi running alone in ninth.

Heading into lap 11, Stoner outpaced Lorenzo, passing him on the straight heading into turn one. On the same lap, the Texan Spies crashed at the bottom of the corkscrew, ending his chance at finishing fourth.

But the other famed America, Hayden, was slowly creeping up on Bradl. And with five laps to go, Hayden passed Bradl for fifth. But there was no such luck for Hayden's teammate Rossi. While running in a lonely eighth, the nine-time World Champion crashed on the penultimate lap, suffering his first DNF of the 2012 MotoGP Championship.

Up front, Stoner would take the win, his fourth of the 2012 season, and his second consecutive victory at Laguna Seca. Lorenzo would finish second, followed by Pedrosa.

Dovi held off Crutchlow by 0.177 of second to take fourth, with Hayden in sixth. Rounding out the top 10 were Bradl in seventh, followed by Bautista, Power Electronics CRT's Aleix Espargaro and Cardion AB Racing Ducati's Karel Abraham. As for the American Colin Edwards, the Forward Racing NGM BMW Suter rider finished 13th.

With his second-place finish, Lorenzo continues to lead the MotoGP series after 10 of 18 rounds, the 2010 Champion 23 points ahead of Pedrosa. Stoner remains in third, 32 points behind Lorenzo.

The 2012 MotoGP Championship now breaks for three weeks before resuming at Indianapolis for round 11 of 18.

2012 Laguna Seca MotoGP Results:

Pos.	Points	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time/Gap
1.	25	1	Casey STONER	AUS	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	158.4	43'45.961
2.	20	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	158.2	+3.429
3.	16	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	157.9	+7.633
4.	13	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	157.3	+18.602
5.	11	35	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	157.2	+18.779
6.	10	69	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Team	Ducati	156.8	+26.902
7.	9	6	Stefan BRADL	GER	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda	156.7	+28.393
8.	8	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Honda	155.4	+50.246
9.	7	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	153.7	+1'18.993
10.	6	17	Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	Cardion AB Motoracing	Ducati	153.6	+1'22.076
11.	5	14	Randy DE PUNIET	FRA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	153.3	1 Lap
12.	4	68	Yonny HERNANDEZ	COL	Avintia Blusens	BQR	152.9	1 Lap
13.	3	5	Colin EDWARDS	USA	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	Suter	151.6	1 Lap
14.	2	22	Ivan SILVA	SPA	Avintia Blusens	BQR	151.4	1 Lap
Not Classified
		46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	156.2	3 Laps
		11	Ben SPIES	USA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	157.4	11 Laps
		77	James ELLISON	GBR	Paul Bird Motorsport	ART	151.9	13 Laps
		9	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	Came IodaRacing Project	Ioda	151.4	14 Laps
		54	Mattia PASINI	ITA	Speed Master	ART	152.2	21 Laps
		24	Toni ELIAS	SPA	Pramac Racing Team	Ducati	134.1	31 Laps
		51	Michele PIRRO	ITA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	FTR		0 Lap

2012 MotoGP Point Standings (after 10 of 18 rounds):

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1.	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	205
2.	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	182
3.	Casey STONER	Honda	AUS	173
4.	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Yamaha	ITA	121
5.	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Yamaha	GBR	106
6.	Stefan BRADL	Honda	GER	84
7.	Nicky HAYDEN	Ducati	USA	84
8.	Valentino ROSSI	Ducati	ITA	82
9.	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Honda	SPA	81
10.	Ben SPIES	Yamaha	USA	66
11.	Hector BARBERA	Ducati	SPA	60
12.	Randy DE PUNIET	ART	FRA	33
13.	Aleix ESPARGARO	ART	SPA	33
14.	Michele PIRRO	FTR	ITA	16
15.	Mattia PASINI	ART	ITA	13
16.	James ELLISON	ART	GBR	12
17.	Colin EDWARDS	Suter	USA	11
18.	Karel ABRAHAM	Ducati	CZE	10
19.	Yonny HERNANDEZ	BQR	COL	10
20.	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ioda	ITA	9
21.	Ivan SILVA	BQR	SPA	7

Laguna Seca MotoGP | Pre-Race Stats

July 29, 2012 at 1:17 PM

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2012 MotoGP Championship

In a few hours, the 10th race of 18 in the 2012 MotoGP Championship will get underway at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, marking the second half of the season.

The first of two back-to-back rounds in America, Laguna Seca is the shortest circuit on the 2012 MotoGP schedule, the 11-turn circuit in Monterey, Calif., a mere 2.243 miles.

And like in the past three years at Laguna Seca, Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo will start from pole position, the 2010 MotoGP Champion heading up the front row ahead of the Repsol Honda duo of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, respectively.

To keep the anticipation building ahead of today's race, here are some stats of Laguna Seca MotoGP:

Jorge Lorenzo starts from pole for the third time this year and for the first time since the Spanish
GP at Jerez. This is the fourth successive year that Lorenzo has started from pole at the US Grand Prix.
Lorenzo's pole position lap is the fastest-ever lap of the Laguna Seca circuit by a motorcycle, 0.146 seconds faster than the previous record set by Casey Stoner during qualifying in 2008.
Casey Stoner starts from the front row for the eighth time this year. Stoner won the MotoGP race at Laguna Seca last year from second place on the grid.
Taking the final place on the front row, Dani Pedrosa has finished on the podium at the last five races and if he finishes in the top-three this weekend will equal his longest sequence of successive podiums in the MotoGP class.
Ben Spies, who heads the second row of the grid, will be aiming to finish on the podium for the first time since the final race of 2011 at Valencia.
Cal Crutchlow is making just his second appearance at the Laguna Seca circuit and is the highest-placed qualifier from the satellite teams, in fifth place on the grid.
Andrea Dovizioso is in the final place on the second row, which is his best qualifying result since the Catalunya Grand Prix. Dovizioso is aiming to finish on the podium at four successive races for the first time in the MotoGP class.
Heading the third row of the grid is Alvaro Bautista, who has crashed out of the race on his previous two visits to the Laguna Seca circuit.
Nicky Hayden starts the race from the middle of the third row and is the highest-placed factory Ducati rider on the grid for the sixth successive race.
Stefan Bradl has qualified in ninth place on the grid on his first racing appearance at the Laguna Seca circuit.
In tenth place on the grid is Valentino Rossi; the sixth time this year he has not made it onto one of the front three rows.
11th fastest qualifier is Randy de Puniet, who has missed racing at Laguna Seca for the last two years due to injury. This is the fifth time this year he has been top CRT rider in qualifying.
Steve Rapp could make his GP debut at the age of 40, if he makes the 107% mark in warm-up he would become the oldest American rider ever to take part in a premier-class Grand Prix race.

Photos by Ara Ashjian

KTM's Despres Wins Desafio Litoral Rally

July 29, 2012 at 10:15 AM

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2012 Desafio Litoral Rally Results

Cyril Despres, KTM's four-time Dakar winner, went out an did the business required on Saturday to take stage and overall victories on the final day of the new six-day Desafio Rally in Argentina, part of the Dakar Series.

On a day that was a mere short dash of some 80 km compared to the other competition days, the French-born rider finished his week's outing with a win in the final stage just short of a minute behind local rider Mario Gomez with KTM rider Jakub 'Kuba' Przgonski in third. That was enough to put Despres and Przgonski 1-2 on the overall podium Gomez picked up the minor podium place.

Despres' factory teammate, albeit from a different discipline, Taddy Blazusiak, KTM's Extreme Enduro and EnduroCross specialist, finished a creditable ninth in the final stage. For the Polish rider it wasa heroic nineteenth overall in what could be described as a baptism of fire into the world of rally sport.

Currently on a long break from the US EnduroCross competition, Taddy decided to "stay on two wheels" and join his friend Cyril on this latest South American adventure. Completely new to the sport and the finesse of managing the navigation and the road book, Taddy went out and gave it a very good shot.

His overall result also reflects the fact that he did not finish stage two after crashing and aggravating an old shoulder injury and on Stage Five he proved to be a very good teammate when he offered his wheel to Cyril after he had wrecked a tire, allowing the leader to keep going and secure the victory.

Going into the final stage Cyril was quietly confident but underlined that 'anything can happen' in the last dash for the finish and while the final day was the shortest in terms of kilometers, it was by no means a pushover. The first part of the stage was fast track punctuated with tricky hairpin bends and others that were slow with very different radiuses. They wove their way through a complex maze of palm trees, estuaries and bridges over rivers that flow into the Paraná. To wrap up the day's rider they tackled a section of loose surface very typical of the Litoral region.

This Dakar series event was not only a good opportunity for Despres, Prozgonski and Blazusiak to keep in shape in the mid season, it was also an excellent opportunity for South American riders to measure themselves against several of the world's best.

2012 Desafio Litoral Rally, Stage Six Results:
1. Cyril Despres, France, KTM at 40 minutes 13
2. Mauricio Gomez, Argentina, Yamaha at 0.51 seconds
3. Jakub Przgonski, Poland, KTM, at 1.01 minutes
4. Javier Pizzolito, Argentina, Honda at 2.05
5. Pablo Rodriguez, Argentina, Honda at 2.48
6. David Tieppo, Beta, at 3.48
7. Guiral, Honda, 4. 42
8. Salvattiera, Honda at 5.11
9. Taddy Blazusiak, Poland, KTM, at 10.26
10. Ortiz Yamaha, at 5,21

Desafio Litoral Rally Overall Results:
1. Despres, 13 hours 56.54
2. Przgonski 14:01.39  
3. Gomez at 14:49.09
4. Rodriguez, 15:30.32
 5. Pizzolito, 15:32.46
6. Israel, at 15:41.26
7. Ortiz, 17.10.06
8. Guiral, 17.13.20
9. Laurent Lazzard, Uruguay, Yamaha, 17.53.04
10. Jorge Aguilar, KTM, 18.05.30
19. Taddy Blazusiak, Poland, KTM 24:46.51 (including a DNF in Stage Two)

AMA SBK: Hayes Takes Pole #8 at Laguna

July 29, 2012 at 9:45 AM

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2012 AMA SuperBike

The GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing action is heating up in Monterey, Calif. and grids are set for tomorrow's AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike.

Despite facing a stiff challenge from noted Laguna Seca master Ben Bostrom, Josh Hayes escaped with his National Guard SuperBike pole streak intact on Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha superstar Hayes dropped his mark to a 1:24.446 during QP2 to narrowly spoil the pole aspirations of Jordan Suzuki's Ben Bostrom (1:24.657).

The Mississippian now boasts a perfect record of eight pole positions in 2012 while his overall run has been extended to ten straight dating back to the tail-end of his second title-winning campaign.

Hayes will now seek to protect his seven-race win streak, a feat that will require him to earn a first-career Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca National Guard SuperBike triumph. He's been close each of the past two years, but was nipped at the flag on both occasions. Considering their qualifying showdown, Hayes will no doubt remember that the man who defeated him in '10 was none other than Bostrom.

Josh Hayes (Monster Energy Yamaha YZF-R1 SuperBike) says: "Sounds like I got a little lucky today. Everything has been going pretty well. I've done a couple of good strings of '24s. I did some this morning, and I did the same thing this afternoon. I don't even know which lap was my best. I had quite a few laps where I had to pass people.

"With eight minutes to go or so, we came in and decided if one of the guys stepped up and took pole, that was okay; we still had some things we wanted to work on to be able to do a faster race pace. I didn't throw my last tire at it and decided to work on some other things. Fortunately, the time held up even though Ben got really, really close."

While '11 Laguna Seca SuperBike winner Tommy Hayden is now contesting the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike category, his younger brother, Roger, gave Hayes fits at Mid-Ohio and has shown the potential to do the same this weekend, as well.

The National Guard Jordan Suzuki pilot ranked second-quick throughout much of the session before ultimately qualifying a close third at 1:24.867 to claim the final spot on the front row in the unique three-rider-per-row format utilized alongside the MotoGP stars at Laguna Seca.

The Jordan men will look to, again, take the fight to Hayes.

Ben Bostrom (Jordan Suzuki GSX-R 1000 SuperBike) says: "I like the track, and the bike has been really great. Obviously, all year, it keeps improving. Last race, Rog (Hayden) did an awesome job all weekend and almost put the thing on the top of the podium. It was a very inspired ride, and I expect to have a good fight with Rog and, obviously, Hayes, who is the man to beat. I'm just happy to be up fighting. It's been a while since I've been at the front."

Roger Lee Hayden (Jordan Suzuki GSX-R 1000 SuperBike) says: "I kind of cut it a little bit close there at the end. I came in and got a new tire and tried to put in a quick lap. It seemed like I was having a lot of problems getting a clean lap; there were a lot of guys out there looking for a tow, but luckily, I got one clean lap at the end and got on the front row. That's really important at this place because there are only three spots on the front row and it's really hard to pass."

Hayes' factory SuperBike teammate, Josh Herrin, appeared in danger of qualifying off the front two rows. However, the rising star found his groove late and leaped up from ninth to fourth to secure the first spot on the second row aboard his #2 Yamaha YZF-R1.

Team Amsoil/Hero EBR's Geoff May will start from the middle of the row after qualifying second to Hayes provisionally in the morning session. He fractionally edged Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Young (1:25.043 vs. 1:25.073) for fifth as Young continues to search for his missing mojo.

Young has shown well at Laguna Seca in the past, including a podium finish a year ago (also from the second row) and the '09 contest in which he pushed legend Mat Mladin deep into the contest before finishing second.

Riders Discount K&L Supply Suzuki's Taylor Knapp will head the third row and be joined alongside by Team Hero EBR's Danny Eslick and second Yosh runner Chris Clark.

If Hayes manages to win tomorrow's 23-lapper, he'll set a new single-season win streak with his eighth consecutive AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike victory.

2012 Laguna Seca AMA SuperBike Qualifying Results:

Pos	No.	Rider(s)	Team	Bike	Interval	Gap	Best Lap	Laps
1.	1	Josh Hayes	Monster Energy Graves Yamaha	Yamaha R1	FASTEST	FASTEST	1:24.446	23
2.	23	Ben Bostrom	Jordan Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	0.211	0.211	1:24.657	18
3.	54	Roger Hayden	National Guard Jordan Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	0.421	0.210	1:24.867	21
4.	2	Josh Herrin	Monster Energy Graves Yamaha	Yamaha R1	0.583	0.162	1:25.029	14
5.	99	Geoff May	Team Amsoil/Hero	EBR 1190RS	0.597	0.014	1:25.043	19
6.	79	Blake Young	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	0.627	0.030	1:25.073	22
7.	44	Taylor Knapp	Riders Discount K&L Supply	Suzuki GSX-R1000	1.340	0.713	1:25.786	20
8.	69	Danny Eslick	Team Hero	EBR 1190RS	1.455	0.115	1:25.901	16
9.	6	Chris Clark	Yoshimura Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	1.529	0.074	1:25.975	22
10.	72	Larry Pegram	Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing	BMW S1000RR	1.565	0.036	1:26.011	19
11.	59	Jake Holden	Buyredline.com	Honda CBR1000RR	1.622	0.057	1:26.068	11
12.	12	Stefan Nebel	KTM/HMC Racing	KTM RC8R	2.052	0.430	1:26.498	20
13.	111	Glenn Allerton	DVS Suspension Racing	BMW S1000RR	2.161	0.109	1:26.607	19
14.	15	Steve Rapp	Attack Performance	Kawasaki ZX-10	2.352	0.191	1:26.798	18
15.	18	Chris Ulrich	M4 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	2.674	0.322	1:27.120	19
16.	77	Ricky Corey	RCR Performance	Yamaha R1	3.043	0.369	1:27.489	10
17.	33	Jordan Burgess	Kneedraggers.com/ Motul/Fly Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	4.453	1.410	1:28.899	21
18.	171	Ivan Sala	RacersEdgePerformance.com	Suzuki GSX-R1000	4.965	0.512	1:29.411	22
19.	57	Bostjan Skubic	Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	5.120	0.155	1:29.566	20
20.	269	Johnny Rock Page	Kneedraggers.com/ Motul/Fly Racing	Suzuki GSX-R1000	5.534	0.414	1:29.980	16
21.	89	Tony Porter	EDR	Kawasaki ZX-10	8.242	2.708	1:32.688	16
22.	48	Reno Karimian	Team Air	Kawasaki ZX-10	8.285	0.043	1:32.731	2

Lorenzo: Record-Breaking Pole at Laguna MotoGP

July 29, 2012 at 9:33 AM

Click the images below for bigger versions:

2012 Laguna Seca MotoGP Qualifying Results

The 1000cc era of MotoGP proved its massive speeds once again at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Saturday during qualifying.

The record-breaking times began Friday when Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa broke the circuit record; Pedrosa posted a best lap of 1:21.088, beating the circuit record set by Casey Stoner while with Ducati in 2010 (1:21.376).

But when the hour-long qualifying session got underway Saturday, Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo was the man to beat, the Spaniard setting an even faster pace than Pedrosa.

And although Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner stole the top lap time towards the end of qualifying, Lorenzo responded with a blistering last lap of 1:20.554, which is the new circuit record at Laguna Seca, the shortest circuit on the 2012 MotoGP schedule (2.243 miles).

This allowed Lorenzo to secure his fourth consecutive Laguna Seca pole. Lorenzo qualified 0.074 of a second ahead of Stoner, with Pedrosa taking the final front-row position.

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1 MotoGP) says: "I knew Casey and Dani were going to try and take pole but I really wanted it here in America so I tried my best for Yamaha. I pushed to the limit, especially in the last corner, I was at full lean and opened the throttle really soon. In my first two tries for a perfect lap there was a lot of traffic so I had to wait for the right moment. The important thing is tomorrow, pole position is nice but anyway the race is what counts."

Stoner spent the majority of qualifying dialing in his RC213 on harder race Bridgestone tires. The reigning MotoGP Champion, who is utilizing a new engine in his bike for Laguna Seca, also complained about much lap traffic during qualifying.

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: "I'm disappointed as I think we definitely had the potential for pole position. We spent most of the session with the hard tire trying to improve our pace, we've been struggling with it all season when the temperatures aren't high enough to get it working and we had made a few steps and weren't too far off the pace. Then we put on the soft tire and unfortunately we never got a clean lap. There was always a CRT bike in the way and considering we're 3-4 seconds a lap quicker than them, you come up on them pretty quick, no matter how big a gap you give them."

Pedrosa, who is utilizing a new engine and new chassis on his RC213V, also spent most of the qualifying session dialing in his bike with a harder rear tire. Although quickest on Friday, Pedrosa couldn't match the pace of Lorenzo and Stoner. He ended qualifying 0.352 of a second behind Lorenzo.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: "I was a little upset at the end of the session as I wasn't able to improve my lap time, but happy anyway with another front row. We did a big job this afternoon, considering this morning, in my opinion, there was no meaning to go out with such a track and weather conditions. So we had one hour to work with the tires and set up the new bike that I finally chose for the race. It was an intense and interesting practice; we know what we have to do for tomorrow.

"The bike is working well and I'm pretty confident for the race. Let's see if we have better conditions than today for the warm up tomorrow and we can work on the finer details, although I think we have already a good package."

Although he suffered a heavy crash 12 minutes before the end of qualifying, Yamaha Factory Racing's Ben Spies qualified fourth, heading up the fourth row. The Texan, who will depart from the factory Yamaha team at the conclusion of the 2012 MotoGP Championship, suffered an injured heel and slight concussion, but was able to rejoin the session.

Spies was 0.540 of a second slower than Lorenzo, and was followed by the two satellite Yamaha Monster Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1s piloted by Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso, respectively. Dovi was the final rider to post within a second of Lorenzo, the Italian who landed on the podium four times so far this year 0.985 of a second behind Lorenzo.

Taking the seventh fastest time during qualifying was San Carlo Gresini Honda's Alvaro Bautista, who will be joined by the highest-placed Ducati and home favorite - Ducati Team's Nicky Hayden. Completing the third row will be LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl, who suffered a slight run-off in the gravel trap near the corkscrew.

Ducati Team's Valentino Rossi will start round 10 of 18 at Laguna Seca from 10th on the grid, the nine-time World Champion struggling with corner entry aboard the Desmo GP12.

The highest CRT finisher was Power Electronics Aspar's Randy de Puniet, who ended the day in 11th. NGM Mobile Forward Racing's Colin Edwards put in one of his better qualifying performances in 13th, after the team carried out a big modification to his seat, allowing for better agility on the bike. Wildcard Steve Rapp, on board the Attack Performance CRT machine, did not qualify for the race, as he set a time outside of the 107% marker off the top time. This means that Rapp must post a time within this limit during tomorrow's warm-up to be able to contest. Apart from Spies' crash, Speed Master's Mattia Pasini also suffered a fall, but fortunately walked away unhurt, MotoGP reports.

The riders will be back on the Laguna Seca circuit for a 20-minute warm-up ahead of the race set for 2 p.m. PDT. SPEED TV will cover the race at 3 p.m. PDT.

2012 Laguna Seca MotoGP Qualifying Results:

Pos.	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time	Gap 1st/Prev.
1.	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	267.7	1'20.554
2.	1	Casey STONER	AUS	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	267.1	1'20.628	0.074 / 0.074
3.	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	267.4	1'20.906	0.352 / 0.278
4.	11	Ben SPIES	USA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	263.7	1'21.094	0.540 / 0.188
5.	35	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	265.1	1'21.268	0.714 / 0.174
6.	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	263.4	1'21.539	0.985 / 0.271
7.	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Honda	265.8	1'21.732	1.178 / 0.193
8.	69	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Team	Ducati	266.1	1'21.734	1.180 / 0.002
9.	6	Stefan BRADL	GER	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda	260.6	1'21.753	1.199 / 0.019
10.	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	268.1	1'22.544	1.990 / 0.791
11.	14	Randy DE PUNIET	FRA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	253.9	1'22.886	2.332 / 0.342
12.	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	252.9	1'23.075	2.521 / 0.189
13.	5	Colin EDWARDS	USA	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	Suter	255.4	1'23.699	3.145 / 0.624
14.	17	Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	Cardion AB Motoracing	Ducati	260.1	1'23.704	3.150 / 0.005
15.	68	Yonny HERNANDEZ	COL	Avintia Blusens	BQR	253.6	1'23.769	3.215 / 0.065
16.	51	Michele PIRRO	ITA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	FTR	255.9	1'23.877	3.323 / 0.108
17.	24	Toni ELIAS	SPA	Pramac Racing Team	Ducati	258.3	1'23.898	3.344 / 0.021
18.	54	Mattia PASINI	ITA	Speed Master	ART	246.5	1'24.017	3.463 / 0.119
19.	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	Came IodaRacing Project	Ioda	245.7	1'24.227	3.673 / 0.210
20.	22	Ivan SILVA	SPA	Avintia Blusens	BQR	246.8	1'24.560	4.006 / 0.333
21.	77	James ELLISON	GBR	Paul Bird Motorsport	ART	251.2	1'24.715	4.161 / 0.155
	15	Steve RAPP	USA	Attack Performance	APR	245.2	1'26.887	6.333 / 2.172