Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roger Hayden and Toni Elias overcame oppressive heat and humidity to share wins on their Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000s in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday as Hayden scored victory over his team-mate in the first, while Elias claimed the win in race two.
This was the fourth time this season in MotoAmerica Superbike that the Yoshimura Suzuki squad and their GSX-R1000s dominated in this fashion by finishing 1-2.
For Hayden the victory was especially sweet since it was his first victory of 2016 and his first Superbike win since 2014. For Elias, the victory in race two marked his fourth win of the year.
Hayden’s win in Sunday’s first round was impressive as Elias applied constant pressure throughout the race, but Hayden stayed solid as a rock aboard his Suzuki to narrowly beat his Spanish team-mate to the line by .210 of a second.
“I’m just really happy to get this win, finally,” said Hayden, who last won at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2014. “It’s been a long time. I’m glad my family’s here. My dad and my mom and brothers and a bunch of people from home, so it makes it a little more special. My guys (his crew), they need this win too. We all want to win. We were all getting tired of getting second all the time, so it’s good for them.”
In race two Elias took over the lead on the second lap, but Hayden came up and took over the point for six laps in the middle. In the closing stages Elias found a way around his team-mate and held it to the chequered flag. Elias’ margin of victory over Hayden was a scant 0.126 seconds.
資料提供 [ Suzuki Racing ]