Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin won his second Steel Commander Superbike race of the season at Ridge Motorsports Park on Sunday, putting him in championship contention in what is arguably the hardest-fought Superbike championship in AMA history at this point in the season. season.
After the two races at Ridge Motorsports Park, four drivers are separated by just eight points and there is just one point between first and second, making it an even contest with a two-week break before the series returns to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., July 12-14.
Herrin won his second race of the year in typical Herrin style. He got an early lead, built a gap, and held it, crossing the finish line by a handful of seconds. In addition to his second win of the year, it was also his sixth podium of the year and 12th career AMA Superbike win.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong took over second with 11 laps to go when he passed Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen. Fong took off after Herrin and managed to make up some ground, but was never close enough to threaten.
However, second place on the day was enough to put Fong back in the points lead of the 2024 Steel Commander Superbike Championship, after losing it in what was a rain-soaked debacle for the Californian on Saturday.
Third place went to Petersen, a day after the South African won his third race of the season on Saturday. Petersen led Fong by about four seconds and Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz by another four seconds. The two podiums achieved in the two races put him in full contention for the title.
Fifth place went to a rather solitary Sean Dylan Kelly on the TopPro Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim took an impressive sixth place aboard his Stock 1000-spec Honda CBR1000RR SP, narrowly beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Xavi Forés, who finished seventh.
Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike champion Cameron Beaubier surgically overcame the pain of a fractured right heel to finish behind Forés and seven seconds ahead of three-time MotoAmerica Superbike champion Jake Gagne, the latter still struggling with forearm problems.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Brandon Paasch rounded out the top 10.
Speaking of the championship we were talking about before. what do you think about this? Fong leads Gagne by just one point, 158-157. Petersen is second at 151 and Herrin is fourth at 149. All of this translates into the top four in the standings being separated by just eight points.
Photo courtesy MotoAmerica by Brian J. Nelson
