Photography by Larry Lawrence
MILLVILLE, NJ (Sept. 14, 2014) – Josh Hayes closed out the DMG era of AMA Superbike racing with a victory in the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Hayes was in the clear after his Monster Energy/Graves Motorsports Cameron Beaubier crashed out while battling Hayes for the lead. In the end Hayes’ margin of victory was 4.824 seconds.
The battle for second came down to the Yoshimura Suzuki pair of Martin Cardenas and Roger Hayden. Hayden ran off the track and lost a handful of positions earlier in the race, but recovered to come out on top in a great last-lap battle with his teammate. The two were separated by just 0.039 seconds at the checkered flag.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Hayes said. “I wanted this one so much for my team. I’m gutted for Cam. I really wanted a Yamaha one-two. It’s a great way to close out the season. I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
Hayes broke to the front early with Hayden, Cardenas and Beaubier giving chase. On the second lap Hayden dropped back to eighth when he ran wide in a turn and had to tiptoe through the grass back onto the track.
On lap three Hayes made his own big mistake and dropped back to third behind Cardenas, giving Beaubier a gap of 1.175 seconds up front. Bernat Martinez, riding a customer Graves Yamaha bike, ran a strong fourth, holding off the KTM factory rider Chris Fillmore.
Hayes recovered from his earlier miscue and began chopping into Yamaha teammate Beaubier’s lead by lap seven. On lap 10 Hayes and Beaubier were mixing it up in a battle for the lead when Beaubier lost the front end going into turn one and crashed out of the race.
That left Hayes all along in front some seven seconds ahead of Cardenas and Hayden, who were now battling for second. Martinez was back to fourth after Fillmore turned up missing on lap nine. David Anthony ran fifth.
There was a good tussle for sixth with Larry Pegram scrapping with Canadian Superbike star Jodi Christie, Chris Clarke and Chris Ulrich.
Hayden seemed to be biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to get by Cardenas. With two laps to go he made his move and immediately put the hammer down to try to keep Cardenas at bay, but Cardenas came back and the two swapped the position a few times on the last lap before Hayden took it.
Martinez scored his best ever result in fourth on the customer factory Yamaha bike, holding off “Aussie Dave” Anthony. Those two were about 36 seconds behind Hayes at the finish.
Christie held on to a solid sixth-place in his epic battle with Chris Clark and Larry Pegram.
It was appropriate for Hayes, the winningest rider in the DMG era, to close out this era of AMA Superbike as the champion and final winner. It marked his seventh win of the season and the 48th of his career.
AMA Pro Superbike results from New Jersey Motorsports Park – Sept. 14, 2014
1 4 Josh Hayes Monster Energy Graves Yamaha Yamaha R1 23 Laps
2 95 Roger Hayden Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 4.824
3 36 Martin Cardenas Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 4.863
4 76 Bernat Martinez Proto-Tech Spain Yamaha R1 36.663
5 25 David Anthony ADR Motorsports, Sic, Motul Fly Racin Suzuki GSX-R1000 36.683
6 20 Jodi Christie Honda Canada/Accelerated Technologies Team Honda CBR1000RR 43.064
7 6 Chris Clark Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 43.230
8 72 Larry Pegram Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing EBR 1190RS 43.256
9 18 Chris Ulrich GEICO Motorcycle Racing Honda CBR1000RR 47.490
10 44 Taylor Knapp TOBC Racing II Suzuki GSX-R1000 50.888
