Hayes and Hayden set for final battle

From AMA Pro Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - After a period of total domination by seven-time AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Champion Mat Mladin and Ben Spies, the 2010 National Guard SuperBike season has been a battle between a number of different players.

Six different riders have won races this year and only after about the fourth event of the season did a picture of the championship and its main characters start to become apparent. After a quiet Daytona International Speedway round in terms of results, current points leader Josh Hayes (426) hasn't finished out of the top three since the fifth race at Road Atlanta and his seven wins on the Team Graves Yamaha leads the series.

Tommy Hayden's brother Nicky is the only rider to disrupt the Maldin/Spies championship run from 1999 (Nicky was SuperBike Champion in 2002) and once again, the Hayden name could top the charts as Tommy goes for his first AMA Pro SuperBike championship. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider is currently second in the standings with 404 points.

The points difference is 22 with a total of 63 points available over the course of the doubleheader race weekend. The first battle will be for the precious pole position point, which will be set on Saturday morning after Friday's first round of qualifying.

This will also settle another competition within the sport as the MotoConnect SuperBike Pole Award will be determined also. Currently Hayes holds the edge in the competition.

Race one of two during the weekend will be Saturday at 3:15pm. The second race will be on Sunday at 3:15pm.

SPEED TV will be showing each National Guard SuperBike race from the weekend, check http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/filter/program/948061 for the broadcast times.

After competing together for over 950 miles over the course of 16 out of 18 races, the top three in this year's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike series are only separated by 12 points and it all comes down to the final doubleheader race weekend at Barber.

Reigning Daytona SportBike Champion Danny Eslick is leading the three-way battle for the championship over Josh Herrin and Martin Cardenas. Eslick, with three wins this year on his GEICO Powersports RMR Suzuki holds a slender 11-point lead over his closest challenger, Team Graves Yamaha rider Herrin. Herrin has taken five wins and is only one single point ahead of seven-time race winner, M4 Monster Energy Suzuki rider Cardenas.

With a total of 63 points available this weekend at the AMA Pro Road Racing season finale the matter is far from settled.

SPEED TV will cover the action from Barber Motorsports Park at 1:00am Saturday/Sunday night and at 12:00 Midnight (Sunday/Monday). The first of two races will be on Saturday at 2:00pm. The second 21-lap race will be on Sunday at 2:00pm.

The Young Gun class of 2010 in AMA Pro SuperSport has produced some of the most exciting, memorable and historic results in only its second year. With six different riders posting wins during the season, the class was super competitive from the drop of the first green flag back in March at Daytona.

And this weekend at Barber the AMA Pro SuperSport National Champions will be crowned in both Young and Top Gun categories.

This weekend's two races will count Moto-style toward crowning the champions in each division. In addition to the Number One title plate that will be presented to each champion there will be the Liquid Performance AMA Pro SuperSport National Championship Pole Award and also Liquid Performance AMA Pro SuperSport National Championship Most Laps Led Award, two cash prize awards of $1,000 (US) each for the rider who takes the coveted pole position and also the rider who collectively leads the most laps in the two races.

The first of two doubleheader weekend races will be at 1:00pm Saturday and race two will be Sunday at 1:00pm.

This weekend's AMA Pro Road Racing event at Barber Motorsports Park will see the final race in the inaugural AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series. After debuting in Wisconsin in June, the home state of Harley-Davidson, the series has showcased the racing capabilities of the Harley-Davidson XR1200 with a specialized kit of competition and appearance upgrades from famed accessory company Vance & Hines.

Riding for Richie Morris' Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing GEICO Powersports Lucas Oil Team, both Danny Eslick and Jake Holden have dominated the class, Eslick with three wins and Holden taking the checkered flag at New Jersey. Unfortunately his motorcycle and also the motorcycle of third place finisher Kyle Wyman were later found to be running an illegally modified component and their results were nullified.

Eslick skipped the last round at NJMP as he focused on defending his Daytona SportBike Championship and now, he could win the title in two classes if he runs in the XR1200 class this weekend.

Travis Wyman is now in second place in the standings and could take the championship on his Harv's Harley-Davidson with a win or second place providing Eslick doesn't score or run.

Sixteen riders have taken part in the Vance & Hines XR1200 series this year and this weekend they will be joined by the Henderson Harley-Davidson XR1200 Trophy series (Great Britain) champion Jeremy McWilliams, who will be riding thanks to Roadracingworld.com and the HOG Racing Team along with Warr's Racing and SYN3 lubricants.

The 11-lap race will be first up on Sunday at 12:15pm.