Gillim, Vossberg And Kornbau Set New Lap Records As Feature Classes Set The Stage For Q2
LEXINGTON, OH (July 31, 2026) – The first day of action at Permco MotoAmerica Superbikes at Mid-Ohio delivered blistering speeds under sweltering summer conditions as six classes took to the 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for practice and qualifying. Despite the heat, riders wasted little time rewriting the record books, with several new lap records falling as championship contenders and local favorites alike laid down impressive performances ahead of a packed weekend of racing.Â
Friday's pace could prove especially significant, however, as the forecast calls for rain on both Saturday and Sunday, making the dry-track sessions all the more valuable as teams prepare for what could become a dramatically different race weekend.
Superbike
The Quad Lock Superbike class finished day one at Mid-Ohio with Sean Dylan Kelly's OrangeCat Racing BMW M 1000 RR at the front.
Kelly had to work for the top time, capturing the fastest lap by the narrowest margins in Timed Practice. The points leader ended the session just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL rider PJ Jacobsen, who looked comfortable aboard the 2026 Ducati Panigale V4R.
Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law rider Loris Baz rounded out the top three.
Baz’s teammate Benjamin Smith and Wrench Motorcycles’ Cameron Petersen, aboard the 2025 model Ducati Panigale V4 R registered matching times of 1:25.130 to slot in 0.387 seconds behind the top time.
The field at Mid-Ohio looks extremely tight based on today's lap times. Looking all the way back to 10th, there is just over one second between the top nine riders. OrangeCat Racing's Jayson Uribe finished day one in fifth, ahead of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki's Richie Escalante in sixth aboard the GSX-R1000R and Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing's JD Beach in seventh on the YZF-R1.
Strack Racing's Mathew Scholtz clicked off a 1:25.500 for eighth fastest. The South African, however, has missed track time in each session of the day. In the first practice session, he discovered smoke coming from his Yamaha YZF-R1 during the morning's Free Practice, cutting that session short. Later, in the timed session, Scholtz missed more valuable track time as the team sorted out the problem further before turning only eight laps.
Rounding out the top riders within a second of the leader’s pace was Real Steel Honda's Hayden Gillim aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Gillim, like Scholtz, will head into tomorrow's Final Practice with less track time after crashing following his fifth lap, destroying the bike and ending his session early.
In Superbike Cup, Real Steel Honda’s Andrew Lee was once again fastest in the first sessions here in Ohio. The California native set a time of 1:26.621 to take the fastest Cup lap.
Supersport
Supersport Q1 was topped by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes aboard the Yamaha YZF-R9. The 51-year-old, four-time Superbike champion clicked off a blistering 1:27.521, shaving six-tenths off his morning practice time and edging out Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila rider Josh Herrin and his Ducati Panigale V2 by a tenth of a second for provisional pole.
The top three was completed by Kayla Yaakov aboard the Rahal Ducati Moto with Droplight Ducati Panigale V2, four-tenths of a second behind the leader, and the final rider in the minute-27s.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki's Tyler Scott finished the first qualifier in fourth, followed by Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse Ducati points leader Darryn Binder in fifth. Strack Racing Yamaha's Blake Davis sat sixth, with 3D Motorsports' Aiden Sneed closing out the one-second gap to the leader in seventh.
Mission King Of The Baggers
Mission King Of The Baggers Q1 is in the books, and Hayden Gillim smashed the previous lap record to set provisional pole with a 1:27.245 around the 2.4-mile Ohio circuit. Gillim, from neighboring Kentucky, crashed in the morning practice session, but his J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian team got the bike back together in time for Q1. Teammate Troy Herfoss finished four-tenths back in second place.
Behind the leading Factory Indians came Kyle Wyman in third aboard the Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing entry. The two-time King Of The Baggers champion found himself 1.1 seconds off the pace when the red flag came out for Saddlemen Race Development's Cory West, who crashed entering Turn 2, struck the leading edge of the concrete curbing and sent the bike across the chicane into the path of Turn 3. West would exit the course holding his right wrist. During the stoppage, Wyman’s team went to work making gearing changes to his Factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
The two-time and defending Bagger champion pushed to make up time on the leading duo, but the order at the top held. J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian's Rocco Landers and Big Diehl x Harley-Davidson Factory Racing's James Rispoli rounded out the top five heading into Q2.
Twins Cup
The Twins Cup class is making its first-ever appearance at Mid-Ohio this weekend, and the entry list swelled to 44 riders in the welterweight class. With the inaugural trip, current points leader Hank Vossberg wasted no time setting the tone with a 1:29.809 for a new Twins Cup Lap Record aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660. The Wisconsin native was followed closely by M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Matthew Chapin and Bodie Paige aboard their Suzuki GSX-8Rs. Chapin closed to within four-tenths of Vossberg by the end of the session, with Paige just over a second off the leader's pace.
Behind the leaders, Karns/TST Industries Racing rider Isaac Woodworth continued his solid results aboard his Suzuki GSX-8R, claiming fourth ahead of tomorrow's Q2 session and sitting just over a second off the pace. Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing's Sam Drane completed the top five aboard his Yamaha YZF-R7, 1.3 seconds back.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship
The BPR Racing Yamaha MT-09 SPs of teammates Bryce Kornbau and Andy DiBrino took provisional pole and P2, respectively, in this morning's Q1 session. The duo picked up right where they left off at Laguna and brought Rodio Racing's Gus Rodio along for the ride to the provisional front row aboard his Ducati Streetfighter V2. Kornbau set a new lap record in the session with a 1:28.187 on his eighth lap.
Behind the front row, rounding out the top five in the first qualifier, were Saddlemen Race Development teammates Jake Lewis (+0.8 seconds) and James Rispoli (+1.1 seconds) aboard their Harley-Davidson Pan America.
Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race.
Jasmine Noelle opened her final weekend of the season with a strong bid for the championship title by taking the top spot in Q1. If the New Mexico native wins B.T.R. Race 1 tomorrow, she will officially clinch the 2026 Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. championship.
Noelle ripped off a 1:53.038 lap time, three-tenths ahead of second-place Brianna Cutler. The two were the only riders in the minute-53s, and third in points, Bryanna Everitt, rounded out the top three from day one. Fourth fastest was Tati Paze, second in B.T.R. points, who needs to win tomorrow to keep her championship hopes alive into Sunday's Race 2.
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