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AMA Pro Superbike
AMA SBK: How Hayes Did It, Part 3
Exactly how did three-time AMA Pro Superbike champ Josh Hayes transform himself from underdog to contender to dominator?
Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Hayes (Photo: Evan Williams)
Josh Hayes’ domination of the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike season wasn’t exactly expected but the reality of it all quickly set in. After the first few rounds, no one could challenge the Mississippian over full race distances in 2012 on a consistent basis.
Hayes was glad to win all those races for Yamaha and remained professional in his approach in that he did not ease up in any regard, but it was also clear the racer in him was waiting for someone to step up to battle him. The idea of improving and overcome new obstacles excites the three-time champ and it’s hard to get better when you’re only racing yourself.
“I’m still riding like there’s someone in front of me,” Hayes said after the season wrapped up.
Only there wasn’t. The only times Hayes was beaten after the opening race at Road Atlanta were the two races when he crashed. He tossed away a win at Infineon in a race Blake Young of Yoshimura Suzuki won and Hayes crashed early at Homestead while chasing eventual winner Roger Hayden of the National Guard Suzuki team.
There have been times in AMA Pro Superbike history when a rider dominated because he simply had more talent than his rivals. When riders like Ben Spies or Nicky Hayden raced in America, they had magic seasons on the way to world championship seasons in their future.
This situation isn’t really like that. Hayes has a ton of talent, but does he have more innate ability than say, Blake Young or Ben Bostrom? I’d say the top riders are all close on what they can do on a motorcycle. The difference is in getting one’s house in order to make the race weekend go well from Friday morning.
Hayes is very open about his approach so it is interesting to hear him answer when asked what he thinks his rivals need to do to catch up. One of the great things about Josh Hayes is he will give you an honest answer.
“These guys gotta figure it out at some point -- how to go fast,” Hayes said. “I think that the first step isn’t necessarily following me for an entire race and nipping me at the end and winning. It’s figuring out how (I) go that fast and what (am I) seeing, looking at, and breaking the track down? How do I build my pace to a certain point?”
Hayes touches on something that’s been clear this year. Young’s plan had been to somehow get to the last laps in a position to win and when he does, rely on his raw ability to steal more than his share of the close ones. His ability to do so has masked weaker areas in his game -- getting the bike set up and finding speed in practice and qualifying. That’s what bit him in 2012 when the Yamaha was improved and Hayes was at the top of his game.
Hayes was glad to win all those races for Yamaha and remained professional in his approach in that he did not ease up in any regard, but it was also clear the racer in him was waiting for someone to step up to battle him. The idea of improving and overcome new obstacles excites the three-time champ and it’s hard to get better when you’re only racing yourself.
“I’m still riding like there’s someone in front of me,” Hayes said after the season wrapped up.
Only there wasn’t. The only times Hayes was beaten after the opening race at Road Atlanta were the two races when he crashed. He tossed away a win at Infineon in a race Blake Young of Yoshimura Suzuki won and Hayes crashed early at Homestead while chasing eventual winner Roger Hayden of the National Guard Suzuki team.
There have been times in AMA Pro Superbike history when a rider dominated because he simply had more talent than his rivals. When riders like Ben Spies or Nicky Hayden raced in America, they had magic seasons on the way to world championship seasons in their future.
This situation isn’t really like that. Hayes has a ton of talent, but does he have more innate ability than say, Blake Young or Ben Bostrom? I’d say the top riders are all close on what they can do on a motorcycle. The difference is in getting one’s house in order to make the race weekend go well from Friday morning.
Hayes is very open about his approach so it is interesting to hear him answer when asked what he thinks his rivals need to do to catch up. One of the great things about Josh Hayes is he will give you an honest answer.
“These guys gotta figure it out at some point -- how to go fast,” Hayes said. “I think that the first step isn’t necessarily following me for an entire race and nipping me at the end and winning. It’s figuring out how (I) go that fast and what (am I) seeing, looking at, and breaking the track down? How do I build my pace to a certain point?”
Hayes touches on something that’s been clear this year. Young’s plan had been to somehow get to the last laps in a position to win and when he does, rely on his raw ability to steal more than his share of the close ones. His ability to do so has masked weaker areas in his game -- getting the bike set up and finding speed in practice and qualifying. That’s what bit him in 2012 when the Yamaha was improved and Hayes was at the top of his game.
AMA SBK Homestead-Miami
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