Paige Fires The First Shot In Talent Cup Action At Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Bodie Paige Rips Off Quickest Lap To Upset The Apple Cart On Friday In Ohio

LEXINGTON, OH – July 26, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – CTR/D&D Cycles’ Bodie Paige only did five laps in the first of two qualifying sessions for the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Friday afternoon. And he only needed four. Paige ripped off a 1:36.084 lap on his fourth go-around of the 2.4-mile circuit to earn provisional pole position for this weekend’s two races. Following his cool-down lap, the Australian pulled into the pits, kicked up his heels and relaxed for the rest of the 30-minute session. Job done.

Australian Bodie Paige only needed four laps at the beginning of Q2 to earn Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul provisional pole on Friday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Far and away the favorite coming into this weekend’s fourth round of the series, Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario’s session was completely different. Di Mario’s best lap came on his second-to-last go-around with the championship points leader having spent most of the session in the pits – and for all the wrong reasons. Di Mario finally got out on track for a time attack with a tick over seven minutes left on the clock, and he made the most of it, diving into the 1:36s in the final minutes of the session to qualify second, provisionally, with his 1:36.685 – the only rider other than Paige to lap in the 36s.

Tytler’s Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg, who along with Di Mario, Paige, and Sam Drane has won a Talent Cup race in its debut season, ended up completing the provisional front row with his 1:37.046. Vossberg’s best was narrowly better than Team Roberts’ Kody Kopp’s 1:37.213, with the AMA Flat Track Champion continuing to show improvement in his first season of road racing.

Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane ended up fifth-fastest, with Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt sixth.

With Di Mario’s 1:37.297 leading the morning session, Drane was the last of seven riders also in the 1:37s and only .6 of a second from Di Mario. Drane’s fellow Aussie Paige blew that out of the water in Q1 when he cracked the 1:37 barrier. MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher’s seventh-fastest time was 1.4 seconds off Paige’s best, leaving a lot of young riders scratching their heads heading into Saturday morning’s Q2 and race one in the fourth of seven rounds of the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul Championship.

“We definitely found some pace, and we definitely have our bike set up good,” Paige said. “It’s the first time we’ve had it really, really good, and it’s the most comfortable I’ve been all year on my bike since we got the suspension done. I can’t thank my team enough, and I just put everything on the line on that last lap, and I risked it all. I knew that Alessandro (Di Mario) was going to have to risk a lot to beat that time. I’m just glad that we managed to get our first pole of the season (provisionally). Again, I can’t thank my team enough.”

Saturday’s Q2 session will begin at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern) with race one scheduled for noon (Eastern).

Qualifying 1

1. Bodie Paige (Krämer) 1:36.084
2. Alessandro Di Mario (Krämer) 1:36.685
3. Hank Vossberg (Krämer) 1:37.046
4. Kody Kopp (Krämer) 1:37. 213
5. Sam Drane (Krämer) 1:37. 412
6. Nathan Bettencourt (Krämer) 1:37.510
7. Ella Dreher (Krämer) 1:37.528
8. Carson King (Krämer) 1:37.562
9. Derek Sanchez (Krämer) 1:38.513
10. Solly Mervis (Krämer) 1:38.850

Championship points leader Alessandro Di Mario ended up second fastest heading into Saturday’s Q2 and race one of the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul. Photo By Brian J. Nelson

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg completed the provisional front row on his Krämer APX-350 MA. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

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