SDK Pushes BMW To Top On Day One At Barber

Yaakov, Gouker, Vossberg, And Rodio Secure Provisional Poles 

BIRMINGHAM, AL – May 16, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The Quad Lock Superbike Championship finished the first day at Barber Motorsports Park, with OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly at the top of Timed Practice aboard his BMW M 1000 RR.

The Floridian was fastest in both sessions today. He led the morning’s Free Practice with a fastest lap of 1:23.372, and he was the only rider to make it into the minute-22’s in the afternoon’s Timed Practice with a lap of 1:22.908 around the 17-turn, 2.38-mile circuit.

Sean Dylan Kelly and his OrangeCat Racing BMW Superbike seem to be doing “A-OK.”
Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law rider Cameron Beaubier improved his fastest lap from the morning’s Free Practice by nearly a second in the afternoon’s Timed Practice. The six-time and defending Superbike Champion ended Timed Practice in second with a lap of 1:23.082. Beaubier continues to find pace out of his Ducati Panigale V4 R and will be a threat for pole position in tomorrow’s 15-minute Qualifying session.

Cameron Beaubier is right on pace with the leader and looks to take over the top spot in Saturday morning’s Quad Lock Superbike Qualifying. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz missed most of Free Practice due to a mechanical issue. The South African was able to join the session with about 10 minutes left and quickly put his #11 Yamaha YZF-R1 in the top three. In the afternoon’s Timed Practice, Scholtz put down a 1:23.144 lap time for third-fastest.

Mathew Scholtz shot right to the top of the leaderboard in both practice sessions on Friday.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

The biggest jump from Free Practice to Timed Practice Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim. The Kentucky native finished Free Practice in eighth position but shaved another 1.1 seconds off that time to end the more important Timed Practice in fourth with a 1:23.917 lap time.

Wrench Motorcycles rider Cam Petersen is the final racer in the minute-23 range. The South African sits fifth, 1.025 seconds off the leader’s pace.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante is sixth, seventh position is held by OrangeCat Racing’s Jayson Uribe, Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL rider PJ Jacobsen is eighth, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch is ninth, and Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s JD Beach completed the top 10.

In Superbike Cup qualifying, BPR Racing Yamaha’s Deion Campbell holds provisional pole, with Real Steel Honda’s Andrew Lee just 0.157 of a second behind.

With the top three separated by just 0.236 of a second and the top five all within 1 second of each other, tomorrow’s 15-minute Qualifying session will be a fight for the front row. Riders will have to balance risk and reward in the short session, where any mistake could mean the difference between a front-row start and a mid-pack push off.

Supersport

Rahal Ducati Moto with Droplight’s Kayla Yaakov continues her upward trajectory aboard the Ducati Panigale V2, grabbing the provisional pole at her favorite racetrack on the calendar. The 18-year-old female phenom put down a lightning-fast lap time of 1:25.750 to take day one’s top spot.

If provisional polesitter Kayla Yaakov can top the timing & scoring sheets in Supersport Qualifying 2 again tomorrow, she will have two pole positions in a row. Photo by Brian J. Nelson. 

The only other rider to break into the minute-25’s was Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila’s Josh Herrin. The 2022 Supersport champion was just 0.133 of a second behind his teammate at the top.

Holding third place after Qualifying 1 is Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse rider Darryn Binder aboard a Ducati Panigale V2. Binder steadily progressed in both sessions and ended the day with a solid time of 1:26.284, half a second off the leader’s quickest time.

Supersport rookie and last year’s Twins Cup and Talent Cup Champion, Alessandro Di Mario, finished Qualifying 1 in fourth position. The Rahal Ducati Moto with Roller Die + Forming rider put up a 1:26.598 aboard his Ducati Panigale V2, 0.848 of a second behind the top spot.

Rounding out the top five was M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott aboard the Suzuki GSX-R750.

Talent Cup

The Talent Cup riders completed Qualifying 1 this afternoon, with Quarterley Racing’s Nathan Gouker taking the top spot by almost a full second. The North Carolina teenager set the pace as the only rider in the minute-34’s, claiming provisional pole with a time of 1:34.475 and establishing a new lap record in the process.

Talent Cup rider Nathan Gouker looks determined to take the top qualifying spot this weekend. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Team Roberts rider Kensei Matsudaira finds himself second behind Gouker after submitting a 1:35.430 lap time. The current points leader looks to close the gap in tomorrow’s Qualifying 2 and get back to the top spot.

Third-fastest after Qualifying 1 was Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane. The Aussie teenager lapped the Alabama circuit with a fastest lap of 1:35.708 towards the end of the session. Drane looks to close the gap even more tomorrow.

Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt provisionally qualified fourth while Team Hammer’s Jake Paige completed the top five.

Twins Cup

In Twins Cup Qualifying 1, the top three are all on Aprilia RS 660’s and are separated by 0.6 of a second and in age by 34 years. Below the Aprilia riders are four Suzuki GSX-8R riders, all within one second of the lead.

Robem Engineering’s Hank Vossberg sits atop the provisional standings with a qualifying time of 1:29.586. The 15-year-old points leader from Wisconsin leads by just .383 of a second heading into tomorrow’s final Q2.

Robem Engineering’s Hank Vossberg claimed provisional pole on Friday aboard his #31 Aprilia RS 660. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Speed Demon Racing Powered By Ready To Ride’s Logan Cunnison holds second for the time being. After a breakout podium at last month’s round in Atlanta, the 17-year-old looks like he is finding his groove.

Third place after qualifying one is inaugural Twins Cup Champion and Ghetto Customs rider Chris Parrish. The 49-year-old Tennessean has held his own this season against riders half his age and is only 0.625 of a second off the leader’s pace.

In fourth is Karns/TST Industries Racing Suzuki’s Isaac Woodworth. The Floridian is just 0.727 of a second behind the leader and is followed closely by M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bodie Paige.

In sixth is Woodworth’s Karns/TST Industries Racing Suzuki teammate, Kevin Olmedo, and one second out of the lead is Paige’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Matthew Chapin.

Mission Super Hooligan National Championship

Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio slotted himself onto the provisional pole during Friday’s Q1 session. The Garden State native looked extremely comfortable aboard his #95 Ducati Streetfighter V2, and did a celebratory slide into Charlotte’s Web, with a complementary wheelie at the exit after setting his 1:27.762 lap time.

Gus Rodio piloted his Rodio Racing Ducati Streetfighter V2 like it was a Supermoto bike in today’s Qualifying 1. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Just half a second behind Rodio is OrangeCat Racing’s Josh Herrin aboard the Lightfighter V3-RH. Herrin found speed early in the session aboard the battery-powered machine, putting down a fastest lap of 1:28.312.

Jason Waters provisionally qualified third on his TopPro Motorsports/Edge Racing Ducati Streetfighter V2, completing the front-row Ducati bookends on either side of Herrin. The Georgian sits just 0.674 of a second off the pace with another chance to push closer to the top in tomorrow’s Q2 session.

Venezuelan Robertino Pietri provisionally holds fourth aboard his COATZYMOTO LATINWE Yamaha XSR900. Pietri is 0.852 of a second off the lead, and is followed closely by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau aboard his Yamaha MT-09 SP.

Saddlemen Race Development’s Jake Lewis is 1.093 seconds off the lead and represents the first of the Harley-Davidson Pan Americas in the order.

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MotoAmerica is North America’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is home to the AMA Superbike Championship as well as additional classes including Supersport, Twins Cup, Talent Cup, Super Hooligan National Championship, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership including three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For more information, please visit www.MotoAmerica.com and follow MotoAmerica on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. To watch all things MotoAmerica, subscribe to MotoAmerica’s live streaming and video on demand service, MotoAmerica Live+

ource: MotoAmerica

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