Hayes takes FX series lead at Road Atlanta

Hayes takes FX series lead

(AMA Pro Racing Release) Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes leapt from third to first in the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme title race with a clutch performance at Road Atlanta. The Mississippian was one step ahead of his Yamaha USA rivals all weekend long and just managed to maintain that advantage through the duration of Saturday’s 15-lap final.

While Jason DiSalvo looked to have taken the holeshot at the green light, Hayes exited Turn 1 with the lead. And while he was hounded throughout -- first by DiSalvo on the opening lap and a half, and then by the rolling Eric Bostrom to the checkered flag -- Hayes never relinquish his lead.

Bostrom was visibly working just to stay within striking distance for most of the contest but appeared to have momentum on his side heading into the final lap, closing in for a potential last-lap bid for the win. The Honda support star squashed any hopes that ‘The Boss’ may have had however, expertly slipping under a lapper entering Turn 5 and creating the necessary advantage he needed to prevent a Turn 10 braking duel for victory.

Hayes’ perfect weekend (pole, most laps led, and the win) has rocketed him from three points back to three points out in front of the championship heading into the finale. If Hayes is able to take the pole and lead the most laps at Mid-Ohio, he will be able to finish second in the race and still win the title. Neither task will be easy, however: super-qualifier DiSalvo took the pole a month back at the venue while Eric Bostrom led every lap en route to one of his six wins of the season.

As close as the title race is, a tie at the top is very much a possibility. Bostrom’s incredible mid-season run of victories gives him the tiebreaker if he’s involved.

Remarkably, today’s triumph was Hayes’ first AMA win at Road Atlanta, a home circuit of sorts for the Southerner. “I’ve had some great races and some close ones here. After all these years it’s good to finally get one in front of all my fans and all my family and friends from back home. It’s just great. It’s been good to show up and be able to show authority from the beginning. We knew we’d be strong at this track. I can’t say enough about the team and everything that’s led us to this point. We knew we had to come out of here with maximum points. We had a goal and luckily we were able to do it.

“Eric’s been so gracious all year saying how well I’ve been riding. Eric’s record shows how good he’s riding. I can’t say enough. It’s fun to have such a huge… I call him ‘the villain.’ He’s such a strong opponent I think this series has gotten the best out of me. I think we’re getting the best out of each other all across the podium. I’m looking forward to finishing this thing up.”

Bostrom was quick to give Hayes his due but was clearly disheartened to have his final-lap strategy foiled by the unfortunate placement of a slower rider.

“(Josh) did a nice job slicing through and I didn’t make the quick decision to follow him,” Bostrom explained. “It was definitely his race to lose and he set the pace the whole way. The only thing I was going to do was try to rob him of a win at the end. He definitely deserved it."

“But I definitely felt there was a chance. Obviously I’m disappointed that traffic got in the way. I’ve seen so many good races end in that fashion in the last four or five years that it kind of makes me sick to my stomach… I really think it was Josh’s race to lose, but there was a chance.”

Bostrom dropped DiSalvo from second to third on the second lap, diving underneath on the brakes going into Turn 10a. The New Yorker didn’t want to give up the position so easily and attempted to drive back alongside on the outside exiting 10b heading down the hill. The move backfired as DiSalvo lost the front momentarily and drove over the curb, costing him significant time. He closed back in while running as the fastest man on the circuit mid-distance, but his charge thoroughly used up his Dunlops. He was forced to accept third place and a fall to eight points back of the championship lead.

Commenting on the late-race comeback that never fully materialized, DiSalvo said, “I got up there and everything felt pretty good. And then with about three to go I was coming down the hill and the back tire said, ‘no more’ and I had a couple big moments. After that I just couldn’t get it back together. It just didn’t want to stick to the ground anymore so the last couple laps we were kind of just limping our way home. But from third place, it would have taken a miracle to pull off the win, especially with Josh’s bike being so fast.”

Hayes’ Erion Honda teammate, Aaron Gobert, picked up fourth, followed by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Mike Barnes and Rockwall Honda teammates Ryan Andrews and Ty Howard. Heyser Cycle’s Eric Wood, Stargel’s Brian Stokes, and Safety First Suzukis’ Tony Meiring completed the top ten.

As incredible as it may be to suggest, this year’s FX finale may approach and even possibly surpass the excitement and drama of Miguel DuHamel and Jake Zemke’s final-race, final-lap showdown in ’05. The new FX champion will be crowned on September 30 at Mid-Ohio.