At the end of the first qualifying session, season leader Josh Herrin was able to hold onto the provisional pole position. Herrin only has a little bit of breathing room at the top, and staying focused during the AMA Superbike races at the Virginia International Raceway is imperative. Herrin finished more than a half a second faster than the rest of the Daytona Sportbike pack, showing that Herrin has the speed to take the race win this weekend. But mounting pressure is building on his small two point lead, but Herrin says that he has the situation under control.
"Just from the past years, watching my teammates go through the same sort of thing, I've learned to not let it get to you," Herrin explained. "I've never really been in the situation that I'm in right now. I've always been chasing the leaders.
"I guess the saying is if you have nothing to lose you'll go a lot harder than if you have something to lose. I have something to lose but I feel like I'm riding like I have nothing to lose. Just trying to ride consistent and not make too many mistakes."
AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike - Virginia International Raceway - 1st Qualifying Results
1. Josh Herrin (Yam) 1:27.589
2. Martin Cardenas (Suz) 1:28.135
3. Tommy Aquino (Yam) 1:28.239
4. Danny Eslick (Suz) 1:28.411
5. Chris Fillmore (Suz) 1:28.751
6. Cory West (Suz) 1:28.769
7. Jeff Wood (Yam) 1:28.828
8. Bobby Fong (Duc) 1:28.850
9. Michael Barnes (Yam) 1:28.916
10. Dane Westby (Yam) 1:29.018
