Josh Herrin heads to Texas with his first 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship match point

  Sunnyvale, Calif., September 11, 2024 — Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin heads to the expansive surrounds of Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX, this week with his first chance to wrap up the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.

After celebrating a season-defining double win at Mid-Ohio in August, Herrin enjoys a 52-point advantage over Bobby Fong and current champion Jake Gagne, who has withdrawn from the remainder of the season due to ongoing health issues.

With three races instead of the regular two and 75 points up for grabs at COTA, Herrin needs to leave Texas with 50 points in hand over whoever sits in second place in the standings as the series heads to its final round of the year at New Jersey Motorsports Park at the end of the month.

Should Herrin indeed wrap up the 2024 title in Austin, it will mark 30 years since Eraldo Ferracci—an integral figure in the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team—and eventual two-time WorldSBK Champion, Australian Troy Corser, last triumphed for Ducati in America when Corser piloted the Fast By Ferracci Ducati 888 to victory in the 1994 AMA Superbike Championship.

Herrin will be backed up as usual by his international teammate, Loris Baz. The French ace has been enjoying rest and recuperation back home in Europe following round seven of the series at Mid-Ohio.

Baz is looking forward to racing once again at COTA, the scene of his world-famous save at the final corner during qualifying while riding for the Reale Avintia Racing Ducati MotoGP team in 2017.

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“Going into COTA, I’m super-excited because this is the first round where we have the chance to lock up the championship,” Herrin said. “I’m not going to put any pressure on myself for that, but I know it’s a possibility, and that’s a great feeling.

“I’m going to treat this round like any other—I’ll go for the win if it’s there. I won’t be taking any silly risks, but I won’t just go out and cruise around because that’s when you start making mistakes.

“I just want to keep my head down, have a good weekend, and go for some race wins. I hope we can leave there with a championship. It would be a lot more fun to leave Texas with the championship sewn up, go to New Jersey with zero pressure, and just be able to send it.

“We have a very special livery planned for this race, and I'm super proud to run it. It’s been 30 years since Ducati has won an AMA/MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. When they did it, it was in 1994 in a team run by Eraldo Ferracci with Troy Corser on the bike, so I'm going to be running Corser/Ferracci-inspired bodywork, leathers, and helmet for the race. This will be unveiled on Thursday (September 12).

“I’m really looking forward to going to our best track of the year on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R and having three races there. Let's get it!”

Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“It’s been great to be back home for a few weeks, enjoying friends and family and having time to train,” Baz said. “Nothing beats home—I love America, but nothing beats being back where my roots are.

“This time has been perfect because now I’m ready to return to America and to Austin, one of my favorite places to race anywhere in the world. I haven’t raced at COTA since 2017, where I had one of the biggest saves in MotoGP.

“It’s cool to go back to Texas. I rode there in 2021 but didn’t get to race. I love the track because it suits our Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati perfectly and I am also a huge fan of the city. I’m there to get some good results, but it will be an intense weekend for the whole team with the position Josh is in, but I will do whatever I can to help him bring home the title.”

The pivotal eighth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Circuit of The Americas kicks off on Friday, September 13, with Herrin and Baz on track at 10:40 am CDT.

Race one will commence at 3:10 p.m. CDT on Saturday, September 14. Race two is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. CDT on Sunday, September 15, and race three goes green at 3:10 p.m. that same afternoon.