Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Josh Herrin and Loris Baz are in the top four at COTA

  Sunnyvale, Calif., September 13, 2024 — In what could be a historic weekend for Ducati in North America, the Warhorse HSBK Racing Team started off on the right foot by having both Josh Herrin and Loris Baz inside the top five at the end of day one at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas for the penultimate round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.

Herrin is within striking distance of securing his second AMA/MotoAmerica Superbike Championship title and the first for Ducati Motor Holdings since Troy Corser triumphed for Ducati in 1994.

Herrin started the day with a nod to the Australian, unveiling a replica paint and leathers scheme for the three scheduled races on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R with Eraldo Ferracci, an integral part of the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati and the man who guided Corser to that title win.

Herrin ended the day second fastest behind Cameron Beaubier, the Georgian covering 22 laps across the two completed sessions of the massive 3.426-mile complex.

Herrin’s teammate Loris Baz knocked out 20 laps of Circuit of The Americas, improving his position from fifth in Free Practice 1 to fourth by the end of the first qualifying session.

All eyes now turn to tomorrow morning's important second qualifying session, which will decide the grid for the three scheduled races across the weekend.

2024 Circuit of The Americas Superbike Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Cameron Beaubier 2:07.703
P2 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 2:08.244
P3 – Sean Dylan Kelly 2:08.359
P4 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 2:08.418
P5 – Richie Escalante 2:09.196

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“I’ve been a little conservative today,” Herrin said. “I’m looking at the gap and I want to get closer so there’s less pressure on me but to put more pressure on Cam (Beaubier) because I don’t want him to have this half-second advantage.
“Technically, if I get on the podium here and in New Jersey, I’ll be ok (in the title fight), but it’s easy to relax and lose a bunch of points, so I’m just going to race like I have been all season and if it’s there, go for it, if not, I must play it smart. Overall, I feel good. We’re P2, so we can’t be too upset about that. We’ll be ready for race one.”

Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“It’s so great to be back here. I love this track,” Baz said. “It’s the kind of track where you really must flow with your bike to go fast. That wasn’t the case for me this morning, but we improved a lot this afternoon. We have a few things to figure out tonight with the guys on the team to close the gap, but really, I’m happy. It’ll be my first time racing here since 2017, so I’m ready to go.”

On track action for day two of the eighth round of MotoAmerica 2024 will commence at 8:30 a.m. CDT on Saturday, September 14. Herrin and Baz will take to the track at 10:20 a.m. CDT for Qualifying 2.

Race one will start at 3:10 p.m. CDT that same day. Race two is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. CDT on Sunday, September 15, with race three starting at 3:10 p.m. that same afternoon.