The heat is on another level for MotoAmerica Superbikes at VIRginia. Low-90s temperatures and a windless blanket of humidity locked in a punishing afternoon at VIR, one of the most physically demanding circuits on the MotoAmerica calendar. The circuits relentless run of blind crests, off-camber sweepers, and elevation changes already asks everything of rider and machine — add in a game-changing level of heat, and Friday became an equalizer, calling only the fittest riders and best-prepared teams to the top of the time sheets. Free Practice and Qualifying 1 across all four classes set the tone for a weekend where survival may matter as much as speed.

Quad Lock Superbike

Quad Lock Superbike riders opened Friday’s VIRginia festivities with Free Practice in the morning and a 40-minute Timed Practice session in the afternoon to set the fastest 21 riders into tomorrow’s Final Qualifying session. The morning session produced lap times in the low 1:25s before Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz set the pace in Timed Practice with a 1:24.764 — the only rider to crack into the 1:24s.

Behind the South African ran a train of 1:25s with OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly (-0.340 seconds) in second. 

Wrench Motorcycles’ Cameron Petersen (-0.351 seconds) rounding out the top three.

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante logged a 1:25.382 to take fourth in the timed session ahead of Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law’s Benjamin Smith in fifth.

Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong was sixth fastest (-0.692 seconds), followed by teammate and third-in-points JD Beach in seventh (-0.710 seconds). Beach, however, turned only three laps before crashing and was unable to continue the session, missing valuable track time ahead of Final Qualifying.

Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim was the remaining rider within a second of the leader. The Kentucky native sat 0.855 seconds off the pace at a 1:25.619.

In Superbike Cup, BPR Racing Yamaha’s Deion Campbell set the fastest time of 1:27.249 to take the top Cup time on day one.

Riders and teams will be doing their homework tonight before the grid is set in the short 15-minute Final Qualifying session prior to Race 1 of the triple-header weekend.

Supersport

Supersport Q1 saw Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila’s Josh Herrin steal the top spot in a tightly contested session where the top nine were separated by under a second. The 36-year-old led the latter half of the session, securing the top spot with a 1:27.581.

Championship leader Darryn Binder spent the first laps of the session near the lower end of the top 10, but found speed after a mid-session trip to the pit box for adjustments, ending the session just 0.061 seconds behind Herrin. In third, Rahal Ducati Moto with Droplight’s Kayla Yaakov once again claimed the provisional front row ahead of tomorrow’s Q2 and was the last rider to stay in the 1:27s with the leaders.

The 1:28s define the second and third rows of the interim grid: M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott fourth with a 1:28.168, Rahal Ducati Moto with Roller Die + Forming’s Alessandro Di Mario fifth, and Josh Hayes (BPR Racing Yamaha) sixth. Hayes’ teammate Brenden Ketelsen holds seventh, with Aiden Sneed (3D Motorsports) eighth and Stefano Mesa (Altus Motorsports) ninth, 0.917 seconds behind the leader.

Tomorrow’s finalizing Q2 is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. (EDT) to set the starting order for Supersport Race 1 at 1:10 p.m. (EDT). The ultra-tight field will only get quicker from here as every team hunts for every tenth of a second of grid position.

Twins Cup

The twin-cylinder class pulled 44 total entrants at the Virginia circuit, though not all riders will make the final grid. Today’s practice and Q1 sessions were split into two groups — 19 riders in Group A and 25 in Group B — to keep track density at a safe level. The tightly contested Q2 slated for tomorrow will set the final grid for the weekend’s two races.

Hank Vossberg opened his VIRginia stay with the fastest lap in both Free Practice and Qualifying 1 to take the provisional pole, though not by much. The 16-year-old Robem Engineering rider turned in a 1:30.320, just ahead of Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane in second (-0.072 seconds) and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Mathew Chapin (-0.394), completing the provisional front row.

Karns/TST Industries Racing’s Kevin Olmedo (-0.544 seconds) landed fourth, just ahead of third-in-championship-points M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bodie Paige (-0.629 seconds) — the last rider to log a time in the 1:30s. Olmedo’s teammate Isaac Woodworth took sixth to round out the temporary second row.

In a notable debut performance, 15-year-old Cole Varnes (Varnes Racing) turned an impressive 1:32.442, rising out of Group B to land the 11th-fastest overall time across both groups.

Twins Cup Q2 is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:50 a.m. (EDT), with Vossberg already sitting just 0.2 seconds off the lap record of 1:30.082 set by Jody Barry in Q2 back in 2022. Twins Cup Race 1 goes off at 4:05 p.m. (EDT). Vossberg holds a commanding championship lead, but it’s a must-win weekend for Chapin and Paige, and every rider will be pushing the limits of themselves and their machines.

Talent Cup

Quarterly Racing’s Nathan Gouker wasted no time showing the Talent Cup class around his home track, topping today’s Free Practice and Qualifying 1 session at VIR. The Lexington, North Carolina teenager set a 1:35.646 on the 15th lap of the session to take the tentative pole, just 0.072 seconds ahead of Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane.

The two riders were the only ones able to dip into the 1:35s. Nathan Bettencourt (Bettencourt Racing) was third fastest, turning a 1:37.018 near the end of the session.

Championship leader Kensei Matsudaira (Team Roberts) finished the session fourth fastest after a crash in morning practice forced a feverish rebuild of his machine ahead of Q1. Watch for Matsudaira to come back stronger in Q2 tomorrow once his crew has had more time to sort out the damage from this morning’s incident.

For the full 2026 MotoAmerica schedule and to purchase tickets for MotoAmerica events, CLICK HERE.

For information on how to watch MotoAmerica, CLICK HERE.