Josh Hayes leads teammate Josh Herrin, Martin Cardenas and Roger Hayden on track in New Jersey. Image: Brian J Nelson/AMA Pro Racing.

The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha pairing of Josh Herrin and Josh Hayes have shared the spoils at the penultimate round of the AMA Pro Superbike Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Saturday’s 23-lap Superbike opener played out in bizarre circumstances, with both Herrin and Hayes at the centre of the confusion.

Defending champion Hayes greeted the chequered flag first, but found himself demoted to fourth at race end after jumping the start – his third such infraction in 2013.

But the Yamaha pairing did well to even be in the running, after electrical problems saw both bikes pull off on the opening lap of the race.

They were both able to restart and set about cutting back through the pack, while National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden and Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas battled for the lead.

A red flag due to spilt fluids saw the field re-grid for a 13-lap ‘second half’ to the race, which allowed the Yamahas to buy back into the battle.

Herrin fought from row three to take the lead on the opening lap, while teammate Hayes was battling heavily with Hayden for a spot at the front, along with Jordan Suzuki’s Danny Eslick.

Hayes fought his way through to the front with two laps remaining, taking the chequered flag first before Herrin took the win with penalties applied. Hayden held second, while Cardenas took third.

There were no such troubles for Hayes in Sunday’s race. He powered away from pole position and was momentarily shadowed by his teammate before his pace proved too hot to match.

Hayes took the win by a 3.199-second margin over Herrin, while Cardenas was able to confirm a double podium for the weekend, finishing third ahead of Hayden and Eslick.

Aussie Dave Anthony produced a solid weekend of results, carding 10th in both races.

In the Supersport ranks it was Hayden Gillim and Tomas Puerta who traded race wins but Corey Alexander who emerged the victor in the title hunt, sewing up the 2013 championship by a single point.

Alexander ran second in race one and third in race two, enough to deny Gillim from the crown.

The final round of the AMA Pro Superbike Championship will play out at the FIM World Superbike Championship event at Laguna Seca on 27-29 September.

AMA Pro Racing Superbike Championship
Round eight – New Jersey Motorsports Park, NJ

Superbike race one:
1. Josh Herrin
2. Roger Hayden
3. Martin Cardenas
4. Josh Hayes
5. Chris Fillmore
6. Danny Eslick
7. Aaron Yates
8. Taylor Knapp
9. Geoff May
10. David Anthony

Superbike race two:
1. Josh Hayes
2. Josh Herrin
3. Martin Cardenas
4. Roger Hayden
5. Danny Eslick
6. Chris Fillmore
7. Geoff May
8. Larry Pegram
9. Taylor Knapp
10. David Anthony

Superbike championship standings (after round eight of nine):
1. Josh Herrin 320
2. Josh Hayes 298
3. Martin Cardenas 297
4. Roger Hayden 228
5. Danny Eslick 213
6. Larry Pegram 169
7. Chris Fillmore 169
8. Geoff May 161
9. Aaron Yates 146
10. David Anthony 146

Supersport race one:
1. Hayden Gillim
2. Corey Alexander
3. Tomas Puerta
4. Stefano Mesa
5. Mark Miller Jr.
6. Erick Sanchez
7. Sebastiao Ferreira
8. Charles Weaver
9. Devon McDonough
10. Alex Shaw

Supersport race two:
1. Tomas Puerta
2. Hayden Gillim
3. Corey Alexander
4. Stefano Mesa
5. Miles Thornton
6. Wyatt Farris
7. Sebastiao Ferreira
8. Mark Miller Jr.
9. Erick Sanchez
10. Alex Shaw

Supersport championship standings (after round eight of nine):
1. Corey Alexander 199
2. Hayden Gillim 198
3. Stefano Mesa 173
4. Miles Thornton 126
5. Travis Wyman 109
6. Conner Blevins 85
7. Devon McDonough 68
8. Mark Miller Jr. 62
9. Nick McFadden 60
10. Erick Sanchez 47

Click here for detailed results