Source: Supplied.

Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes won his first race of the season on Sunday in Virginia, the four-time American Superbike Champion winning race one to end his six-race winless streak and then ending his day with a second-place finish to teammate Cameron Beaubier.

By the end of the afternoon of racing in the Yamaha Superbike Challenge of Virginia, round four of the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship, the 41-year-old Hayes had extended his championship lead to 11 points after earning 45 points in the two races.

Beaubier, with his impressive pass of Hayes on the final lap of race two, left VIR with 38 points added to his tally after his off-track excursion in race one forced him to fight through to finish fourth.

Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Roger Hayden and Toni Elias were both on the podium with Elias finishing third twice while Hayden was second in race one before slipping to fourth in race two. Hayden came away with more points than his Spanish teammate, 33-32, and Hayden now trails Hayes in the championship chase by 21 points with Elias a further five points behind.

The battle for victory in the Bazzaz Superstock 1000 class was also hard-fought with Claudio Corti riding the HSBK Aprilia to his fourth win of the season while finishing fifth overall in race one.

In race two it was TOBC Yamaha’s Danny Eslick taking his first career Superstock 1000 victory after getting the better of Latus Motors Racing’s Bobby Fong and Wheels In Motion/Meen Motorsports’ Josh Herrin.

Australia’s David Anthony was a non-finisher in the opening race, but bounced back for ninth overall in the second on board his Kawasaki. In terms of class results, Anthony was fifth Superstock entry across the finish.