The fourth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Championship at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota proved another strong race meeting for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team with riders Josh Herrin and Loris Baz collecting podium finishes.
Josh Herrin showed his class by sealing second place in race one behind winner Bobby Fong, fending off teammate Baz by 0.2 seconds. This marks the first time in the 2024 season that Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R riders have shared the podium.
Race two saw Herrin fight past Cameron Petersen and move into second place, eventually stretching a 2.5-second gap and sealing another podium in second place. However, for Baz, he would be in the wrong place at the wrong time as, while battling for the podium, Sean Dylan Kelly had a big highside crash in front of Baz at turn three, causing him to run off the track and lose touch with the podium battle, eventually coming home in fourth place.
Regardless, the weekend was a success. It marked four races in a row in which either Baz or Herrin (or both) has been on the podium, indicating they have the speed and consistency needed to fight for the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Championship title.
2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship After Round Four
P1 – Bobby Fong 138
P2 – Jake Gagne 130
P3 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 119
P4 – Cameron Petersen 110
P5 – Loris Baz (Ducati) 101
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#2)
“It was a super positive weekend here at Brainerd,” Herrin said. “It was a great result to get two podiums. The team has been plugging away—the momentum is clearly with us now after this weekend and getting the win at Road America last time out. That’s three podiums in a row, which is a great boost to me and the team.”
“Now we head off to The Ridge in Washington. It was one of our best races last year, and then onto Laguna Seca, so we’ve got a couple of fun race weekends coming up. I’m really happy with how my Ducati Panigale V4 R is working right now and ready to keep the ball rolling.”
Loris Baz (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati–#76)
“Coming from a podium yesterday, the ambition was high,” Baz said after race two. “We always want to be in the front and take the next step. We tried a few things in the morning warm-up session, which didn’t work as planned, which led us to go back to yesterday’s set-up. I was also a bit more aggressive at the beginning of the race today.”
“I was on the limit a bit with the front-end when Josh (Herrin) came by, so I just took my time a little and tried to follow, but then Sean Dylan Kelly had a massive crash right in front of me. I’m glad he is OK, it was a big one, but I had to run off the track and I lost a lot of time. It took me over a lap to get back to my rhythm with my tires being dirty. I tried to be with Cameron Petersen, but in the end, I settled for fourth. It was a not-so-bad ending; we leave with some good points and another podium heading into The Ridge.”
The fifth round of the 2024 Steel Commander MotoAmerica Superbike Championship sees the series head to the Pacific Northwest at The Ridge in Washington over the June 28-30 weekend.
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