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MOTOGP: Hayes Coming Home, Herrin Staying Home
Josh Hayes will receive a hero's homecoming this weekend when he shows off the #1 plate at NOLA Motorsports Park.
Media Release  |  Posted October 03, 2012   Cypress, CA
Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Hayes (Photo: Brian J Nelson)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: This weekend's AMA Pro Road Racing season finale from NOLA Motorsports Park will air on SPEED on Sunday, October 7th at 2:00pm ET and 3:00pm ET and at Midnight ET.

After winning his third-consecutive AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship a little less than two weeks ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida, Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha’s Josh Hayes will undoubtedly receive a hero’s welcome at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, this weekend. NOLA is about a 90-minute drive from Gulfport, Mississippi, which is Josh’s hometown, and the new venue will host the 12th and final round of the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season on its 16-turn, 2.75-mile natural road course.

Along with an army of family and friends from the area, Josh will be joined by the rest of the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team, as well as all the riders and crewmembers from the Yamaha Extended Service/Graves/Yamaha team.

Other than Josh Hayes’ homecoming, the biggest news for the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team going into this weekend--and it’s not good news--is the unfortunate absence of Josh’s rookie Superbike teammate, Josh Herrin. As was previously announced, Josh injured his left shoulder when he crashed a dirt tracker while training this past Saturday. He suffered a third-degree separation of the AC joint in his shoulder, which was precisely the same injury that Tommy Hayden sustained to his right shoulder in his crash at New Jersey. Josh had surgery on Tuesday to repair and stabilize the joint, and he is unable to make the trip to New Orleans. He’s resting comfortably but is understandably disappointed that he won’t be racing his #2 Yamaha YZF-R1 this weekend.

Josh said, “We had a good test here in June, and I was really looking forward to racing at NOLA, especially since it’s our first AMA Pro race at the track. But, I just had the surgery on my shoulder on Tuesday, and I don’t want to risk doing any further damage. I hate that my rookie season was cut short by one round. I wanted to finish out the season on a high note and keep myself in the top three in points. Plus, the fans at the NOLA test in June were so great, and I really wanted to come back and race for them.”

And so, Josh Hayes will go it alone in Cajun Country as he tries for his 11th pole position of the season followed by his 15th and 16th race wins on the year. “This is the closest track to home for me on the AMA Pro Road Racing schedule,” Josh said. “There are a bunch of people from the Gulfport area who are coming out to see me race. The last thing I want to do is disappoint them or my team, so I’ll be trying hard to put on a good show for them and come away with both wins. There’s no let up in me at all, that’s for sure.”
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