It’s always good to come home. That’s how I feel every time I return to Laguna Seca.
Driving off of Boundary Road, and onto the perimeter of the track, then cresting the big downhill that descends behind Turn 2, towards the green parking area, I always get a big smile knowing that a great weekend of racing is about to begin.
This weekend was no different, with bright, sunny skies, a good crowd, and lots of great racing in both the World Superbike and the MotoAmerica series.
Fans attending the World Superbike Championship around at Laguna Seca next week will have another hometown favorite to cheer for, as Josh Herrin will do double-duty at the California round, racing in both the MotoAmerica and WorldSBK superbike races.
Of note too, Herrin will ride the same Attack Performance prepped Yamaha YZF-R1 in the WorldSBK races at Laguna Seca, that he currently uses in the MotoAmerica Championship.
Joining fellow Americans Jake Gagne and PJ Jacobsen on the on the grid at Laguna Seca, Herrin will have a tough task ahead of him at the US round, with MotoAmerica bikes typically slower at the technical track than their WorldSBK-spec counterparts.
In literature there are basic themes that stories follow, and commonly used literary devices that authors build their stories upon – one of which is called the “hero’s journey”.
In stories that follow a monomyth or hero’s journey format, a hero with superhuman strength falls from grace and is sent upon a great task to earn their redemption.
The story then follows their trials and tribulations, which forge and transform the hero into something stronger than what they once were, before the hero then returns home and accomplishes more than he or she was capable at the beginning of the tale.
There can perhaps be no matter telling of this story in the motorcycle racing community than Josh Herrin.
The narrative that surrounds the Bell helmet brand is a long and storied one, with some of the more interesting bits happening in just recent time, as the brand’s many different elements and organizations have finally come back together under one roof.
As such, Bell is keen on changing some of the perceptions of its products, especially in the motorcycle space, and has made great strides in doing so with its latest crop of Star helmets.
A full-featured race helmet, priced to undercut the top offerings from AGV, Arai, Shoei, et al, the Bell Star now sees its successor, the Bell Pro Star progeny coming to market.
We don’t talk a lot about gear here on Asphalt & Rubber, but that is slowing going to change in the coming months, and we wanted to give a nod to what Bell is up to with the Pro Star.
Josh Herrin’s difficult debut year in Moto2 has come to a premature end. The AirAsia Caterham Moto2 team today announced that from the Misano round of MotoGP, Thai rider Ratthapark Wilairot will take the place of the 24-year-old Californian.
Wilairot is currently riding in the World Supersport championship for the Core PTR Honda team, but the remaining WSS schedule will allow the Thai rider to compete in both series. Wilairot already subbed for Herrin when the American broke his collarbone in a training accident back in April.
It was fitting – some might say inevitable – that Colin Edwards chose the Grand Prix of the Americas in his home state of Texas to announce his retirement. He had just spent the last couple of weeks at home, with his growing kids, doing dad stuff like taking them to gymnastics and baseball and motocross, then hosted a group, including current GP riders and a couple of journos, at his Bootcamp dirt track school.
He had had time to mull over his future, then talk it over with his wife Ally, and come to a decision. There wasn’t really a much better setting for the double World Superbike champion to announce he was calling it quits than sitting next to former teammate Valentino Rossi, the American he fought so memorably with in 2006, Nicky Hayden, the latest US addition to the Grand Prix paddock Josh Herrin, and with Marc Marquez, prodigy and 2013 MotoGP champion. It felt right. Sad, but right.
You can read the full story of Edwards’ retirement here, but his announcement highlighted two different problems for motorcycle racing. One local, one global, and neither particularly easy to fix.
The loss of Colin Edwards sees the MotoGP paddock, indeed all of international motorcycle racing, robbed of its most outspoken and colorful character. Edwards was a straight talker, with a colorful turn of phrase and uninhibited manner of speech.
His interviews were five parts home truths, five parts witticisms and a handful of obscenities thrown in for good measure. He livened up press conferences, racing dinners, and casual conversations alike.
With Edwards gone, motorcycle racing is a much blander, less appealing place. Though Edwards was always careful not to upset sponsors too much, he refused to toe the line and just spout the politically acceptable line handed down by his corporate paymasters. He spoke his mind, complained when he was annoyed, gave praise where it was due, and always, always entertained.
If you don’t make it a point to watch the Moto2 races during the racing season, you are missing out. The tight battles on the track have meant close competition for the Championship, and the intermediate series has even brought about a new style of riding, with riders hanging way off their machines and dragging their elbows in the process.
For the 2014 season, Americans have another reason to watch Moto2: Josh Herrin. The reigning AMA Pro Superbike Champion, Herrin has left the domestic riding scene for international competition.
Herrin’s signing with the Caterham Moto Racing team is hopefully a sign that young talented American riders can once again find their way into the GP classes, and there is a lot of weight on Josh’s shoulders to do well this year.
For now though, the pressure if off, as we are still a few months out from the season-opener at Qatar. So until the green flag drops on March 23rd, Josh can enjoy the off-season testing and continue to learn this competitive class. You can share in the fun too, and take an on-board lap with Herrin and his Suter-built Moto2 race bike at the Circuito de Almeria. Enjoy!
After going pro in 2006 at the age of 16, Josh Herrin impressed many by racking up wins in the AMA Supersport and AMA Daytona Sportbike series – with 2013 seeing Josh win the AMA Pro Superbike Championship, America’s crown jewel of road racing.
Most recently, he has joined the Caterham Moto2 team, making him the first American athlete to make the jump from AMA to Moto2. I recently got to sit down with Josh Herrin to talk about his life and his racing career. The transcript from our conversation follows.
Our buddy John Shofner is back with another short-clip of two wheeled persuasion, which we think will help get your head right for the upcoming weekend. Featuring some Moto2 rider named Josh, the film is just another day at the supermoto track — you know, backing it in, jumping over stuff, and generally having a good time. We think you will enjoy it.
After sewing up the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Championship, Monster Energy Graves Yamaha rider Josh Herrin is now headed to greener pastures, as the 23-year-old will make the trek across the pond, and join the Moto2 Championship for the 2014 season.
Announcing the move at the AMA awards banquet, Herrin was tight-lipped on who he would be racing for, but Asphalt & Rubber sources have confirmed that the American will be racing with Caterham Racing for the next two seasons. Replacing Herrin at Monster Energy Graves Yamaha is Cameron Beaubier, who will be Yamaha’s investment in the future, as he races alongside Josh Hayes.
Getting his first AMA Pro Superbike victory right-off-the-bat at Race 1 of the season-opener in Daytona, Josh Herrin got his 2013 season off to a solid start. A coming out party of sorts for the other Josh in the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha team, Herrin is showing himself to be a real talent in the AMA paddock, and at only 22-years-old, the Yamaha rider has quite the promising career ahead of him.
Our buddy John Shofner at Shofner Films got to follow Herrin around the Daytona paddock for the Daytona race weekend, and has produced an excellent video that captures Josh’s first win. We think you will enjoy it, and who knows, maybe we will get some more AMA Pro Superbike goodness on the site in the coming months. God knows the sport needs get productions like this one.