Superbikes at Brainerd

Hayden Gillim Secures Double Provisional Pole and Double Class Lap Records at Superbikes at Brainerd

Hayden Gillim had an outstanding performance at Brainerd International Raceway (BIR), setting new class lap records and earning provisional poles in both the Stock 1000 and Mission King Of The Baggers qualifying sessions, with lap times of 1:31.779 and 1:34.747 respectively.

Friday Highlights:

Mission King Of The Baggers:

Gillim, riding for RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, set the stage in the King of the Baggers qualifying rounds, setting a new class record lap time of 1:34.747 placing him ahead of competitors Tyler O’Hara and Kyle Wyman.

“It’s going really good,” Hayden said. “I’m happy to be up front. We’ve been struggling a little bit this year but we’re getting there and slowly chipping away. The guys are working their butts off. They gave me a great bike today and I love this track. I’m having fun and that’s the main thing.”

Stock 1000:

Hayden Gillim, riding for Real Steel Motorsports in the Stock 1000 class, continued his winning streak on his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to provisional pole while also breaking the Stock 1000 lap record at BIR on Friday.

Gillim’s lap of 1:31.779 put him 1.256 seconds clear of FLOLAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith, who in turn was .2 of a second ahead of BPR Racing’s Bryce Prince.

Saturday Highlights:

Stock 1000 Race One:

Gillim won by nearly seven-and-a-half seconds, setting another race lap record atop his record breaking results in Friday’s qualifying round.

Mission King of The Baggers Race One:

He took the lead and maintained it, marking his first win of the season in this class.

“I like tracks that have just a flow,” commented Gillim when asked what it is about Brainerd that he likes so much. “Road America is not a good track for me. Road Atlanta, I tend to struggle a little bit. The kind of point-and-shoot tracks, I struggle with. For some reason, I feel like I’m good on the brakes but then I always seem to mess up the exit. So, this place doesn’t have much of that. Everything flows together really good. Turn one and two are fun. They’re two of my favorite corners in the world. It’s sweet because you just go in, roll out of it for a second, and then you’re back to pin. It’s a fun track. It’s a fun layout. For that reason, I go good here. I knew coming into this weekend it was kind of like going to Barber. I know I go really good at Barber. I know these guys are going to be gunning for it. These weekends, I’ve got to take what I can get and capitalize on the confidence that I’ve got coming in. When we get to Ridge and Laguna, I know those tracks, Laguna specifically, I go good there but I’m not great there. I don’t have a great track record there, so I’m trying to just capitalize at the tracks that I know are good for me and hopefully not have to bend it at the other tracks.”

Sunday Highlights:

Mission King of The Baggers Race Two:

Despite crashing in the Stock 1000 race, Gillim redeemed himself by securing another victory in the King of The Baggers race, completing a successful weekend with a significant points haul.

Stock 1000 Race Two:

Gillim’s crash opened the field for other competitors, with Jason Uribe taking his first win in the MotoAmerica Championship. Despite the crash, he maintained his leading position with 50 points overall, as the weekend of races at Brainerd International Raceway came to a close.