Josh Herrin won the first Superbike race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, holding off Cameron Beaubier and Sean Dylan Kelly. Herrin’s victory gave him a 15-point lead in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike championship heading into the midseason break, officials said.
Riding the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, Herrin fended off five-time champion Cameron Beaubier and Sean Dylan Kelly to secure the win. The result propelled Herrin to a 15-point lead in the championship standings heading into the midseason break before the series resumes at Mid-Ohio, according to official points released after the race.
Herrin’s victory in the first Superbike race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca marked his third win of the 2024 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike season, officials said.
The championship points after Laguna Seca’s opening race placed Herrin at 169, followed closely by Jake Gagne with 168 and Cameron Petersen with 167. Bobby Fong was fourth with 158 points, Loris Baz had 132, Beaubier stood at 128, and Kelly trailed eight points behind Beaubier, sources confirmed. Fong, riding for Wrench Motorcycles, finished fourth in the race, less than a second behind Herrin, underscoring the tight competition among the top riders, officials said.
Herrin’s weekend at Laguna Seca also featured provisional pole position on Friday afternoon, continuing his strong form in the 2024 season, according to race reports. The close battle among the leaders reflected the competitive nature of the MotoAmerica Superbike field this year.
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has been a consistent venue on the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike calendar, with doubleheader race weekends in 2023 and 2024. A tripleheader format is scheduled to debut in 2025, officials said. Cameron Beaubier holds the record for the most MotoAmerica Superbike wins at Laguna Seca, with 10 victories at the circuit. He also holds the Superbike lap record at Laguna Seca, set in 2023 with a time of 1:22.556, breaking Josh Herrin’s previous record of 1:22.908 from 2018, according to official timing records.
In the 2024 season, Beaubier and Herrin split the Laguna Seca Superbike wins, with Beaubier winning Race 1 and Herrin taking Race 2, sources confirmed. This contrasts with the 2023 tripleheader at Laguna Seca, where Beaubier won two of the three races, both held on Sunday, and Jake Gagne won the first race on Saturday. The 2023 weekend was marked by a significant incident on the opening lap of the Saturday race, when Cameron Petersen crashed exiting Turn 2 and collected Beaubier, affecting the championship dynamics, according to race summaries.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, the tripleheader format at Laguna Seca will include three Superbike races over the weekend. On the Saturday race in 2025, Josh Herrin extended his winning streak to five consecutive MotoAmerica Superbike wins, following sweeps at The Ridge Motorsports Park and Road America. Herrin’s victory at Laguna Seca in 2025 increased his championship lead from eight to 23 points, aided by a mistake from Beaubier that cost the latter positions and points, sources noted.
In that 2025 Saturday race, Bobby Fong finished second on his Attack Performance Progressive Insurance Yamaha, with teammate Jake Gagne completing the podium in third. JD Beach, riding for Real Steel Honda, finished fourth, ahead of Richie Escalante on a Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, showcasing the variety of manufacturers competing at the front of the field, officials said.
The third race of the 2025 Laguna Seca tripleheader saw Bobby Fong secure the win, with Herrin and Gagne finishing second and third, respectively. Fong’s victory was described in post-race commentary as a decisive performance, and Gagne’s third place marked his sixth podium finish of the season. JD Beach finished sixth despite strong previous showings at Laguna Seca on Honda machinery, underscoring the increased competitiveness in the Superbike class, according to official race results.
Historically, Cameron Beaubier’s dominance at Laguna Seca includes multiple double-victory weekends and his two-win Sunday performance in the 2023 tripleheader, reinforcing his status as the circuit’s all-time MotoAmerica Superbike win leader. Josh Herrin’s record at Laguna Seca features victories in 2024 and 2025, including his 2025 Saturday win that extended his personal winning streak. Bobby Fong’s consistent presence at the front includes a close fourth-place finish in 2024 and a Race 3 victory in 2025. Jake Gagne’s record includes a 2023 race win at Laguna Seca and multiple podiums through 2025, maintaining his position in the championship hunt, sources confirmed.
The 2024 Laguna Seca round served as a pivotal moment in the MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike championship, setting the stage for the second half of the season. The series is scheduled to resume at Mid-Ohio following the midseason break, where riders will continue to contest the closely matched championship battle.
