Erion Racing Honda

Josh Hayes

Jake Zemke

Josh Hayes National #: 1 Height: 5' 10" Weight: 160 lb. Residence: Gulfport, Mississippi Date of Birth: 1/1/1975 Place of Birth: Gulfport, Mississippi First Started Riding: 1986, age 11 First Race: 1994, age 19 Current Race Bike(s): Honda CBR600RR Marital Status: married, wife Melissa Mechanic(s): Rick Hobbs Training: road bicycling, motocross, weights Hobbies: motocross, bicycling, snowboarding Description: Two years, two AMA Formula Xtreme championships. For Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes the results are very satisfying, especially since the road to his racing success has been as challenging as racing around Laguna Seca in the blazing July sun. “It was awesome to repeat as champion in the Formula Xtreme class for 2007, especially considering the dominance we had, that was fantastic,” reflects the 33-year-old racing veteran. “But the spirit of the fight in the first {2006} championship, racing in such a close battle, it was pretty sweet to come out on top in the last race that year as well.” Hayes utterly dominated Formula Xtreme in 2007 with seven wins in 10 rounds, sitting out the last race due to injury, but with the title firmly in hand. He also competed in Supersport last year, marking Honda’s return to the class after a three-year hiatus. He was immediately a factor in that fiercely competitive class, a performance he credits to his team and Honda’s CBR600RR. “When I came back to Erion in 2006, Rick Hobbs and I were both able to take our knowledge, understand each other’s needs, and move forward and be very successful. I came into 2007 supremely confident in my abilities to go out there and repeat. And then Honda stepped up their game by giving us the new 2007 CBR600RR. Honda has won more races than anybody else in the Supersport series and the new CBR is a wonderful weapon.” That’s an understatement. In his second year with Erion after a four-year hiatus, Hayes was in contention for the Supersport title all season, winning four of the eleven rounds (more than anyone else), including two of the last three. Unfortunately, a crash at Laguna Seca was too much to overcome and Hayes finished third in the season. A native of Gulfport, Mississippi, Hayes knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity. A latecomer to road racing, he competed for the first time as a teenager against riders who had years of experience. But he learned quickly, winning three WERA titles in 1994 and capturing six more in the next four years. He turned pro in 1999 and immediately got everyone’s attention when he won the opening round at Daytona in 750 Supersport. That year he finished third overall in Formula Xtreme and was on his way to even greater success with Erion Racing Honda in 2000, when he was in a terrible crash at Daytona the following spring in the 600 Supersport race. Nerve damage in his right arm would take years to heal, yet in 2000 he still managed third overall in the AMA Formula Xtreme series that year. In 2001 with Honda-supported Bruce Transportation, Hayes--with very little feeling in his throttle hand--finished fifth overall in both 600 Supersport and Formula Xtreme. He was on his way to regaining his old form in 2002 when he seriously injured his hand in Fontana. Surgery was required to repair broken bones and he sat out most of the remaining season. Undeterred, Hayes finally made good on his promising career when in 2003 he won the 750 Superstock title. Now with two more titles to his credit, no one would blame him for being a bit cocky, but that’s not in Hayes’ nature. “It’s great fun to race against your fellow man. I really enjoy the sport and I enjoy seeing the young kids putting out the same kind of effort that I put out trying to make a successful racing career for myself. Anytime I ever needed help, I could go to Miguel Duhamel and he was very open with me. Every one of us has the same goals and we all respect that we’re after the same prize. When it’s time, you go for everything. At the end it’s fun to revel in the race and the competition. It all comes down to not how much you know, but your race craft.” As he looks toward 2008, Hayes is confident--and armed with the best motorcycle on the grid, Honda’s CBR600RR. “Honda did an amazing job of improving the bike’s positive attributes without taking away the characteristic Honda feel. The addition of the midrange power really helped our game with the Formula Xtreme bike. And by making the bike so much lighter and shortening the wheelbase, it made it easier to change direction and also gave us amazing front-end feel.” If anyone doubts Hayes’ sincerity, he puts his money where his mouth is. “I’d ridden the CBR600RR mostly in modified version, but when we went into Supersport, I thought, ‘Wow! This is really an amazing motorcycle.’ Enough so that I went and bought two: one for my wife to race, and one for myself to have a practice bike.” On the track or in the garage, Josh Hayes and Honda are an unbeatable combination.

Victories/Accomplishments for Josh Hayes:

Year Accomplishment 2007 1st AMA Formula Xtreme, 3rd AMA Supersport 2006 1st AMA Formula Xtreme, 5th AMA Superstock 2005 9th AMA Superbike, Winner, 4th Annual Willow Springs Motorcycle Club 200 2004 8th AMA Superbike, 8th AMA Superstock Winner 3rd Annual Willow Springs Motorcycle Club 200, 5th Macau Grand Prix 2003 1st AMA 750 Superstock,l 4th AMA Formula Xtreme, Winner 2nd Annual Willow Springs Motorcycle Club 200 2002 Injured at the second race of the season, Hayes was out of action for much of the year. He came back to earn a second-place podium finish at the final Supersport race at VIR 2001 5th AMA 600 Supersport, 5th AMA Formula Xtreme 2000 3rd AMA Formula Xtreme, 12th AMA 600 Supersport 1999 3rd AMA Formula Xtreme, 6th AMA 600 Supersport, Winner AMA 750 Supersport Daytona 1998 1100cc Suzuki Cup Champion, 600cc Suzuki Cup Champion, Formula USA 600cc Class 103 Champion, WERA National 600 Superstock Champion, WERA Sportsman B Superstock Champion, WERA Sportsman C Superstock Champion 1997 1100cc Suzuki Cup Champion, WERA National Endurance Co-Champion 1996 WERA National Endurance Co-Champion 1995 WERA National Heavyweight Supersport Endurance Champion 1994 WERA National 1100 Novice Production Champion, WERA National 750 Novice Production Champion, WERA National 600 Novice Production Champion