Courtesy of AMA PRO RACING
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14, 2014) - Three-time champ Josh Hayes reminded the world that he's still the man to beat in AMA Pro SuperBike -- and he won't be beaten easily -- with a stunning victory in Friday afternoon's season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha legend came into the weekend anxious to make up for last year's disappointment, both at Daytona and in his subsequent title defeat. However motivated, he looked very much under threat of having his thunder stolen once again.

"I couldn't be happier," Hayes said after redeeming last year's Daytona double DNF. "It was a great day, and it was a really fun race. There was a lot of nervous pressure out there. It was '+0' on the board the whole time... Well, I actually had a gap for a little bit but they closed it down. I was like, 'all right, stay settled down, and just ride smart.' It was fun racing but hard on the nerves, hard on the old ticker. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve; let's see if I can pull out a few more tomorrow."

Speaking of his final-lap strategy, Hayes explained, "The last lap, I could tell Cam had run wide, and I knew Rog was right there. I could hear his bike. My biggest thing was I knew I had to hit the apex of every corner. I couldn't run wide and just give him an opportunity... On the banking I brought it down pretty tight. I was hoping that if he tried, he'd have to go the long way and go up on the high part of the banking. I figured that was my only chance because if I let him get underneath me, I'd be dead meat."