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At 51, Josh Hayes remains one of American road racing’s most durable and successful figures. A weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park added another win to a career defined by consistency — and an unusually high rate of top finishes.
A career measured in starts, podiums and longevity
This past weekend Hayes started his 377th AMA‑sanctioned professional road race, entering Supersport race two at New Jersey Motorsports Park. He had already taken victory in Saturday’s Supersport race one, the penultimate round of the 2026 MotoAmerica season.
Those results moved Hayes to 91 AMA‑sanctioned wins and 191 podiums, figures that translate to a podium rate of about 50.66% and a race‑winning percentage near 24.13%. For context: in roughly half of his AMA starts, Hayes has stood on the podium.
How he got here
Hayes’s first season in motorcycle road racing came in 1994, when he campaigned a self‑tuned Honda CBR600F2 and claimed three National Novice Championships. Early plans for 1995 — a ride with Ruckus Racing on a Kawasaki ZX‑6R alongside Grant Lopez — did not materialize after Lopez signed elsewhere, but Hayes pressed on.
His domestic résumé is extensive. Over the years he recorded multiple national titles with teams such as Team Hammer’s Valvoline EMGO Suzuki and achieved class success with Erion Honda in 2006, including victories in Formula Xtreme and strong Superstock results.
A global résumé beyond AMA
Hayes’s experience is not limited to U.S. events. He has raced endurance events from Summit Point to the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans. Internationally, he competed in the FIM Supersport World Championship with Parkalgar Honda and, in 2011, filled in for Colin Edwards with the Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP team — leading the Sunday warmup in Valencia and finishing seventh in the race later that day.
He also found success in international historic events, winning the International Island Classic Challenge at Phillip Island in both 2020 and 2021. When club, WERA, sprint, shootout and other non‑AMA starts are included, Hayes’s total career starts likely exceed 500, and his total wins across all series surpass his AMA tally.
Why Hayes endures
Anyone who follows him closely points to an obvious driver: Hayes’s deep affection for the sport. That enthusiasm shows on the grid and after races. After securing his 90th AMA win at VIRginia International Raceway, he said, “I don’t know what to say except how thankful I am…It’s easy to go fight when people give you the opportunity that you’re so appreciative of, and the fans are so kind to me…. I love the racing, anyway. I love getting on the grid…”
Beyond sprint competition, Hayes has logged extensive seat time in endurance events — experience he credits with sharpening his racecraft. That breadth of background helps explain both his longevity and sustained results.
Looking ahead
Hayes’s AMA‑sanctioned totals will keep rising: he is expected to return with BPR Racing in 2027, likely aboard his #4 Yamaha YZF‑R9 in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship. For a rider whose career spans decades and continents, that prospect underscores a straightforward truth — Hayes isn’t done yet.
