At 47, Josh Hayes ties the all-time AMA roadracing win record

Hayes, a four-time Superbike champ, won both MotoAmerica Supersport races this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park, notching his 85th and 86th career wins. Experience played a role in both victories, with Hayes strategically passing his way to the front in beautiful weather on Saturday while Josh Herrin was fighting off Rocco Landers to clinch the season championship. And on Sunday, with light rain beginning to fall, Hayes managed the sketchy conditions on slick tires better than anyone, eventually winning the race by nearly 11 seconds when it was red-flagged with five scheduled laps remaining as the rain got heavier. While Herrin criticized Race Direction for not stopping the Sunday race sooner, Hayes said they got the decision exactly right.

"I went through turn seven and I had one little slip... and by the time I got to nine the red flag was out," Hayes said. "It was perfect timing."

Hayes has now won three Supersport races this year despite the fact that his Squid Hunter team is a part-time effort. He won the Saturday Supersport race at VIRginia International Raceway in May to reach 84 career wins. After that, he rode a few races for the Bobbleheadmoto N2 Racing team as a replacement rider for Kevin Olmedo, who had to sit out due to health problems, but Hayes was less competitive on Olmedo's Yamaha YZF-R6. Back on his familiar Squid Hunter R6 at NJMP, he returned to winning.

That's despite the fact he's competing against both talented, rising young riders less than half his age, like Landers (who he also coaches), and an experienced rival in Herrin, who he fought with in the Superbike class for years. He's also racing a 600 cc R6 against Suzuki GSX-R750s and Herrin's Ducati Panigale V2 under the Next Generation Supersport rules.

With the Squid Hunter team planning to participate in the two Supersport races coming up in two weeks at Barber Motorsports Park, Hayes now has the chance to surpass Duhamel, who was a former competitor and teammate. As famously competitive as Duhamel has always been, Hayes wasn't the first to joke about expecting a comeback.

"I'm sure Miguel will be looking for Twins ride or a Bagger next week," Hayes joked. But he quickly turned serious.

"I have a lot of respect for the man," Hayes said. He recalled his first year as a full-time pro racer, going out in a Supersport session behind Duhamel and spending 15 minutes in his wheel tracks, trying to learn what he could and see if he measured up to the man who got most of his 86 wins on a 600 cc Honda. Their competition continued in the Superbike class, too.

"I watched him do amazing things on the Superbike," Hayes said. "I remember seeing him on the racetrack do something and thinking, 'Shit, if I have to do that I don't think I'm going to make it.' And then having to go figure out how to do that. I learned so much from him."

After being nudged into retirement from the Yamaha MotoAmerica Superbike team, Hayes became a father. He also worked with younger riders as a coach, an experience he says helped him when got the chance to get back on track. No longer a full-time racer, he's even more grateful for the chance to go out and win again.

"Now I'm a husband, I'm a father, I'm a pet owner, I'm a truck driver, I'm a coach, and once in a while they let me ride a motorcycle," said Hayes. "The family came after my full-time career was over and... I'm lucky because I want my son to see by example how hard I work for something I care about, something I'm passionate about. And whatever he chooses in life, hopefully he'll follow that example."