In his first-ever AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei start, Garrett Carter earned a convincing victory over polesitter Russ Wikle in the 12-lap AMA Pro SuperSport East final at Barber Motorsports Park under conditions that were wet at the start of the race and got progressively drier throughout.

Riding the No. 31 Ridersdiscount.com/Woodcraft Yamaha YZF-R6, Carter chased down Wikle on Lap 4 and claimed the lead from the Suzuki rider on the short straightaway between Turns 6 and 7. Carter set sail from there, cruising to a 4.291-second victory in the race, which was shortened by five laps due to weather delays. Immediately after celebrating his SuperSport victory, Carter jumped back on his No. 31 Garrett Carter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 and competed in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike final.

"It was a really good race," said Carter. "It was pretty wet at the start of the race. I think we were all still getting our feel for it, so I wasn't out there right at the start, but I got a pretty good feel for it halfway through the race, put my head down and got by quite a few guys. Wikle was running at a really good pace and I thought that once I got by him I was going to show him some stuff and he was going to hang with me, but luckily I pulled a gap on him. Within five or six laps I saw an eight-second lead so I cooled it down a little bit and brought it home. It was definitely a really good race. Wikle was definitely on pace and I think if he would have gotten going pretty good, he would have been with me the whole race. Luckily, I got away from him and got the win."

Wikle, who hails from nearby Huntsville, Ala., earned his best SuperSport result of the season with a second-place run aboard the No. 5 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600. It was Wikle's second trip to the podium in the season's first three races, as he also finished third in the season-opener at Daytona in March. He is now third in the AMA Pro SuperSport East point standings with three of nine races complete.

"Well I knew that starting from pole, I was definitely going to have an advantage over everybody and I was able to get a real good start," said Wikle. "Since everyone was behind me, I knew that everyone was going to have to get by so I just made myself wide. I think I led the first lap or two, maybe. When Garrett got by me, he was really flying, so I was able to learn a couple of things from him. It was just a good race, I tried to keep my head smart and came out second."

Finishing third was Huntley Nash on the No. 15 Arai/Racing Sport Services Yamaha YZF-R6. It was also a season-best result for Nash, whose previous best run this season was a fifth-place outing in Daytona.

After winning last time out at Road Atlanta, Leandro Mercado finished fourth in the Honda Superbike Classic aboard the No. 92 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-R6. Mercado is now second in the SuperSport East championship  standings. Joey Pascarella completed the top five with a fifth-place ride on the No. 25 Shoei/Shift/TCX/LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Pascarella leads the point standings by 13 points, 62-49, over Mercado.

AMA Pro SuperSport Barber Race Results:
1. Garrett Carter, Yamaha YZF-R6
2. Russ Wikle, Suzuki GSX-R600 
3. Huntley Nash, Yamaha YZF-R6 
4. Leandro Mercado, Kawasaki ZX-6R 
5. Joey Pascarella, Yamaha YZF-R6 
6. Josh Day, Yamaha YZF-R6
7. Tomas Puerta, Yamaha YZF-R6
8. Dustin Dominguez, Kawasaki ZX-6R
9. Lloyd Worrell, Yamaha YZF-R6 
10. Ricky Parker, Yamaha YZF-R6
11. Reese Wacker, Suzuki GSX-R600
12. J.D. Beach, Honda CBR600RR
13. Brock Terrell, Yamaha YZF-R6
14. Kyle Wyman, Yamaha YZF-R6
15. Ryan Clay, Yamaha YZF-R6