An unexpected rainstorm disrupted Friday evening’s activities at Lusail International Circuit, but the first official timed sessions of 2024 left some looking forward to Saturday’s qualifying and sprint race while others had work to do overnight.
Defending and two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia, who dominated pre-season testing, was only 10th after the first practice session, and a wet surface meant no one improved their lap times in FP2. Bagnaia’s practice start was a disaster, with his 2024 factory Desmosedici slewing sideways and leaving a big, drag race-style stripe of rubber – not an effective launch for a modern MotoGP machine.
Rookie Pedro Acosta pushed his GASGAS Tech3 machine hard, sliding sideways hard enough to launch his feet off the pegs while saving the bike on his elbow. Undaunted, Acosta set the third-quickest time in both dry and wet sessions, faster than the factory KTM riders.
Raul Fernandez (25) took the Trackhouse Racing Aprilia to sixth in the wet. Photo by Michael Gougis.
The new American Trackhouse Racing team found that the 2023-spec Aprilia RS-GP performed well in the hands of Raul Fernandez, who was sixth in the wet. Fernandez was impressive in the off-season, and Fernandez outperformed many of the factory riders in difficult conditions on Friday night.
Johann Zarco (5) was the fastest on a Japanese machine on Friday, finishing sixth in the dry FP1 session. Photo by Michael Gougis.
The Japanese manufacturers continued to struggle, with Johann Zarco’s sixth place in the dry FP1 an unexpected high point for the Castrol Honda LCR squad as the best of the Honda RC213Vs. New recruit Alex Rins was the quickest Yamaha in FP1, finishing 15th, but he dropped to the bottom of the scoring sheets in the wet FP2.
Joe Roberts (16) fought technical gremlins in FP1 and rain kept him in the garage during FP2. Photo by Michael Gougis.
American Joe Roberts struggled with technical issues during the first practice session and the team, like most others, chose to sit out the wet second session.
He said he needed to rebuild his confidence, to learn how to adapt from the Honda RC213V to the very different Ducati Desmosedici GP23. Then Marc Marquez went out in the wet and went faster than anyone. Photo by Michael Gougis.
We’ve got a school happening in Vegas this weekend on March 9th & 10th, and there’s still space for a few more folks. Drop what you’re doing and join us in Vegas! Weather forecast predicts a high of 70 degrees. Ideal! The same goes for Willow Springs later this month. We’ve got some spots left there too. It’s single-day schools on March 23rd & 24th, and a Two-Day Camp on March 25th & 26th. Whitney and Sami are available in the office if you have any questions about signing up. 800-530-3350
Here’s the lineup of West Coast schools before we head off to the East Coast in May:
March 9 & 10: Las Vegas Two Day Camp.
March 23/24: Willow Springs Single Day Schools.
March 25 & 26: Willow Springs Two Day Camp.
April 5 & 6: Las Vegas Two Day Camp.
April 11/12: Willow Springs Two Day Camp.
April 13 & 14: Willow Springs Single Day Schools.
Dylan Code made a guest appearance on a video podcast hosted by Motobeemer. If you’ve got some time to spare, check out the link below to watch the episode.
California Superbike School Founder Keith Code (second from right). Photo courtesy California Superbike School.
Did you know Keith still goes to all the schools? You can’t keep him away from the track and working with riders—his favorite thing to do. Here’s a message from Keith:
As we embark on our 45th year of schooling, two elements consistently leave a lasting impression on me.
Firstly, the remarkable evolution and refinement of riding technology, with advancements like ABS, Traction Control, wheelie control, and Lean-angle/power control for wet conditions. Despite these brilliant electronic innovations, the fundamental skills of riding remain largely unchanged. The fact that one can still “outsmart” these technologies is a daily observation at our school. Additionally, some common rider errors pose as much danger as they ever did. This reality has driven us to develop over 200 specific on and off-track drills for our coaching staff to address and rectify these errors, ultimately boosting riders’ confidence. We stand by our guarantee to elevate anyone’s proficiency with their riding.
Tyler Scott earned pole position for the 82nd Daytona 200 during MotoAmerica Time Attack qualifying Friday at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Riding his Dunlop-shod Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 without the aid of a drafting partner, the 18-year-old Pennsylvania lapped the 3.51-mile infield road course in 1:48.047. What made Scott’s performance more remarkable was that it did it less than 24 hours after separating his right shoulder in a crash during Qualifying One (Q1) on Thursday.
Stefano Mesa was second-best with a 1:48.147 on his Pirelli-equipped Boulder Motor Sport Ducati Panigale V2. Although this isn’t Mesa’s first entry in the Daytona 200, it is his first in six years.
Veteran Bobby Fong claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a lap of 1:48.697 on his Dunlop-fitted Wrench Motorcycles Suzuki GSX-R750 while working together with Mesa early in the short 15-minute session.
Hayden Gillim qualified fourth with a 1:48.850 on his Vesrah Racing Suzuki GSX-R750.
2023 Daytona 200 race winner Josh Herrin was fifth in the Time Attack with a 1:48.886 on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati.
Xavi Fores, the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, got the sixth grid spot, the final spot on row two, via a 1:48.911 on his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R6.
Row Three qualifiers included N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis (1:49.021), PHR Performance Triumph’s Richard Cooper (1:49.034), and Scott’s teammate Richie Escalante (1:49.053).
CSU One Cure/J4orce Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes (1:49.068), the third of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s four riders Brandon Paasch (1:49.439), and Cooper’s Isle of Man TT-winning teammate/team owner Peter Hickman (1:51.685) rounded out the top 12 qualifiers.
The 57-lap 82nd Daytona 200 is scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday.
It can be watched live on MotoAmerica Live+, ESPN Latin America, and Star+ or via a delayed broadcast at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time Sunday, March 10 on MAVTV.
Nine Bridgestone CSBK riders qualify for Daytona 200 after Friday improvements
Ben Young. Photo by Colin Fraser, courtesy CSBK.
Daytona Beach, FL – The 82nd running of the historic Daytona 200 will feature nine Canadians on Saturday, as a pair of rapid Friday morning qualifying sessions determined the grid spots for each Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship rider in attendance.
Ben Young continued his upward trajectory from Thursday afternoon, quickly entering the 1:51 territory to begin Q2 aboard his Team BATTLAX Suzuki. That left the two-time defending CSBK champion just outside a crucial Top-12 Time Attack spot in 14th, but the pace continued to increase throughout the 30-minute session.
That was also true for Warhorse HSBK Ducati debutant Trevor Dion, who jumped to 17th just before the halfway mark and less than two seconds behind his reigning Daytona 200 winning teammate Josh Herrin.
The second half of the session was a far different story, however, as Dion parked his V2 Panigale in pitlane for most of the final 15 minutes while Young continued to hammer out consistent 1:51 lap times aboard his GSX-R750.
That would end with a last-minute flyer of 1:50.329 for Young, about a quarter-second faster than any time he put together a year ago, but that was still not enough against one of the most loaded Daytona 200 fields in history as he slipped to 19th in Q2.
A blazing time from Group B leader Maximilian Gerardo would later bump Young down to 20th, where he will start the race on Saturday as the top Canadian – albeit just 0.9 seconds off a spot in the crucial Time Attack.
Dion would settle for 30th overall and one spot ahead of Young’s Team BATTLAX Suzuki teammate Trevor Daley, though both riders dipped into the 1:51 mark and actually went faster than the 21st best qualifier from a year ago – an indicator of the immense talent on this year’s 66-rider grid.
With the trio of Group A riders done for the day, the other six Canadians in the field took to the track in Group B for their Q2 session. That notably didn’t include Alex Coelho, who suffered a leg injury in Q1 on Thursday and will fail to qualify for the event.
The biggest storyline in Group B was Sebastien Tremblay, who sat provisionally in the top-35 on Thursday but was disqualified from Q1 after failing to go to Parc Ferme. The Turcotte Performance Kawasaki rider made up for it in Q2, registering a best time of 1:53.667 to lead the CSBK riders in the group and put himself 36th overall.
Just behind him in the session was another pair of Canadians in Sam Guerin and teenager Mavrick Cyr, who will slot in 38th and 39th, respectively, and one place ahead of Brad Macrae, who couldn’t improve his time in Q2 amidst mechanical issues.
The biggest benefactor of the secondary session was Matt Simpson, who found more than two seconds of improvement to jump up to 46th overall and just a half-second from the top-40 aboard his Evans Racing Yamaha.
Concluding the Canadian contingent was Alex Michel, who found some extra pace of his own in the morning session to put his SpeedFactory67 into 53rd on the grid out of 66 competitors.
The Bridgestone CSBK riders will now await the 57-lap feature Daytona 200 race on Saturday, with only the morning warm-up left to make any last-minute changes before the event kicks off at roughly 2 pm ET.
Meanwhile, the Top-12 Time Attack shootout saw 18-year-old Tyler Scott take pole position for the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team, beating out Stefano Mesa and Bobby Fong in a surprising front row.
Full coverage of Saturday’s Daytona 200 race can be found on the series’ official website, and can be watched live on MotoAmerica Live+.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
DAYTONA 200
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2
The field has been set for the 82nd Running of the Daytona 200, and the trio of Rahal Ducati Moto Riders have officially made the field for the first race of the new program’s Supersport campaign.
The team worked hard overnight to identify modifications to the race machines that allowed each rider to improve their times significantly and get more comfortable with their bikes.
Tomorrow’s Daytona 200 race day schedule will begin with a warm-up session, allowing the crews to fine-tune the Ducatis once more before the first race of the season. The 200-lap event will begin at 1:10 p.m. ET with coverage broadcast live on MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
QUALIFYING: P17 (1:50.227) – GROUP A
NOTES: Will take the green flag from P18 // Gained a significant amount of confidence with the modifications made to the No. 19 bike overnight
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was a pretty decent day, I made some huge steps with the bike and overall performance. I feel much more comfortable on the bike as they put a really good package under us. I recorded my qualifying time without a draft, and I believe we still have a lot of time that can be gained in the slipstream, but overall I’m pretty happy with the #19 XPEL Ducati. We’re going to keep improving this weekend, hopefully resulting in a top 10 or top 15 tomorrow, which will get us more confident going into Atlanta. Overall, we’ve made a huge step, and big thanks to the team for all their hard work over the weekend so far.
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE + FORMING DUCATI PANIGALE V2
QUALIFYING: P18 (1:50.258) – GROUP A
NOTES: Will take the green flag from P19 // Found solid speed during Qualifying 2 to build on for the race tomorrow
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today is like Day 1 for us. We’ve taken a big step forward from Qualifying 1, and we want to chalk yesterday up as a loss. The bike has been a lot better, and we found some issues that our team worked out overnight, making us around 4.5 seconds faster during Qualifying 2. The bike itself is not great at that speed so we have to catch up with the setup. My size isn’t the easiest either, so we will see what happens in the race, but if we can make another step like we did today we’ll be good for tomorrow. If we can get in the pack and get a draft, who knows what will happen and we could deliver the Roller Die + Forming team a great result.”
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
QUALIFYING: P26 (1:51.131) – GROUP A
NOTES: Will take the green flag from P27 // Experiences more electronics issues during qualifying – the team has made significant changes to the electronics of the bike in order to correct the issue and ensure no challenges are faced for the race tomorrow
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was pretty rough again for me and my crew. I think that we didn’t sort some things out that are quite tricky, and it’s been unlucky for the team itself with electronics. We are replacing everything on the bike today so we can come out in the morning for the warm-up before the race with all the problems solved. I hope tomorrow is a more positive day and the XPEL bike can be where we know it can be, and we can run at the front, not at the grid position of 27. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a lot better and we can fix all these issues tonight.”
BEN SPIES
RAHAL DUCATI MOTO TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today wasn’t an easy day but it was much better than yesterday. We are headed in a better direction. We had a couple small issues with PJ’s bike that we believe we can fix for tomorrow. The Daytona 200 is a very long race and we hope we can give him the package he needs to work his way to the front. For the other two riders, they did a good job and their pace was good. It’s a long race and we are trying to get good pit stops, let them draft up, and try to get some good results”.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:
TY SCOTT PUTS VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI ON POLE FOR 82ND DAYTONA 200
Tyler Scott (70) races the GSX-R750 to the 2024 Daytona 200’s pole position. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Suzuki GSX-8R Finishes Strong In Twins Cup Racing Debut
Brea, CA, March 9, 2024 — Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and Team Hammer enter Saturday’s 82nd Daytona 200 with a full complement of potential race winners, a crew spearheaded by Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, who earned pole position for the prestigious race in Friday’s Time Attack. The day also saw the all-new Suzuki GSX-8R make a promising race debut in Twins Cup competition.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott posted the fastest time in the 12-rider Time Attack to secure pole position for the 82nd Daytona 200.
Richie Escalante qualified ninth in Time Attack despite setting the pace during the Combined Qualifying sessions.
Brandon Paasch joins Escalante on Row 3 after clocking the 11th fastest time in Time Attack.
Teagg Hobbs will look to battle through the field after qualifying 22nd.
Twins Cup
Rossi Moor finished seventh in his Twins Cup debut.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Twins Cup
Rocco Landers grabbed the holeshot on the GSX-8R before claiming a top-five finish in the GSX-8R’s maiden race effort.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott (70) left Daytona International Speedway on Friday with pole position after the fastest time in the day’s decisive Time Attack session. Scott showed remarkable promise for Saturday’s 82nd Daytona 200. The Supersport ace led the way with a pole-winning time of 1:48.047 aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750.
“I crashed in Q1 and dislocated my shoulder,” said Scott. “I rode in Q2 to make sure everything was OK. For Time Attack, the team and all the riders decided on a strategy. I wanted to go alone and see what I could do by myself rather than try to organize a good draft, and I was able to get a low ’48. I am feeling better after the crash and I’m ready to go. I’m excited and looking forward to a strong race with a strong team.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante (54) will start the Daytona 200 in ninth. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch (96) will line up his GSX-R750 11th on the grid for Daytona’s 200-miler. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Teagg Hobbs (79) at speed on the high banks of Daytona, and will start 22nd in the 82nd running of the Daytona 200. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Scott’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates, Richie Escalante (54) starting 9th, qualifying at 1:49.053, Brandon Paasch (96) starting 11th, 1:49.439, and Teagg Hobbs (79) starting 22nd, 1:50.348 expect to be major factors in Saturday’s 200-miler on their GSX-R750s as well. Escalante was fastest in the pre-Time Attack combined qualifying sessions, while Paasch is a two-time winner of the fabled Daytona event.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (92) putting the new GSX-8R through its paces, to earn seventh in the bike’s and rider’s Twins Cup racing debut. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Meanwhile, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (92) and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’ Rocco Landers (97) demonstrated the vast potential of the all-new Suzuki GSX-8R sportbike’s parallel-twin platform in the Twins Cup season opener.
Landers grabbed the holeshot before settling in with a pack that also included Moor disputing the podium positions early in the contest. Ultimately former class champion Landers won a battle for fifth while 16-year-old Twins Cup rookie Moor finished fractions of a second back in seventh.
“It’s my first race at Daytona and my first time racing at a track with banking. It’s also the first time we have raced this new Suzuki, so we wanted to find out where we stood,” said Moor. “We struggled some at the beginning of the weekend, but we made a lot of progress and took a bit of a risk with more changes for the race. It paid off and we made a big step forward. We have some more room to improve our race pace to get to the front. I made it up to fourth but couldn’t move forward or hold the other guys behind me. That’s what it is going to take but we are steadily heading in the right direction. It was fun finishing my first race at Daytona, and will go out there with guns blazing tomorrow.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’ Rocco Landers (97) raced the new Suzuki GSX-8R to fifth place in the 2024 Twins Cup’s inaugural race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’s Rocco Landers said, “It is always good to lead the first turn of the first race. We have made strong progress but we’re not at the point where we know we can be. I made a few mistakes and lost the lead pack, plus this is a brand-new bike for us. The GSX-8R is an awesome platform. We’ve been focusing on the handling this weekend, and everything has been going in one direction for us, and that is forward.”
Suzuki and Team Hammer now turn all their combined attention to this year’s edition of the arduous, unpredictable, and thrilling Daytona 200, which will race Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.
The 2024 season marks Team Hammer’s consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 133 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 361 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
Eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez demonstrated his wet weather prowess as he went fastest on the rain-soaked Lusail International Circuit pavement in the second MotoGP practice session in Qatar.
In his first race weekend on the 2023-spec Gresini Ducati Desmosedici, Marquez’ fastest lap was a 2:06.544, 0.290 seconds faster than Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez. Third was teammate and MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta, the pair of GASGAS machines leading the factory Red Bull KTMs of Jack Miller and Brad Binder as the RC16 took four of the top five spots in the wet.
Raul Fernandez took sixth on the 2023-spec Aprilia RS-GP he will start the season on for the American Trackhouse Racing squad. Teammate Oliveira was 20th.
Tyler O’Hara rode his S&S Indian Challenger to victory in the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge dash-for-cash race Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
O’Hara took the lead on the first lap of the two-lap sprint and held on to win by 0.385 second over his new teammate Troy Herfoss.
Herfoss, meanwhile, was able to hold off defending Champion Hayden Gillim, who was a close third on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli retired on lap two, SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian’s Bobby Fong retired on lap one, and Rispoli’s teammate Kyle Wyman Did Not Start (DNS) the race.
Reigning Australian Superbike Champion and MotoAmerica rookie Troy Herfoss captured pole position during MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying Two (Q2) Friday morning at Daytona International Speedway.
Riding his S&S Indian Challenger, Herfoss covered the 3.51-mile infield road course in 1:49.987, which broke the new All-Time Lap Record of 1:50.017 he set on Thursday.
Kyle Wyman qualified second with a time of 1:50.197 on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide, and Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a lap at 1:50.599.
Row Two qualifiers included Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli (1:50.678), RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s defending Champion Hayden Gillim (1:51.239), and SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian’s Bobby Fong (1:51.933).
2023 Moto3 World Champion Jaume Masia, who moved up to Moto2 for the 2024 season, was quickest in a rain-disrupted second practice session on a fully wet track in Qatar.
Masia, on the Pertamina Mandalika GAS UP team, led teammate Bo Bendsneyder in a 1-2 for the team, although only four riders recorded lap times. Masia’s time was 17 seconds slower than the outright lap record, a 1:57.305 set by American Joe Roberts last year.
Daniel Holgado smashed the outright lap record for Moto3 in the second practice session in Qatar, as eight riders clocked laps quicker than the mark set back in 2021.
Holgado topped the timesheets with a 2:03.606 on his Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine, leading the Hondas of Adrian Fernandez and Matteo Bertelle. The old record was 2:04.075, set by Darryn Binder.
Reigning MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Xavi Fores topped MotoAmerica Daytona 200 Qualifying Two (Q2) Friday morning at Daytona International Speedway, but Richie Escalante is still quickest overall heading into the Time Attack Friday afternoon.
The 1:47.833 Escalante did on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 in Qualifying One (Q1) remains the new Daytona 200 Lap Record, and the 1:47.045 Escalante’s teammate Tyler Scott did in Q1 kept him in second position.
Scott crashed and dislocated his shoulder in a crash at the end of Q1, but he received medical treatment Thursday night, rode in Q2 on Friday morning, and appears to be good to go for the race.
Fores, riding his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R6, led Q2 with a time of 1:48.655, which moved him up to third overall.
The top 16 riders in Q2 were separated by just 1.3 seconds.
The top 12 riders in the combined times from Q1 and Q2 now advance to the 15-minute Time Attack Friday afternoon, when the front four rows of the grid will be set.
With Group B Qualifying Two still to run, the unofficial top 12 Daytona 200 qualifiers were:
Gus Rodio broke the lap record and secured pole position during MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Qualifying Two (Q2) Friday morning at Daytona International Speedway.
Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Rodio lapped the 3.51-mile road course in 1:55.193, which broke Stefano Mesa’s mark of 1:55.545 set during Twins Cup Race Two in 2023.
Dominic Doyle improved his lap time by half a second to 1:56.015 on his Giaccmoto Yamaha YZF-R7 during Q2 and secured the second position on the front row.
Avery Dreher, the 17-year-old 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion and a rookie in the Twins Cup class, qualified third with a 1:56.335 on his new TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660.
Row Two qualifiers included Rocco Landers (1:56.704) on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R, Rodio’s teammate Ben Gloddy (1:57.562), and Ed Sullivan (1:57.643) on his SE Composites Yamaha YZF-R7.
MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta (31) was third-quickest in the wet and the dry, besting the factory KTM team. Photo by Michael Gougis.
An unexpected rainstorm disrupted Friday evening’s activities at Lusail International Circuit, but the first official timed sessions of 2024 left some looking forward to Saturday’s qualifying and sprint race while others had work to do overnight.
Defending and two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia, who dominated pre-season testing, was only 10th after the first practice session, and a wet surface meant no one improved their lap times in FP2. Bagnaia’s practice start was a disaster, with his 2024 factory Desmosedici slewing sideways and leaving a big, drag race-style stripe of rubber – not an effective launch for a modern MotoGP machine.
Rookie Pedro Acosta pushed his GASGAS Tech3 machine hard, sliding sideways hard enough to launch his feet off the pegs while saving the bike on his elbow. Undaunted, Acosta set the third-quickest time in both dry and wet sessions, faster than the factory KTM riders.
Raul Fernandez (25) took the Trackhouse Racing Aprilia to sixth in the wet. Photo by Michael Gougis.
The new American Trackhouse Racing team found that the 2023-spec Aprilia RS-GP performed well in the hands of Raul Fernandez, who was sixth in the wet. Fernandez was impressive in the off-season, and Fernandez outperformed many of the factory riders in difficult conditions on Friday night.
Johann Zarco (5) was the fastest on a Japanese machine on Friday, finishing sixth in the dry FP1 session. Photo by Michael Gougis.
The Japanese manufacturers continued to struggle, with Johann Zarco’s sixth place in the dry FP1 an unexpected high point for the Castrol Honda LCR squad as the best of the Honda RC213Vs. New recruit Alex Rins was the quickest Yamaha in FP1, finishing 15th, but he dropped to the bottom of the scoring sheets in the wet FP2.
Joe Roberts (16) fought technical gremlins in FP1 and rain kept him in the garage during FP2. Photo by Michael Gougis.
American Joe Roberts struggled with technical issues during the first practice session and the team, like most others, chose to sit out the wet second session.
He said he needed to rebuild his confidence, to learn how to adapt from the Honda RC213V to the very different Ducati Desmosedici GP23. Then Marc Marquez went out in the wet and went faster than anyone. Photo by Michael Gougis.
A California Superbike School student in action in Las Vegas. Photo by etechphoto.com, courtesy California Superbike School.
The riding season has kicked off!
We’ve got a school happening in Vegas this weekend on March 9th & 10th, and there’s still space for a few more folks. Drop what you’re doing and join us in Vegas! Weather forecast predicts a high of 70 degrees. Ideal! The same goes for Willow Springs later this month. We’ve got some spots left there too. It’s single-day schools on March 23rd & 24th, and a Two-Day Camp on March 25th & 26th. Whitney and Sami are available in the office if you have any questions about signing up. 800-530-3350
Here’s the lineup of West Coast schools before we head off to the East Coast in May:
March 9 & 10: Las Vegas Two Day Camp.
March 23/24: Willow Springs Single Day Schools.
March 25 & 26: Willow Springs Two Day Camp.
April 5 & 6: Las Vegas Two Day Camp.
April 11/12: Willow Springs Two Day Camp.
April 13 & 14: Willow Springs Single Day Schools.
Dylan Code made a guest appearance on a video podcast hosted by Motobeemer. If you’ve got some time to spare, check out the link below to watch the episode.
California Superbike School Founder Keith Code (second from right). Photo courtesy California Superbike School.
Did you know Keith still goes to all the schools? You can’t keep him away from the track and working with riders—his favorite thing to do. Here’s a message from Keith:
As we embark on our 45th year of schooling, two elements consistently leave a lasting impression on me.
Firstly, the remarkable evolution and refinement of riding technology, with advancements like ABS, Traction Control, wheelie control, and Lean-angle/power control for wet conditions. Despite these brilliant electronic innovations, the fundamental skills of riding remain largely unchanged. The fact that one can still “outsmart” these technologies is a daily observation at our school. Additionally, some common rider errors pose as much danger as they ever did. This reality has driven us to develop over 200 specific on and off-track drills for our coaching staff to address and rectify these errors, ultimately boosting riders’ confidence. We stand by our guarantee to elevate anyone’s proficiency with their riding.
Tyler Scott earned pole position for the 82nd Daytona 200 during MotoAmerica Time Attack qualifying Friday at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Riding his Dunlop-shod Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 without the aid of a drafting partner, the 18-year-old Pennsylvania lapped the 3.51-mile infield road course in 1:48.047. What made Scott’s performance more remarkable was that it did it less than 24 hours after separating his right shoulder in a crash during Qualifying One (Q1) on Thursday.
Stefano Mesa was second-best with a 1:48.147 on his Pirelli-equipped Boulder Motor Sport Ducati Panigale V2. Although this isn’t Mesa’s first entry in the Daytona 200, it is his first in six years.
Veteran Bobby Fong claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a lap of 1:48.697 on his Dunlop-fitted Wrench Motorcycles Suzuki GSX-R750 while working together with Mesa early in the short 15-minute session.
Hayden Gillim qualified fourth with a 1:48.850 on his Vesrah Racing Suzuki GSX-R750.
2023 Daytona 200 race winner Josh Herrin was fifth in the Time Attack with a 1:48.886 on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati.
Xavi Fores, the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, got the sixth grid spot, the final spot on row two, via a 1:48.911 on his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R6.
Row Three qualifiers included N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha’s Blake Davis (1:49.021), PHR Performance Triumph’s Richard Cooper (1:49.034), and Scott’s teammate Richie Escalante (1:49.053).
CSU One Cure/J4orce Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes (1:49.068), the third of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s four riders Brandon Paasch (1:49.439), and Cooper’s Isle of Man TT-winning teammate/team owner Peter Hickman (1:51.685) rounded out the top 12 qualifiers.
The 57-lap 82nd Daytona 200 is scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday.
It can be watched live on MotoAmerica Live+, ESPN Latin America, and Star+ or via a delayed broadcast at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time Sunday, March 10 on MAVTV.
Nine Bridgestone CSBK riders qualify for Daytona 200 after Friday improvements
Ben Young. Photo by Colin Fraser, courtesy CSBK.
Daytona Beach, FL – The 82nd running of the historic Daytona 200 will feature nine Canadians on Saturday, as a pair of rapid Friday morning qualifying sessions determined the grid spots for each Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship rider in attendance.
Ben Young continued his upward trajectory from Thursday afternoon, quickly entering the 1:51 territory to begin Q2 aboard his Team BATTLAX Suzuki. That left the two-time defending CSBK champion just outside a crucial Top-12 Time Attack spot in 14th, but the pace continued to increase throughout the 30-minute session.
That was also true for Warhorse HSBK Ducati debutant Trevor Dion, who jumped to 17th just before the halfway mark and less than two seconds behind his reigning Daytona 200 winning teammate Josh Herrin.
The second half of the session was a far different story, however, as Dion parked his V2 Panigale in pitlane for most of the final 15 minutes while Young continued to hammer out consistent 1:51 lap times aboard his GSX-R750.
That would end with a last-minute flyer of 1:50.329 for Young, about a quarter-second faster than any time he put together a year ago, but that was still not enough against one of the most loaded Daytona 200 fields in history as he slipped to 19th in Q2.
A blazing time from Group B leader Maximilian Gerardo would later bump Young down to 20th, where he will start the race on Saturday as the top Canadian – albeit just 0.9 seconds off a spot in the crucial Time Attack.
Dion would settle for 30th overall and one spot ahead of Young’s Team BATTLAX Suzuki teammate Trevor Daley, though both riders dipped into the 1:51 mark and actually went faster than the 21st best qualifier from a year ago – an indicator of the immense talent on this year’s 66-rider grid.
With the trio of Group A riders done for the day, the other six Canadians in the field took to the track in Group B for their Q2 session. That notably didn’t include Alex Coelho, who suffered a leg injury in Q1 on Thursday and will fail to qualify for the event.
The biggest storyline in Group B was Sebastien Tremblay, who sat provisionally in the top-35 on Thursday but was disqualified from Q1 after failing to go to Parc Ferme. The Turcotte Performance Kawasaki rider made up for it in Q2, registering a best time of 1:53.667 to lead the CSBK riders in the group and put himself 36th overall.
Just behind him in the session was another pair of Canadians in Sam Guerin and teenager Mavrick Cyr, who will slot in 38th and 39th, respectively, and one place ahead of Brad Macrae, who couldn’t improve his time in Q2 amidst mechanical issues.
The biggest benefactor of the secondary session was Matt Simpson, who found more than two seconds of improvement to jump up to 46th overall and just a half-second from the top-40 aboard his Evans Racing Yamaha.
Concluding the Canadian contingent was Alex Michel, who found some extra pace of his own in the morning session to put his SpeedFactory67 into 53rd on the grid out of 66 competitors.
The Bridgestone CSBK riders will now await the 57-lap feature Daytona 200 race on Saturday, with only the morning warm-up left to make any last-minute changes before the event kicks off at roughly 2 pm ET.
Meanwhile, the Top-12 Time Attack shootout saw 18-year-old Tyler Scott take pole position for the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team, beating out Stefano Mesa and Bobby Fong in a surprising front row.
Full coverage of Saturday’s Daytona 200 race can be found on the series’ official website, and can be watched live on MotoAmerica Live+.
More, from a press release issued by Rahal Ducati Moto:
DAYTONA 200
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024 | QUALIFYING 2
The field has been set for the 82nd Running of the Daytona 200, and the trio of Rahal Ducati Moto Riders have officially made the field for the first race of the new program’s Supersport campaign.
The team worked hard overnight to identify modifications to the race machines that allowed each rider to improve their times significantly and get more comfortable with their bikes.
Tomorrow’s Daytona 200 race day schedule will begin with a warm-up session, allowing the crews to fine-tune the Ducatis once more before the first race of the season. The 200-lap event will begin at 1:10 p.m. ET with coverage broadcast live on MotoAmericaLivePlus.com.
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
QUALIFYING: P17 (1:50.227) – GROUP A
NOTES: Will take the green flag from P18 // Gained a significant amount of confidence with the modifications made to the No. 19 bike overnight
WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “Today was a pretty decent day, I made some huge steps with the bike and overall performance. I feel much more comfortable on the bike as they put a really good package under us. I recorded my qualifying time without a draft, and I believe we still have a lot of time that can be gained in the slipstream, but overall I’m pretty happy with the #19 XPEL Ducati. We’re going to keep improving this weekend, hopefully resulting in a top 10 or top 15 tomorrow, which will get us more confident going into Atlanta. Overall, we’ve made a huge step, and big thanks to the team for all their hard work over the weekend so far.
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE + FORMING DUCATI PANIGALE V2
QUALIFYING: P18 (1:50.258) – GROUP A
NOTES: Will take the green flag from P19 // Found solid speed during Qualifying 2 to build on for the race tomorrow
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today is like Day 1 for us. We’ve taken a big step forward from Qualifying 1, and we want to chalk yesterday up as a loss. The bike has been a lot better, and we found some issues that our team worked out overnight, making us around 4.5 seconds faster during Qualifying 2. The bike itself is not great at that speed so we have to catch up with the setup. My size isn’t the easiest either, so we will see what happens in the race, but if we can make another step like we did today we’ll be good for tomorrow. If we can get in the pack and get a draft, who knows what will happen and we could deliver the Roller Die + Forming team a great result.”
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
QUALIFYING: P26 (1:51.131) – GROUP A
NOTES: Will take the green flag from P27 // Experiences more electronics issues during qualifying – the team has made significant changes to the electronics of the bike in order to correct the issue and ensure no challenges are faced for the race tomorrow
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today was pretty rough again for me and my crew. I think that we didn’t sort some things out that are quite tricky, and it’s been unlucky for the team itself with electronics. We are replacing everything on the bike today so we can come out in the morning for the warm-up before the race with all the problems solved. I hope tomorrow is a more positive day and the XPEL bike can be where we know it can be, and we can run at the front, not at the grid position of 27. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a lot better and we can fix all these issues tonight.”
BEN SPIES
RAHAL DUCATI MOTO TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “Today wasn’t an easy day but it was much better than yesterday. We are headed in a better direction. We had a couple small issues with PJ’s bike that we believe we can fix for tomorrow. The Daytona 200 is a very long race and we hope we can give him the package he needs to work his way to the front. For the other two riders, they did a good job and their pace was good. It’s a long race and we are trying to get good pit stops, let them draft up, and try to get some good results”.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:
TY SCOTT PUTS VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI ON POLE FOR 82ND DAYTONA 200
Tyler Scott (70) races the GSX-R750 to the 2024 Daytona 200’s pole position. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Suzuki GSX-8R Finishes Strong In Twins Cup Racing Debut
Brea, CA, March 9, 2024 — Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and Team Hammer enter Saturday’s 82nd Daytona 200 with a full complement of potential race winners, a crew spearheaded by Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, who earned pole position for the prestigious race in Friday’s Time Attack. The day also saw the all-new Suzuki GSX-8R make a promising race debut in Twins Cup competition.
Race Highlights:
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
Supersport
Tyler Scott posted the fastest time in the 12-rider Time Attack to secure pole position for the 82nd Daytona 200.
Richie Escalante qualified ninth in Time Attack despite setting the pace during the Combined Qualifying sessions.
Brandon Paasch joins Escalante on Row 3 after clocking the 11th fastest time in Time Attack.
Teagg Hobbs will look to battle through the field after qualifying 22nd.
Twins Cup
Rossi Moor finished seventh in his Twins Cup debut.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Twins Cup
Rocco Landers grabbed the holeshot on the GSX-8R before claiming a top-five finish in the GSX-8R’s maiden race effort.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott (70) left Daytona International Speedway on Friday with pole position after the fastest time in the day’s decisive Time Attack session. Scott showed remarkable promise for Saturday’s 82nd Daytona 200. The Supersport ace led the way with a pole-winning time of 1:48.047 aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750.
“I crashed in Q1 and dislocated my shoulder,” said Scott. “I rode in Q2 to make sure everything was OK. For Time Attack, the team and all the riders decided on a strategy. I wanted to go alone and see what I could do by myself rather than try to organize a good draft, and I was able to get a low ’48. I am feeling better after the crash and I’m ready to go. I’m excited and looking forward to a strong race with a strong team.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante (54) will start the Daytona 200 in ninth. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch (96) will line up his GSX-R750 11th on the grid for Daytona’s 200-miler. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Teagg Hobbs (79) at speed on the high banks of Daytona, and will start 22nd in the 82nd running of the Daytona 200. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Scott’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates, Richie Escalante (54) starting 9th, qualifying at 1:49.053, Brandon Paasch (96) starting 11th, 1:49.439, and Teagg Hobbs (79) starting 22nd, 1:50.348 expect to be major factors in Saturday’s 200-miler on their GSX-R750s as well. Escalante was fastest in the pre-Time Attack combined qualifying sessions, while Paasch is a two-time winner of the fabled Daytona event.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (92) putting the new GSX-8R through its paces, to earn seventh in the bike’s and rider’s Twins Cup racing debut. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
Meanwhile, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (92) and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’ Rocco Landers (97) demonstrated the vast potential of the all-new Suzuki GSX-8R sportbike’s parallel-twin platform in the Twins Cup season opener.
Landers grabbed the holeshot before settling in with a pack that also included Moor disputing the podium positions early in the contest. Ultimately former class champion Landers won a battle for fifth while 16-year-old Twins Cup rookie Moor finished fractions of a second back in seventh.
“It’s my first race at Daytona and my first time racing at a track with banking. It’s also the first time we have raced this new Suzuki, so we wanted to find out where we stood,” said Moor. “We struggled some at the beginning of the weekend, but we made a lot of progress and took a bit of a risk with more changes for the race. It paid off and we made a big step forward. We have some more room to improve our race pace to get to the front. I made it up to fourth but couldn’t move forward or hold the other guys behind me. That’s what it is going to take but we are steadily heading in the right direction. It was fun finishing my first race at Daytona, and will go out there with guns blazing tomorrow.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’ Rocco Landers (97) raced the new Suzuki GSX-8R to fifth place in the 2024 Twins Cup’s inaugural race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines’s Rocco Landers said, “It is always good to lead the first turn of the first race. We have made strong progress but we’re not at the point where we know we can be. I made a few mistakes and lost the lead pack, plus this is a brand-new bike for us. The GSX-8R is an awesome platform. We’ve been focusing on the handling this weekend, and everything has been going in one direction for us, and that is forward.”
Suzuki and Team Hammer now turn all their combined attention to this year’s edition of the arduous, unpredictable, and thrilling Daytona 200, which will race Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.
The 2024 season marks Team Hammer’s consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 133 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 361 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
Marc Marquez (93) demonstrated his command of wet conditions by topping the wet second practice session in Qatar. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez demonstrated his wet weather prowess as he went fastest on the rain-soaked Lusail International Circuit pavement in the second MotoGP practice session in Qatar.
In his first race weekend on the 2023-spec Gresini Ducati Desmosedici, Marquez’ fastest lap was a 2:06.544, 0.290 seconds faster than Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez. Third was teammate and MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta, the pair of GASGAS machines leading the factory Red Bull KTMs of Jack Miller and Brad Binder as the RC16 took four of the top five spots in the wet.
Raul Fernandez took sixth on the 2023-spec Aprilia RS-GP he will start the season on for the American Trackhouse Racing squad. Teammate Oliveira was 20th.
Tyler O’Hara rode his S&S Indian Challenger to victory in the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge dash-for-cash race Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
O’Hara took the lead on the first lap of the two-lap sprint and held on to win by 0.385 second over his new teammate Troy Herfoss.
Herfoss, meanwhile, was able to hold off defending Champion Hayden Gillim, who was a close third on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli retired on lap two, SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian’s Bobby Fong retired on lap one, and Rispoli’s teammate Kyle Wyman Did Not Start (DNS) the race.
Reigning Australian Superbike Champion and MotoAmerica rookie Troy Herfoss captured pole position during MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Qualifying Two (Q2) Friday morning at Daytona International Speedway.
Riding his S&S Indian Challenger, Herfoss covered the 3.51-mile infield road course in 1:49.987, which broke the new All-Time Lap Record of 1:50.017 he set on Thursday.
Kyle Wyman qualified second with a time of 1:50.197 on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide, and Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a lap at 1:50.599.
Row Two qualifiers included Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli (1:50.678), RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s defending Champion Hayden Gillim (1:51.239), and SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian’s Bobby Fong (1:51.933).
Jaume Masia (5) was fastest on a wet track in Moto2 practice at Qatar. Photo by Michael Gougis.
2023 Moto3 World Champion Jaume Masia, who moved up to Moto2 for the 2024 season, was quickest in a rain-disrupted second practice session on a fully wet track in Qatar.
Masia, on the Pertamina Mandalika GAS UP team, led teammate Bo Bendsneyder in a 1-2 for the team, although only four riders recorded lap times. Masia’s time was 17 seconds slower than the outright lap record, a 1:57.305 set by American Joe Roberts last year.
Daniel Holgado (96) follows Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 teammate Jacob Roulstone (12) in Moto3 practice at Qatar. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Daniel Holgado smashed the outright lap record for Moto3 in the second practice session in Qatar, as eight riders clocked laps quicker than the mark set back in 2021.
Holgado topped the timesheets with a 2:03.606 on his Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine, leading the Hondas of Adrian Fernandez and Matteo Bertelle. The old record was 2:04.075, set by Darryn Binder.
Reigning MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Xavi Fores topped MotoAmerica Daytona 200 Qualifying Two (Q2) Friday morning at Daytona International Speedway, but Richie Escalante is still quickest overall heading into the Time Attack Friday afternoon.
The 1:47.833 Escalante did on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 in Qualifying One (Q1) remains the new Daytona 200 Lap Record, and the 1:47.045 Escalante’s teammate Tyler Scott did in Q1 kept him in second position.
Scott crashed and dislocated his shoulder in a crash at the end of Q1, but he received medical treatment Thursday night, rode in Q2 on Friday morning, and appears to be good to go for the race.
Fores, riding his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R6, led Q2 with a time of 1:48.655, which moved him up to third overall.
The top 16 riders in Q2 were separated by just 1.3 seconds.
The top 12 riders in the combined times from Q1 and Q2 now advance to the 15-minute Time Attack Friday afternoon, when the front four rows of the grid will be set.
With Group B Qualifying Two still to run, the unofficial top 12 Daytona 200 qualifiers were:
Gus Rodio broke the lap record and secured pole position during MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Qualifying Two (Q2) Friday morning at Daytona International Speedway.
Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, Rodio lapped the 3.51-mile road course in 1:55.193, which broke Stefano Mesa’s mark of 1:55.545 set during Twins Cup Race Two in 2023.
Dominic Doyle improved his lap time by half a second to 1:56.015 on his Giaccmoto Yamaha YZF-R7 during Q2 and secured the second position on the front row.
Avery Dreher, the 17-year-old 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion and a rookie in the Twins Cup class, qualified third with a 1:56.335 on his new TopPro Racing Aprilia RS 660.
Row Two qualifiers included Rocco Landers (1:56.704) on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R, Rodio’s teammate Ben Gloddy (1:57.562), and Ed Sullivan (1:57.643) on his SE Composites Yamaha YZF-R7.
A “press release” is promotional text issued by a rider, team, company or organization to inform
the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
September 9, 2025
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
