Jose Rueda took his Red Bull KTM Ajo to the top of the Moto3 timesheets in Practice Two at Lusail International Circuit, lowering the lap record that was set less than 24 hours prior.
Rueda’s 2:03.465 edged the 2:03.606 mark set yesterday by Daniel Holgado on the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine. KTM dominated the charts, locking out the first eight places.
Moto3 first practice
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Championship
Royal Enfield Daytona Short Track II
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 8, 2024
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Tom Drane (Yam), 4 laps
2. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -0.584 second
3. Kody Kopp (KTM), -0.726
4. Trent Lowe (Hon), -1.854 seconds
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Sammy Halbert (Har), 4 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -1.251 seconds
3. Brandon Price (Yam), -1.608
4. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -1 lap
Provisional Royal Enfield BTR Main Event (10 Laps) Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kenzie Luker (Roy), 10 laps
2. Taia Little (Roy), -0.275 second
3. Mya Maffei (Roy), -7.358 seconds
4. Shasta L’Heureux (Roy), -7.854
5. Mikaela Nichols-Lionetti (Roy), -15.978
6. Hannah Lange (Roy), -20.207
7. Hannah Robertson (Roy), -1 lap
8. Kristiana Ross (Roy), -1 lap, 10.335 seconds
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event (6 Minutes + 2 Laps) Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Tom Drane (Yam), 22 laps
2. Kody Kopp (KTM), -1.951 seconds
3. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -5.849
4. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -6.331
5. Logan Eisenhard (KTM), -7.939
6. Justin Jones (Hus), -8.911
7. Aidan RoosEvans (Yam), -8.960
8. James Ott (Hus), -9.422
9. Evan Renshaw (Hon), -11.043
10. Trent Lowe (Hon), -11.132
11. Tarren Santero (Hon), -12.819
12. Travis Petton (KTM), -14.924
13. Tyler Raggio (KTM), -15.217
14. Jared Lowe (Hon), -15.255
15. Chad Cose (KTM), -18.372
16. Ian Wolfe (Hon), -18.829
17. Reece Pottorf (Hon), -1 lap
18. Jacob Cascio (Hon), -1 lap, 4.944 seconds
19. Jordan Jean (Hon), -1 lap, 5.075
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event (10 Minutes + 2 Laps) Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Brandon Robinson (Ind), 34 laps
2. Sammy Halbert (Har), -1.134 seconds
3. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -2.679
4. Briar Bauman (KTM), -3.857
5. Jared Mees (Ind), -4.697
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -6.067
7. Jarod VanDerkooi (Ind), -7.171
8. Trevor Brunner (KTM), -9.914
9. Brandon Price (Yam), -11.232
10. Max Whale (Har), -11.711
11. Cameron Smith (KTM), -13.037
12. Dan Bromley (Hon), -16.612
13. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -1 lap
14. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -1 lap, 2.127 seconds
15. Declan Bender (Ind), -1 lap, 3.135
16. Wyatt Vaughan (Kaw), -1 lap, 3.396
17. Logan Mcgrane (Kaw), -2 laps
18. Ben Lowe (KTM), -22 laps, DNF
19. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -24 laps, DNF
More, from a press release issued by AFT:
Robinson Overcomes Halbert to Claim Fourth Daytona Triumph
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 8, 2024) – Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) successfully defended his adopted home turf to reign in Friday’s Mission SuperTwins Main Event to conclude a hugely entertaining Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II at the Daytona International Speedway Short Track.
Robinson had to overcome potential Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, history in order to do so, forced to chase down an in-form Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Dodge Bros. Racing/Castrol Harley-Davidson XR750) to get the win. Halbert actually led the opening six-and-a-half minutes of the Main Event after earlier winning his heat race and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge a full 53 years, 10 months, and five days after Mert Lawwill took the iconic Harley-Davidson XR750 to its maiden win at the Cumberland Half-Mile.
Following an extended pursuit, the Mission Roof Systems pilot finally dove up the inside of Dodge Bros.-backed Halbert, who then was thrown out of his saddle after encountering a bump while off his usual line. Undeterred, Halbert nearly clawed his way back within striking distance before at last conceding the race to Robinson in its final minute.
The victory was the fourth of Robinson’s career at the DAYTONA Short Track, moving him equal with Friday adversary Halbert for most all-time at the event. Afterward, Robinson, who originally hails from Pennsylvania but now resides just fifteen minutes from the World Center of Racing, unsurprisingly professed his affection for the track.
He said, “This feels amazing. It feels like forever since I’ve won a race. Going winless last year really (made me angry) to be honest. I came to the Main with a chip on my shoulder. I love this place. I love Daytona. Something about this dirt – it’s the greatest dirt in the world as far as I’m concerned… This is a dream ending to the week.”
Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), himself the winner of the three prior premier-class showdowns at the venue, battled with Robinson and hunted Halbert over the Main’s opening half before falling into the clutches of the resurgent Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke).
The two then traded third multiple times – a melee complete with crisscrossing lines and squared-up counters – before Daniels laid claim on the spot for good. He finished a little more than a second ahead of Bauman with reigning Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) not far behind in fifth.
Sixth went to Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) a short distance ahead of Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750) in seventh.
Premier-class rookies Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke) and Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R) finished eighth and tenth, respectively, with Thursday runner-up Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha MT-07) sandwiched in between.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) rebounded from his Thursday disappointment to claim a dominating win in Friday’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER rematch.
The young Australian ripped out to the holeshot in the restart that followed an early red flag and immediately stretched out a second-plus advantage at the front. Meanwhile, triple Daytona ST winner and double defending class champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) moved up from third into second after working past impressive sophomore Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson KTM 450 SX-F) with five of the race’s scheduled six minutes still on the clock.
With clear air in front of him and plenty of time to work with, Kopp’s attempts to close the gap saw him make minor inroads on Drane’s advantage for a spell. But despite the determined effort, the Yamaha ace’s speed and consistency ultimately won out to the tune of a 1.951-second margin of victory at the checkered flag.
The victory was Drane’s first in the Short Track discipline, after previously winning three Miles and a Half-Mile. He said, “This means so much to finally get a Short Track win. I’d struggled a lot with these, but I just kept working and chipping away. I put all that effort in to try to become good (at them) so I can fight for the title this year.”
Eisenhard kept his head down in search of a maiden Progressive AFT podium and very nearly pulled it off. However, he was swallowed up and then pushed aside in rapid succession by a pair of the category’s established stars, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R) with just 30 seconds still on the clock.
Gauthier then fended off Saathoff to secure his second podium of the young ’24 season. Despite losing out on his podium bid, Eisenhard did hold on to finish inside the top five even with Justin Jones (No. 91 J&H Racing Husqvarna FC 450), Aiden RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F), and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) running just behind in close formation.
Heralded rookie Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) finished ninth, one spot in front of his charging Turner Honda teammate, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), whose early-race crash prompted the aforementioned red flag.
In the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race Main, Kenzie Luker (No. 17 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) edged Thursday winner Taia Little (No. 11 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) by 0.275 seconds for the Friday victory.
Next Up:
The 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season will resume on Saturday, March 23, with the Yamaha Senoia Short Track at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia. To secure your tickets today, please visit https://www.americanflattrack.com/events/2024/view/senoia-short-track-2024.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at http://flosports.link/aft.
FOX Sports coverage of the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, March 16, at 9:30 a.m. ET (6:30 a.m. PT), while the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II will air the following day, Sunday, March 17, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, and check us out on Instagram.
JOSH HERRIN JOINS KYT HELMETS AND DEBUTS NEW KX-1 RACE AT DAYTONA 200
KYT Americas welcomes Herrin to the team as the newest MotoAmerica rider in an already stacked lineup
Daytona Beach, FL; March 8, 2024 – KYT Americas proudly announces the addition of seasoned racer Josh Herrin to its roster of sponsored athletes for the 2024 racing season.
Herrin will debut his KX-1 Race during the Daytona 200 as he looks to defend his 2023 title. Herrin is no stranger to winning, with multiple championships in several different classes—most recently the 2022 Supersport Championship on the Ducati Panigale V2 with his current team.
Herrin, a veteran in the MotoAmerica paddock and one of the biggest names in American road racing, brings a wealth of experience and talent to the KYT Americas team. Racing his second season on the Ducati superbike Herrin looks to improve on his impressive second place finish in the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike series.
Consistently finishing on the podium throughout his career, Herrin is poised to make a significant impact wearing the KYT KX-1 Race.
As a sponsored racer for KYT Americas competing in the premier national series, Herrin will be equipped with the cutting-edge KX-1 Race helmet. The FIM homologated KX-1 Race, designed and developed in Italy and tested by Ducati Corse Factory riders, is the latest KYT helmet infused with world-class safety and aerodynamic technology. Boasting an enhanced vertical and peripheral field of vision (92 deg and 210 deg) and weighing approximately 1400 grams, the KX-1 Race is a game changer.
Josh Herrin commented on the new partnership; “I am excited to be joining the KYT family for 2024-25. I have a great relationship with the team at KYT Americas and think that KYT will be one of the leading brands in America. They have great style, great fit and great protection that is priced for everyone to enjoy!”
“The KYT Americas team is looking forward to having Josh join the expanding KYT Americas family. Josh connects with racing fans but also attracts attention from outside of the industry with his tenacity and creativity. We can’t wait to see him running up front in MotoAmerica Superbike this year in his new KYT helmet!”
For more information about KYT and its commitment to motorsport safety, please visit www.kytamericas.com.
About KYT:
At KYT, we incorporate over two decades of experience in world-class competition into sleek, race-engineered helmets designed to protect and perform. Our designs offer optimal ventilation and aerodynamics while maintaining the highest level of crash protection. Since 1998, KYT’s intense focus on the competitive environment allows us to produce a helmet with quality and function designed to perform at the highest level of motorsports and performance. KYT America now brings its industry leading safety, style, and service to one of the most innovative motorcycle markets in the world.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Kyle Wyman won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One in dramatic fashion Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Wyman was locked into a last-lap duel with pole-sitter Troy Herfoss just ahead of the rest of the front-runners.
Herfoss led into the chicane and then checked up at its exit in a move similar to the one fellow Australian Mat Mladin used to beat Ben Spies in the AMA Pro Superbike race at Daytona in 2006.
But it didn’t work for Herfoss, and Wyman won the race – the 13th of his King Of The Baggers career — by 0.018 second on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide.
Herfoss had to settle for the runner-up spot on his S&S Indian Challenger.
The last-lap game being played between Herfoss and Wyman allowed Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli to close in, but Rispoli only got within 0.129 second of Herfoss and finished third.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was a close fourth, and his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Rocco Landers came home fifth.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara crashed while racing in the lead pack on the last lap.
24_1_DAY_KTB_R1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Wyman Wins Mission King Of The Baggers Opener At Daytona
Kyle Wyman Tops Troy Herfoss In Baggers Thriller, Herfoss Takes Super Hooligan
And Gus Rodio Dominates Twins Cup
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 8, 2024) – Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman won a game of cat and mouse with S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss in Friday’s Mission King Of The Baggers battle at Daytona International Speedway with Wyman crossing the finish line just .018 of a second ahead of the Daytona first timer.
The win was the 13th of Wyman’s Mission King Of The Baggers career, which extended his mark as the winningest rider in the class.
Herfoss, meanwhile, finished second not long after earning his first MotoAmerica victory in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race earlier in the day. In that one, Herfoss successfully broke away from the pursuing pack in the infield and held on to the finish line. In the Baggers race, Herfoss couldn’t get away and he led going into the chicane. At that point, Herfoss slowed his pace dramatically, forcing Wyman and his teammate James Rispoli to check up. The move almost worked with Wyman just managing to draft past the Aussie and his Indian.
Rispoli looked to have lost the draft to the first two in the closing stages, but a quick last lap brought him back to the draft. He was slowed a little on that final lap when Herfoss’s S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle teammate Tyler O’Hara crashed in front of him. Still, Rispoli was able to work himself into the draft on the backstraight and into the chicane where the Herfoss/Wyman battle baulked in front of him.
Rispoli was just .137 behind his teammate Wyman as the three crossed the finish line in formation. Fourth place, and less than a second behind, was RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim, the defending series champion blowing turn one late in the race to lose the draft of the top three.
Fifth place went to Gillim’s new teammate Rocco Landers with the 19-year-old making his King Of The Baggers debut.
“I’ve never really been in that kind of game exactly like that here, and I always wondered how it would go and how stressed I would be,” Wyman said. “The last two laps were pretty slow. I was just trying to sit there and wait and preserve the tire. I was worried that he was going to slow it down enough that we were going to have a four-rider group again, and anything can happen at that point. I was like, ‘just go just enough so we can at least make it a one-on-one fight here.’ It kind of turned into that. I was just playing off of Troy (Herfoss) at that point. Wherever he’s going to go, I’m going to try to get a run somewhere, somehow. When he went into the chicane on the last lap, we were going 15 mile an hour slower down the back straightaway than we were the rest of the race. I just refused to go by. He parked it so hard in the chicane that I thought I was going to have to take another downshift to be able to get out of there. I just kind of timed where I thought he was going to end up and try to get a run where he kind of got out of my way as soon as I went by. I might have touched the dirt on the inside there, but I think at that point that was just the only chance I had, and fortunately it was the right one. We all know you can do all the right things here and lose, and sometimes do a lot of things wrong and win. I’m just happy to be on the right side of this one. Try to keep it going. I’ve never won the first race of the year, so it’s a big deal for me to start off the season like this. I’ve always left the first round on the back foot, whether we came here and had mechanicals or had a problem at the first Atlanta race. It just feels amazing to get the win to start the year.”
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Rookie Herfoss Gets It Done
Three-time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss wasted no time getting down to business in his very first visit to Daytona International Speedway. The S&S/Indian rider beat his teammate Tyler O’Hara in Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race one to record the first MotoAmerica road racing victory of his career.
O’Hara, who started from the pole, crossed the finish line just under half a second after Herfoss, with Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West rounding out the podium in third.
“First of all, thanks for having me,” Herfoss said, “It’s an honor to be here in this championship. I’ve been trying for a long time to come to the States again and road race. It’s a real treat to be out here racing with you guys. It’s easy to learn a track when you’re comfortable on a motorbike, but you can’t buy that experience of riding around the banks of Daytona. In the race, I worked on seeing how much of a gap I would need to get to the finish line. By the sound of it, a lot of stuff went my way with the fight in the background. I watched all the videos last year, and it was Tyler (O’Hara) and Jeremy (McWilliams) a lot of the time. This year, I’m like, ‘Where are all these other guys coming from?’ A lot of guys have stepped up this year, and it looks like everyone’s teams have put in a big effort. Maybe that helped me in the end. It was exciting for us. I can’t explain how happy I am to be here, to be able to compete at the front of the race in America.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Rodio Dominates
In the season-opening BellissiMoto Twins Cup race, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering, Aprilia rider Gus Rodio put in a dominating performance. Rodio, who also won the first Twins Cup race at Daytona last year and was runner-up in last year’s Twins Cup final standings, took the checkered flag on Friday at Daytona with a gap of nearly 12 seconds over second-place finisher Dominic Doyle.
Doyle put in an heroic performance just to make the start of the race let alone finish on the podium. The Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha rider crashed in Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race one just prior to Twins Cup race one and dislocated his shoulder. But he recovered and was declared fit to race just in time to make the Twins Cup start.
Third place went to TopPro Racing Aprilia rider Avery Dreher, who made his 2024 debut in BellissiMoto Twins Cup at Daytona after winning last year’s Junior Cup Championship.
“We were contemplating moving up to Supersport this year, and so far, this weekend, I have been doing double sessions, so I’ve had double the track time as these guys,” said Rodio. “This morning, I went out on the Twins Cup bike at 9:30 and then get in at 10:00 and right back out on the V2. Don’t even have time to take your helmet off. The V2 is really like taking me for a ride. I’m just struggling on that thing. It’s all new and we’re jumping right into the biggest race of the year. So, I’m just kind of trying to figure that thing out. I think that’s helped me with the Twin a little bit, because I get on the Aprilia and everything feels like it’s in slow motion, and when stuff is in slow motion, you can kind of focus a little bit more and put the clean laps together. So, I knew I was going to have a lot of work this weekend with both classes, but I kind of thought coming into the weekend it might mess me up on the Twin a little bit, but it seems to have helped me a little bit. I’m honestly really happy. It was the perfect race for me.”
Daytona 200 Time Attack – Great Scott
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott will start Saturday’s Daytona 200 from pole position with the 18-year-old lapping at 1:48.047 during Friday afternoon’s Supersport Time Attack.
Scott showed little effects of his high-speed crash from Thursday in the chicane to not only lap faster than anyone else, but do so alone and without the aid of another rider’s draft.
Boulder Motor Sports’ Stefano Mesa will start the 200 from the middle of the front row after lapping at 1:48.147 with Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong set to start the race from the outside of row one.
Row two will consist of Vesrah Racing’s Hayden Gillim; Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, the defending race champion; and Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Xavi Forés will make up row two
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Gus Rodio took a convincing victory in MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, the racer from New Jersey won the nine-lap race by 11.493 seconds.
In spite of crashing and separating his shoulder in Super Hooligan Race One less than an hour earlier and then starting from the back of the grid, Dominic Doyle was able to come through and earn second place on his Giaccmoto Yamaha YZF-R7.
Avery Dreher, the reigning MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, was 0.034 second behind Doyle in third on his TopPro Racing Aprilia, while Rodio’s teammate Alessandro Di Mario was just another 0.087 second behind Dreher in fourth.
Rocco Landers rounded out the top five finishers on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R.
24_1_DAY_TWN_R1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Series newcomer Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Roland Sands Design (RSD) Mission Super Hooligan Race One Friday at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Riding his S&S Indian FTR, the reigning Australian Superbike Champion won the restarted four-lap race by 0.491 second over his teammate Tyler O’Hara.
Cory West placed third, just 1.013 second behind Herfoss, on his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America.
Originally scheduled for six laps, the race was stopped on lap three for an incident on the West Banking involving Dominic Doyle, Andy DiBrino, and Hunter Dunham.
Dunham was able to make the restart, Doyle was treated for a separated shoulder and released from the infield care center in time to do Twins Cup Race Two, but DiBrino announced via his social media that he suffered a broken leg.
24_1_DAY_RSD_R1_res
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
See you at the track!
Best Wishes, Keith
See our Schedule
Click here to sign up for a class
Call us toll-free (800) 530-3350 to check availability
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
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.
24_1_DAY_SSP_Q3_res
More, from a press release issued by CSBK:
Nine Bridgestone CSBK riders qualify for Daytona 200 after Friday improvements
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
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.”
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.
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’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.
For Suzuki road racing news, results, and team updates, visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing. For more information and updates on Team Hammer, visit https://teamhammer.com.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
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.
MotoGP practice 2
Jose Rueda took his Red Bull KTM Ajo to the top of the Moto3 timesheets in Practice Two at Lusail International Circuit, lowering the lap record that was set less than 24 hours prior.
Rueda’s 2:03.465 edged the 2:03.606 mark set yesterday by Daniel Holgado on the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine. KTM dominated the charts, locking out the first eight places.
Moto3 first practice
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Championship
Royal Enfield Daytona Short Track II
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 8, 2024
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Tom Drane (Yam), 4 laps
2. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -0.584 second
3. Kody Kopp (KTM), -0.726
4. Trent Lowe (Hon), -1.854 seconds
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Sammy Halbert (Har), 4 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -1.251 seconds
3. Brandon Price (Yam), -1.608
4. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -1 lap
Provisional Royal Enfield BTR Main Event (10 Laps) Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kenzie Luker (Roy), 10 laps
2. Taia Little (Roy), -0.275 second
3. Mya Maffei (Roy), -7.358 seconds
4. Shasta L’Heureux (Roy), -7.854
5. Mikaela Nichols-Lionetti (Roy), -15.978
6. Hannah Lange (Roy), -20.207
7. Hannah Robertson (Roy), -1 lap
8. Kristiana Ross (Roy), -1 lap, 10.335 seconds
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event (6 Minutes + 2 Laps) Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Tom Drane (Yam), 22 laps
2. Kody Kopp (KTM), -1.951 seconds
3. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -5.849
4. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -6.331
5. Logan Eisenhard (KTM), -7.939
6. Justin Jones (Hus), -8.911
7. Aidan RoosEvans (Yam), -8.960
8. James Ott (Hus), -9.422
9. Evan Renshaw (Hon), -11.043
10. Trent Lowe (Hon), -11.132
11. Tarren Santero (Hon), -12.819
12. Travis Petton (KTM), -14.924
13. Tyler Raggio (KTM), -15.217
14. Jared Lowe (Hon), -15.255
15. Chad Cose (KTM), -18.372
16. Ian Wolfe (Hon), -18.829
17. Reece Pottorf (Hon), -1 lap
18. Jacob Cascio (Hon), -1 lap, 4.944 seconds
19. Jordan Jean (Hon), -1 lap, 5.075
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event (10 Minutes + 2 Laps) Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Brandon Robinson (Ind), 34 laps
2. Sammy Halbert (Har), -1.134 seconds
3. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -2.679
4. Briar Bauman (KTM), -3.857
5. Jared Mees (Ind), -4.697
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -6.067
7. Jarod VanDerkooi (Ind), -7.171
8. Trevor Brunner (KTM), -9.914
9. Brandon Price (Yam), -11.232
10. Max Whale (Har), -11.711
11. Cameron Smith (KTM), -13.037
12. Dan Bromley (Hon), -16.612
13. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -1 lap
14. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -1 lap, 2.127 seconds
15. Declan Bender (Ind), -1 lap, 3.135
16. Wyatt Vaughan (Kaw), -1 lap, 3.396
17. Logan Mcgrane (Kaw), -2 laps
18. Ben Lowe (KTM), -22 laps, DNF
19. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -24 laps, DNF
More, from a press release issued by AFT:
Robinson Overcomes Halbert to Claim Fourth Daytona Triumph
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 8, 2024) – Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) successfully defended his adopted home turf to reign in Friday’s Mission SuperTwins Main Event to conclude a hugely entertaining Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II at the Daytona International Speedway Short Track.
Robinson had to overcome potential Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, history in order to do so, forced to chase down an in-form Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Dodge Bros. Racing/Castrol Harley-Davidson XR750) to get the win. Halbert actually led the opening six-and-a-half minutes of the Main Event after earlier winning his heat race and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge a full 53 years, 10 months, and five days after Mert Lawwill took the iconic Harley-Davidson XR750 to its maiden win at the Cumberland Half-Mile.
Following an extended pursuit, the Mission Roof Systems pilot finally dove up the inside of Dodge Bros.-backed Halbert, who then was thrown out of his saddle after encountering a bump while off his usual line. Undeterred, Halbert nearly clawed his way back within striking distance before at last conceding the race to Robinson in its final minute.
The victory was the fourth of Robinson’s career at the DAYTONA Short Track, moving him equal with Friday adversary Halbert for most all-time at the event. Afterward, Robinson, who originally hails from Pennsylvania but now resides just fifteen minutes from the World Center of Racing, unsurprisingly professed his affection for the track.
He said, “This feels amazing. It feels like forever since I’ve won a race. Going winless last year really (made me angry) to be honest. I came to the Main with a chip on my shoulder. I love this place. I love Daytona. Something about this dirt – it’s the greatest dirt in the world as far as I’m concerned… This is a dream ending to the week.”
Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), himself the winner of the three prior premier-class showdowns at the venue, battled with Robinson and hunted Halbert over the Main’s opening half before falling into the clutches of the resurgent Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke).
The two then traded third multiple times – a melee complete with crisscrossing lines and squared-up counters – before Daniels laid claim on the spot for good. He finished a little more than a second ahead of Bauman with reigning Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) not far behind in fifth.
Sixth went to Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) a short distance ahead of Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750) in seventh.
Premier-class rookies Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke) and Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R) finished eighth and tenth, respectively, with Thursday runner-up Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha MT-07) sandwiched in between.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) rebounded from his Thursday disappointment to claim a dominating win in Friday’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER rematch.
The young Australian ripped out to the holeshot in the restart that followed an early red flag and immediately stretched out a second-plus advantage at the front. Meanwhile, triple Daytona ST winner and double defending class champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) moved up from third into second after working past impressive sophomore Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson KTM 450 SX-F) with five of the race’s scheduled six minutes still on the clock.
With clear air in front of him and plenty of time to work with, Kopp’s attempts to close the gap saw him make minor inroads on Drane’s advantage for a spell. But despite the determined effort, the Yamaha ace’s speed and consistency ultimately won out to the tune of a 1.951-second margin of victory at the checkered flag.
The victory was Drane’s first in the Short Track discipline, after previously winning three Miles and a Half-Mile. He said, “This means so much to finally get a Short Track win. I’d struggled a lot with these, but I just kept working and chipping away. I put all that effort in to try to become good (at them) so I can fight for the title this year.”
Eisenhard kept his head down in search of a maiden Progressive AFT podium and very nearly pulled it off. However, he was swallowed up and then pushed aside in rapid succession by a pair of the category’s established stars, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R) with just 30 seconds still on the clock.
Gauthier then fended off Saathoff to secure his second podium of the young ’24 season. Despite losing out on his podium bid, Eisenhard did hold on to finish inside the top five even with Justin Jones (No. 91 J&H Racing Husqvarna FC 450), Aiden RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F), and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) running just behind in close formation.
Heralded rookie Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) finished ninth, one spot in front of his charging Turner Honda teammate, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), whose early-race crash prompted the aforementioned red flag.
In the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race Main, Kenzie Luker (No. 17 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) edged Thursday winner Taia Little (No. 11 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) by 0.275 seconds for the Friday victory.
Next Up:
The 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season will resume on Saturday, March 23, with the Yamaha Senoia Short Track at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia. To secure your tickets today, please visit https://www.americanflattrack.com/events/2024/view/senoia-short-track-2024.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at http://flosports.link/aft.
FOX Sports coverage of the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, March 16, at 9:30 a.m. ET (6:30 a.m. PT), while the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II will air the following day, Sunday, March 17, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, and check us out on Instagram.
JOSH HERRIN JOINS KYT HELMETS AND DEBUTS NEW KX-1 RACE AT DAYTONA 200
KYT Americas welcomes Herrin to the team as the newest MotoAmerica rider in an already stacked lineup
Daytona Beach, FL; March 8, 2024 – KYT Americas proudly announces the addition of seasoned racer Josh Herrin to its roster of sponsored athletes for the 2024 racing season.
Herrin will debut his KX-1 Race during the Daytona 200 as he looks to defend his 2023 title. Herrin is no stranger to winning, with multiple championships in several different classes—most recently the 2022 Supersport Championship on the Ducati Panigale V2 with his current team.
Herrin, a veteran in the MotoAmerica paddock and one of the biggest names in American road racing, brings a wealth of experience and talent to the KYT Americas team. Racing his second season on the Ducati superbike Herrin looks to improve on his impressive second place finish in the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike series.
Consistently finishing on the podium throughout his career, Herrin is poised to make a significant impact wearing the KYT KX-1 Race.
As a sponsored racer for KYT Americas competing in the premier national series, Herrin will be equipped with the cutting-edge KX-1 Race helmet. The FIM homologated KX-1 Race, designed and developed in Italy and tested by Ducati Corse Factory riders, is the latest KYT helmet infused with world-class safety and aerodynamic technology. Boasting an enhanced vertical and peripheral field of vision (92 deg and 210 deg) and weighing approximately 1400 grams, the KX-1 Race is a game changer.
Josh Herrin commented on the new partnership; “I am excited to be joining the KYT family for 2024-25. I have a great relationship with the team at KYT Americas and think that KYT will be one of the leading brands in America. They have great style, great fit and great protection that is priced for everyone to enjoy!”
“The KYT Americas team is looking forward to having Josh join the expanding KYT Americas family. Josh connects with racing fans but also attracts attention from outside of the industry with his tenacity and creativity. We can’t wait to see him running up front in MotoAmerica Superbike this year in his new KYT helmet!”
For more information about KYT and its commitment to motorsport safety, please visit www.kytamericas.com.
About KYT:
At KYT, we incorporate over two decades of experience in world-class competition into sleek, race-engineered helmets designed to protect and perform. Our designs offer optimal ventilation and aerodynamics while maintaining the highest level of crash protection. Since 1998, KYT’s intense focus on the competitive environment allows us to produce a helmet with quality and function designed to perform at the highest level of motorsports and performance. KYT America now brings its industry leading safety, style, and service to one of the most innovative motorcycle markets in the world.
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Kyle Wyman won MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Race One in dramatic fashion Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Wyman was locked into a last-lap duel with pole-sitter Troy Herfoss just ahead of the rest of the front-runners.
Herfoss led into the chicane and then checked up at its exit in a move similar to the one fellow Australian Mat Mladin used to beat Ben Spies in the AMA Pro Superbike race at Daytona in 2006.
But it didn’t work for Herfoss, and Wyman won the race – the 13th of his King Of The Baggers career — by 0.018 second on his Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide.
Herfoss had to settle for the runner-up spot on his S&S Indian Challenger.
The last-lap game being played between Herfoss and Wyman allowed Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli to close in, but Rispoli only got within 0.129 second of Herfoss and finished third.
Defending Champion Hayden Gillim was a close fourth, and his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Rocco Landers came home fifth.
Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara crashed while racing in the lead pack on the last lap.
24_1_DAY_KTB_R1_res
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Wyman Wins Mission King Of The Baggers Opener At Daytona
Kyle Wyman Tops Troy Herfoss In Baggers Thriller, Herfoss Takes Super Hooligan
And Gus Rodio Dominates Twins Cup
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 8, 2024) – Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman won a game of cat and mouse with S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss in Friday’s Mission King Of The Baggers battle at Daytona International Speedway with Wyman crossing the finish line just .018 of a second ahead of the Daytona first timer.
The win was the 13th of Wyman’s Mission King Of The Baggers career, which extended his mark as the winningest rider in the class.
Herfoss, meanwhile, finished second not long after earning his first MotoAmerica victory in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race earlier in the day. In that one, Herfoss successfully broke away from the pursuing pack in the infield and held on to the finish line. In the Baggers race, Herfoss couldn’t get away and he led going into the chicane. At that point, Herfoss slowed his pace dramatically, forcing Wyman and his teammate James Rispoli to check up. The move almost worked with Wyman just managing to draft past the Aussie and his Indian.
Rispoli looked to have lost the draft to the first two in the closing stages, but a quick last lap brought him back to the draft. He was slowed a little on that final lap when Herfoss’s S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle teammate Tyler O’Hara crashed in front of him. Still, Rispoli was able to work himself into the draft on the backstraight and into the chicane where the Herfoss/Wyman battle baulked in front of him.
Rispoli was just .137 behind his teammate Wyman as the three crossed the finish line in formation. Fourth place, and less than a second behind, was RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim, the defending series champion blowing turn one late in the race to lose the draft of the top three.
Fifth place went to Gillim’s new teammate Rocco Landers with the 19-year-old making his King Of The Baggers debut.
“I’ve never really been in that kind of game exactly like that here, and I always wondered how it would go and how stressed I would be,” Wyman said. “The last two laps were pretty slow. I was just trying to sit there and wait and preserve the tire. I was worried that he was going to slow it down enough that we were going to have a four-rider group again, and anything can happen at that point. I was like, ‘just go just enough so we can at least make it a one-on-one fight here.’ It kind of turned into that. I was just playing off of Troy (Herfoss) at that point. Wherever he’s going to go, I’m going to try to get a run somewhere, somehow. When he went into the chicane on the last lap, we were going 15 mile an hour slower down the back straightaway than we were the rest of the race. I just refused to go by. He parked it so hard in the chicane that I thought I was going to have to take another downshift to be able to get out of there. I just kind of timed where I thought he was going to end up and try to get a run where he kind of got out of my way as soon as I went by. I might have touched the dirt on the inside there, but I think at that point that was just the only chance I had, and fortunately it was the right one. We all know you can do all the right things here and lose, and sometimes do a lot of things wrong and win. I’m just happy to be on the right side of this one. Try to keep it going. I’ve never won the first race of the year, so it’s a big deal for me to start off the season like this. I’ve always left the first round on the back foot, whether we came here and had mechanicals or had a problem at the first Atlanta race. It just feels amazing to get the win to start the year.”
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Rookie Herfoss Gets It Done
Three-time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss wasted no time getting down to business in his very first visit to Daytona International Speedway. The S&S/Indian rider beat his teammate Tyler O’Hara in Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race one to record the first MotoAmerica road racing victory of his career.
O’Hara, who started from the pole, crossed the finish line just under half a second after Herfoss, with Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West rounding out the podium in third.
“First of all, thanks for having me,” Herfoss said, “It’s an honor to be here in this championship. I’ve been trying for a long time to come to the States again and road race. It’s a real treat to be out here racing with you guys. It’s easy to learn a track when you’re comfortable on a motorbike, but you can’t buy that experience of riding around the banks of Daytona. In the race, I worked on seeing how much of a gap I would need to get to the finish line. By the sound of it, a lot of stuff went my way with the fight in the background. I watched all the videos last year, and it was Tyler (O’Hara) and Jeremy (McWilliams) a lot of the time. This year, I’m like, ‘Where are all these other guys coming from?’ A lot of guys have stepped up this year, and it looks like everyone’s teams have put in a big effort. Maybe that helped me in the end. It was exciting for us. I can’t explain how happy I am to be here, to be able to compete at the front of the race in America.”
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Rodio Dominates
In the season-opening BellissiMoto Twins Cup race, Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering, Aprilia rider Gus Rodio put in a dominating performance. Rodio, who also won the first Twins Cup race at Daytona last year and was runner-up in last year’s Twins Cup final standings, took the checkered flag on Friday at Daytona with a gap of nearly 12 seconds over second-place finisher Dominic Doyle.
Doyle put in an heroic performance just to make the start of the race let alone finish on the podium. The Giaccmoto Racing Yamaha rider crashed in Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race one just prior to Twins Cup race one and dislocated his shoulder. But he recovered and was declared fit to race just in time to make the Twins Cup start.
Third place went to TopPro Racing Aprilia rider Avery Dreher, who made his 2024 debut in BellissiMoto Twins Cup at Daytona after winning last year’s Junior Cup Championship.
“We were contemplating moving up to Supersport this year, and so far, this weekend, I have been doing double sessions, so I’ve had double the track time as these guys,” said Rodio. “This morning, I went out on the Twins Cup bike at 9:30 and then get in at 10:00 and right back out on the V2. Don’t even have time to take your helmet off. The V2 is really like taking me for a ride. I’m just struggling on that thing. It’s all new and we’re jumping right into the biggest race of the year. So, I’m just kind of trying to figure that thing out. I think that’s helped me with the Twin a little bit, because I get on the Aprilia and everything feels like it’s in slow motion, and when stuff is in slow motion, you can kind of focus a little bit more and put the clean laps together. So, I knew I was going to have a lot of work this weekend with both classes, but I kind of thought coming into the weekend it might mess me up on the Twin a little bit, but it seems to have helped me a little bit. I’m honestly really happy. It was the perfect race for me.”
Daytona 200 Time Attack – Great Scott
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott will start Saturday’s Daytona 200 from pole position with the 18-year-old lapping at 1:48.047 during Friday afternoon’s Supersport Time Attack.
Scott showed little effects of his high-speed crash from Thursday in the chicane to not only lap faster than anyone else, but do so alone and without the aid of another rider’s draft.
Boulder Motor Sports’ Stefano Mesa will start the 200 from the middle of the front row after lapping at 1:48.147 with Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong set to start the race from the outside of row one.
Row two will consist of Vesrah Racing’s Hayden Gillim; Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, the defending race champion; and Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Xavi Forés will make up row two
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Gus Rodio took a convincing victory in MotoAmerica BellissiMoto Twins Cup Race One Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Riding his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660, the racer from New Jersey won the nine-lap race by 11.493 seconds.
In spite of crashing and separating his shoulder in Super Hooligan Race One less than an hour earlier and then starting from the back of the grid, Dominic Doyle was able to come through and earn second place on his Giaccmoto Yamaha YZF-R7.
Avery Dreher, the reigning MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion, was 0.034 second behind Doyle in third on his TopPro Racing Aprilia, while Rodio’s teammate Alessandro Di Mario was just another 0.087 second behind Dreher in fourth.
Rocco Landers rounded out the top five finishers on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R.
24_1_DAY_TWN_R1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Series newcomer Troy Herfoss won MotoAmerica Roland Sands Design (RSD) Mission Super Hooligan Race One Friday at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Riding his S&S Indian FTR, the reigning Australian Superbike Champion won the restarted four-lap race by 0.491 second over his teammate Tyler O’Hara.
Cory West placed third, just 1.013 second behind Herfoss, on his Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Pan America.
Originally scheduled for six laps, the race was stopped on lap three for an incident on the West Banking involving Dominic Doyle, Andy DiBrino, and Hunter Dunham.
Dunham was able to make the restart, Doyle was treated for a separated shoulder and released from the infield care center in time to do Twins Cup Race Two, but DiBrino announced via his social media that he suffered a broken leg.
24_1_DAY_RSD_R1_res
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
See you at the track!
Best Wishes, Keith
See our Schedule
Click here to sign up for a class
Call us toll-free (800) 530-3350 to check availability
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
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.
24_1_DAY_SSP_Q3_res
More, from a press release issued by CSBK:
Nine Bridgestone CSBK riders qualify for Daytona 200 after Friday improvements
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
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.”
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.
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’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.
For Suzuki road racing news, results, and team updates, visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing. For more information and updates on Team Hammer, visit https://teamhammer.com.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
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.
MotoGP practice 2
