Bagnaia reigns but Quartararo gains as 12 riders break the lap record on Sunday
Pecco, Zarco, Quartararo, Marini… the list of laptime heroes goes on as pre-season comes to a hectic close at Portimao
Francesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 12 March 2023
Another day, another set of timesheets… and the last one before we go racing! The final day of pre-season is in the books and there’s a new fastest ever lap of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, with reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) absolutely smashing his old lap record and bringing it down to a stunning 1:37.968. But he wasn’t the only one under the old 1:38.725, with an incredible 12 riders ending 2023 pre-season with a quicker lap than that.
At the top, the first on Bagnaia’s tail was Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) as he unleashed a time attack on Sunday, not into the 1:37s but seemingly taking a big step forward. Just 0.038 behind him came another rider who took a leap forward on the final day of pre-season, with 2021 Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) taking third and looking a whole lot happier by the end of play than he had 24 hours earlier.
Here’s a rundown of the final day’s action as we start to switch from test mode to race mode!
Johann Zarco (5). Photo courtesy Dorna.
DUCATI, PRAMAC, VR46 & GRESINI
Bagnaia smashed his own all-time lap record and then put in a MotoGP™ Sprint simulation that raised eyebrows up and down pitlane, with most laps under the old best race lap. That was a Jaws music moment before Quartararo was able to get a lot closer, and then Zarco split the two 2022 Championship rivals.
Bastianini struck late to move up significantly compared to a lackluster showing on the timesheets on Saturday, having not put in a real hot lap before. He ends the test in sixth, but will most definitely want to reel his teammate further in once the Portuguese GP begins. There was little new to see at Ducati, with focus seemingly having shifted to really dialling in what they’ve tested… barring one small new lever spotted by our pitlane reporters, currently cause for curiosity.
Francesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Enea Bastianini (23). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Zarco was the closest challenger to reigning Champion Bagnaia, moving up later in the day to depose compatriot Quartararo from second. Zarco appears to have found some long run pace, and said he was back on fettling his own setup rather than running through any testing for the factory. Teammate Jorge Martin was also looking good, and he ends the test in P8 after again running the “ground effect” fairings as he did yesterday.
Luca Marini. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Marco Bezzecchi (72). Photo courtesy Dorna.
At Mooney VR46 Racing Team, it was a slightly damp squib end to testing for Luca Marini after the fastest rider in Valencia and Sepang suffered two technical issues that interrupted his final day, leaving him right down the timesheets until a final push at the end. It was a good push though, and he manages to end Sunday in P4 – just ahead of sophomore teammate Marco Bezzecchi. The two look more than ready to take on the battle for some serious positions when the season gets it gear.
At Gresini Racing MotoGP™, it was a final test of two halves. Fabio Di Giannantonio was ruled out after his crash on Day 1, with no injuries but ruled unfit to give him time to recover ahead of the first race weekend. Alex Marquez was sitting fourth for much of the day before a late attack for a few of his fellow Ducati riders, and the two-time World Champion was shuffled down to a still very interesting seventh – right behind Bastianini. He suffered two crashes but all ok, and even saw that as a positive to get it behind him as he starts a new adventure with a new machine.
Alex Marquez (73). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Jorge Martin (89). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy Dorna.
YAMAHA
The Portimao Test was looking worrying for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ on Day 1, and even during the morning hours of Day 2. Soft tyre woes continued to hinder both Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, but with roughly three hours of pre-season testing to go, Quartararo pounced up to P2 on the timesheets – just 0.148s away from Bagnaia’s new all-time lap record. A last minute sprint for glory.
Both riders were continuing to play around with different aero packages on the final day, with Morbidelli’s the most striking on the front of the bike. The Italian was putting in some work on similar to a new upgrade we witnessed for the first time on Saturday, but this one the top set of wings, then a double sidepod design as well as the downwash duct at the bottom. But then came this…
A new aero device on the tail of Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha. Photo courtesy Dorna.
The huge addition, as seen when Quartararo headed out towards the close of play, was interesting to say the least. A rear wing but something never seen before: a much bigger, upside-down triangular-shaped design. The review from the Frenchman: “it wasn’t worse”. But he said data was needed to see if it was better.
All in all, it was a busy day down in the Yamaha camp. Crucially though, a big step was made for Quartararo, who is feeling a lot happier than he was in Sepang and on Day 1. Going back to some old settings allowed the Frenchman to make critical strides forwards which will be a huge relief for Yamaha. The same sighs of relief won’t be swimming through Morbidelli’s side of the box, however, as the Italian ended the test in P19 after completing 89 laps.
Franco Morbidelli (21). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy Dorna.
KTM & GASGAS TECH3
At Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, the test was about analysing what they have rather than bringing in a slew of new parts, and a main point of focus remained the engine. That was heard from all machines – both KTM and GASGAS. Brad Binder was the lead RC16 on the timesheets as the South African ends the test in P9 and a good chunk under the old lap record, ahead of the three lead Aprilias.
Jack Miller was P17 on the second Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine as he looks to settle in. He was focusing on settings and gave a lot of feedback on the electronics, some of which was also reportedly of interest to his new teammate. He was upbeat and said they’re really starting to get there, with a bit left to polish… but gave his adaptation a 7 or 8 out of 10 so far.
Jack Miller (43). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Francesco Guidotti said Day 1 was tougher, Sunday morning remained a challenge but by the end of play, they’d started to see some light at the end of the tunnel. The main issue? They’re missing a “few tenths” of grip and are working on mechanical solutions as well as on the electronics to take that step forward.
As GASGAS Factory Racing Tech 3, Pol Espargaro was just 0.065 off Miller just ahead of him as the gaps remain absolutely tiny down the field, with rookie Augusto Fernandez one of those a little further back, a few tenths behind Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu).
Pol Espargaro (44). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Augusto Fernandez (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy Dorna.
APRILIA & RNF
Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro admitted that he struggled with arm pump on Day 1 of the Portimao Test, and those issues continued into Sunday. He put in 52 laps – the least of anyone – and says he will be getting his arm checked out ahead of Round 1 of the season, although the #41 said it wasn’t a disaster. Pace-wise, Espargaro will be happy as he ends the test as the top Aprilia in P10.
On the other side of the factory box, Maverick Viñales ends pre-season testing with a beaming smile on his face despite experiencing a technical issue on one of his bikes. P12 definitely doesn’t tell the full tale of his test. The vibes radiating from Top Gun are all positive after another 82 laps were pocketed on the final day, as all signs point towards him and Aprilia kicking off 2023 in fine form. Viñales was the final rider inside the old lap record.
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fine form is one way of describing the performance of a pair of Aprilia newcomers: Miguel Oliveira and RNF MotoGP™ Team teammate Raul Fernandez. Both riders have been consistently up the sharp end of the timesheets in Portimao, but afternoon crashes for both – Oliveira at Turn 3, Fernandez at Turn 1 – put a slight dampener on their final day. But like Espargaro and Viñales, their positions on the timesheets don’t necessarily portray the story of their pre-season… and they’ll be ones to watch when the lights go out for sure.
Miguel Oliveira (88). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Joan Mir (36). Photo courtesy Dorna.
HONDA & LCR
“It’s time to start working with what we have,” expressed Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) after Day 1 as the eight-time World Champion admitted that after testing big things in the afternoon, he and Honda lost their way a bit. It’s no surprise we didn’t see many new parts on the RC213Vs on Sunday then, but we did see Marquez continuing on Honda’s updated air intake and aero package set-up.
Marquez confirmed that his final day on track was the best he’d felt all pre-season. A Sprint simulation suggested Honda aren’t a million miles away, not where they want to be, but it’s not a disaster. Marquez also confirmed he and teammate Joan Mir are pulling in the same direction, so there was plenty of promising noises coming from the HRC camp ahead of Round 1.
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Takaaki Nakagami (30). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) was given the 2021 Honda aero package and ground effect fairing to test on the final day, the latter was also seen using a very different set-up on the front suspension from all the other Hondas. In addition, both Rins and teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) have been using last year’s clutch – not the new, carbon one that Nakagami has previously tested.
It’s Mir who ends the Portimao Test as the quickest Honda in P13, 0.016s ahead of Marquez who in turn is 0.004s faster than Rins. They’re all within a second of the all-time lap record, a sign Honda are heading down the correct path. Nakagami finishes the Test down in P20, 1.3s from top spot.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
FULL RESULTS – DAY 2
And then… all was quiet in pitlane. That’s a wrap on pre-season for the premier class, and now all there’s left to do is RACE! The first Grand Prix of the season is just around the corner, so make sure to join us then as the engines fire up in Portimao once more. The 24th to the 26th of March 2023: save the date as a new era begins!
Ken Roczen Takes Dramatic and Emotional Win at Indy Supercross
Hunter Lawrence Stretches Eastern Regional 250SX Class Points Lead with Indy Victory
Indianapolis, Ind. – Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen earned a thrilling victory in front of the 62,728 screaming fans who packed Lucas Oil Stadium for Round 9 of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season.
Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia took second place after intensely pressuring for the lead in the final laps of the race. Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb finished third on an especially challenging track filled with deep, soft ruts. Webb’s finish gives him the season’s points lead and the red plate, by a single point, for both the Supercross season as well as toward the inaugural 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship series. In Round 5 of Eastern Regional 250SX Class racing, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence earned his fourth win of the season.
Ken Roczen (94) grabbed his fourth win inside Lucas Oil Stadium. He kept his cool, and the lead, under intense pressure on one of the season’s most challenging tracks. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
When the gate dropped for the 450SX Class Main Event Ken Roczen crossed the Holeshot stripe first and immediately jumped into the lead. After one lap was in the books Roczen led Cooper Webb, Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo, Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsport’s Justin Hill, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson, and Justin Barcia. After a slow start, points leader Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac had moved up to eleventh place.
Sexton went to work on Webb for second as the top four riders slowly pulled away from the rest of the field. Less than two minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race Sexton moved past Webb and set his sights on Roczen. The lead was down to less than one second when Sexton caught a rut on a jump and crashed. The incident gave Roczen a little breathing room on Webb. Sexton remounted back in twelfth place.
Seven minutes into the Main Event Barcia applied heavy pressure on Webb for second place. Barcia took the spot after the two racers came together exiting the whoops. Neither rider went down, and Webb stayed tight on Barcia while the two tried to reel in Roczen, who was over three seconds ahead.
As the race clock reached three minutes remaining Barcia had the lead down to just one and a half seconds and the volume of the Indianapolis crowd was intense. Barcia got right on the rear fender of the Suzuki, dropping the gap to .7 seconds as the two racers took the white flag. Roczen held his composure through the final lap, earning his first win of the season. The victory makes Roczen a four-time winner in Indy, the winningest active racer at the venue. It was Roczen’s first win since 2022, and Suzuki’s first win since 2016 – which incidentally was earned by Roczen. Barcia took a close and hard-fought second place, his best result of the season. Webb crossed the checkered flag in third, earning enough points to take the red plate and the points lead heading into Round 10 next weekend in Detroit.
Hunter Lawrence (96) almost made the win look easy on one of the toughest, and most-rutted tracks of the season. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
When the gate dropped for the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Hunter Lawrence took the lead with a Holeshot over Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Chris Blose, Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Marshal Weltin, and Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher moved up to fourth early in the opening lap and reached third position before the lap was over. On lap two Thrasher put his Yamaha into second place and the crowd was primed to see an intense battle. The two riders collided the weekend before and Thrasher held some extra motivation to catch and pass the Honda rider.
Martin was the rider on the move early; after losing several spots on the opening laps he charged into fourth place just before race’s midpoint. He was the fastest rider on the track on that lap but was still about eight seconds back from the third place spot held by Smith. With just under seven minutes left on the race clock Lawrence had a scary moment when he came together with a lapped rider. Hunter’s right hand came off the handlebar but he stayed up and seemed to be no worse for the wear. As the clock wined down Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan crashed in the whoops, giving up his fifth place spot.
When the flames lit at the finish Lawrence pulled in his fourth win of the season and stretched his points lead to 22. Thrasher earned second place points without ever getting into striking distance of the lead. Thrasher’s teammate Smith took third place and Martin crossed the line in fourth.
This week the series takes a short hop north to Detroit, Michigan for Round 10 at Ford Field on Saturday, March 18th. The domed stadium is sure to provide more great racing as the athletes pass the midpoint of the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. Each Supercross round also pays points toward the brand-new SuperMotocross World Championship which pits the top Supercross and Motocross racers against one another for two Playoff races and one Final in September. The 450 Class winner will take home a cool one million dollars and go down in the history books as the first champion of the SuperMotocross League. The 250 Class racers will battle for the 250 Class title, with a $500,000 championship payout to the winner of that division and an equal spot in the sport’s history books.
The action from Indianapolis and previous rounds is already available in video highlights at SupercrossLIVE.com. The site also provides story features, race results, racer power rankings, as well as ticket sales to upcoming events. Every Supercross and SuperMotocross event is streamed live on Peacock, with select rounds broadcast on NBC, USA Network, and CNBC. For details and more please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
450SX Class podium (racers from left) Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen, and Cooper Webb. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
450SX Class Results
1. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Ger., Suzuki
2. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
3. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM
4. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM
5. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki
6. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki
7. Christian Craig, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
8. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha
9. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM
10. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
450SX Class Championship Standings
1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (202)
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha (201)
3. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (189)
4. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (166)
5. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Ger., Suzuki (164)
6. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (155)
7. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (154)
8. Christian Craig, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (119)
9. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Honda (93)
10. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki (92)
250SX Class podium (racers from left) Nate Thrasher, Hunter Lawrence, and Jordon Smith. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Aus., Honda
2. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha
3. Jordon Smith, Ochlocknee, Ga., Yamaha
4. Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Yamaha
5. Max Anstie, Newbury, Eng., Honda
6. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki
7. Haiden Deegan, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha
8. Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM
9. Cullin Park, Clermont, Fla., Honda
10. Coty Schock, Dover, Del., Honda
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
EXCITING DEBUT FOR MESA AND TYTLERS CYCLE RACING WITH THE EVA RIBELLE RS AT DAYTONA
Tytlers Cycle Racing and Stefano Mesa have completed the opening round of the 2023 Mission Foods Super Hooligan National Championship by MotoAmerica, with the fast and experienced Colombian rider able to ride the race-ready Energica EVA Ribelle RS to a seventh and a fifth place in the first two races of the series held at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Florida, USA.
There was plenty of anticipation for the debut of the first full-time electric-powered effort in the series, and Mesa – who has had his fair share of success on the iconic Daytona high banks over the years – proved to be more than ready for the new challenge.
A successful performance at Daytona was everything but a given, as the lack of previous data at the track or experience with the spec Dunlop tires meant that there were still some unknowns on the overall potential of the Energica race package at the high-speed venue – which layout-wise is surely not the most favorable one for electric motorcycles.
Stefano Mesa (137) on his Energica EVA Ribelle RS during a MotoAmerica Mission Super Hooligan race at Daytona. Photo courtesy Energica USA.
Despite all of the above, the #137 rider mastered the full power of Energica’s streetfighter machine while getting in the mix with ICE-powered competitors as well as making the most of the instant torque available to his right wrist at the start of the encounter. The Energica EVA Ribelle proved to be a solid package in more than capable hands, and the results achieved have injected further confidence for the upcoming race events.
The Super Hooligan series will now take a break before resuming proceedings for Round two at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington on June 23-25. For more on the Super Hooligan series go to: https://www.superhooligan.com
APRILIA RS 660 TAKES TOP STEP WITH RODIO IN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA
RODIO RACING POWERED BY ROBEM ENGINEERING RIDER NARROWLY MISSES THE DOUBLE, SETTLES FOR SECOND ON SATURDAY, LEAVING FLORIDA WITH AN EARLY CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Aprilia.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – 12 MARCH 2023 – It was back to winning ways for Aprilia in MotoAmerica Twins Cup on Friday, as Rodio Racing powered by Robem Engineering rider Gus Rodio was victorious in the first series race of 2023. Rodio piloted his Aprilia RS 660 to a victory by a margin of more than eight seconds before nearly claiming a second win on Saturday at the March 9-11 round at Daytona International Speedway.
Rodio’s performance, which included returning to the Saturday race after suffering a mechanical problem, allowed him to amass a nine-point championship lead by the end of the event. Two other Aprilia riders, Rodio’s teammate Ben Gloddy, and Optimum Performance Motorsports’ Jody Barry, put in strong performances at Daytona, though Gloddy’s weekend was cut short due to an unfortunate injury.
The first Twins Cup practice session ended with an Aprilia rider at the top of the time sheet. Rodio put in a best lap of 1:57.671, which was 0.064 seconds faster than the second-best lap time. Two more Aprilia riders finish in the top five, as Barry was the fourth-fastest rider and Gloddy fifth.
The first qualifying session of the event took place later on Thursday. Rodio was again the fastest of the Aprilia riders. He finished the session in fourth place. Gloddy and Barry provisionally qualified in sixth and eighth, respectively.
Qualifying concluded Friday morning with three Aprilia riders having qualified in the top 10. Rodio secured fourth place on the Twins Cup starting grid, while Gloddy and Barry qualified sixth and eighth, respectively.
Friday afternoon saw the first Twins Cup race of 2023 get underway with Rodio quickly working his way up to the race lead by the end of Lap 1. Gloddy also got a good start and had advanced to third place by the end of the first lap. He was running in fourth when another rider crashed heavily in front of him and, despite his best effort, was knocked off his motorcycle and was unable to continue racing. Barry had a sluggish start to the race. He dropped down the running order as far as 12th on Lap 1 before charging forward to sixth place on Lap 3 — which is the position he finished the race in.
Rodio’s pace improved to the rest of the field as the race went on. He was part of a three-rider battle for the race lead until the closing laps, when he steadily increased his lead each lap to take the victory by more than 8.5 seconds.
Gloddy was unable to take part in Saturday’s Race 2 due to an injury he suffered during his crash in Race 1.
The Saturday contest was a trying one for Rodio and his team. As the field began forming up for the start of the race, Rodio pulled into the pits due to a technical problem with his motorcycle and was unable to take the start. As the lone Aprilia in the top 10, Barry put in a solid effort in the race’s early laps. He was running in seventh when the race was stopped on Lap 3 due to a crash.
The race was restarted with the original starting grid, which allowed Rodio to rejoin the race on the lead lap. The start saw Rodio get a good jump off the line and he was back to the race lead by the end of the first lap. Rodio also led Laps 3 and 4 as he and another rider broke away from the rest of the field. While the other rider was able to draft past Rodio on the approach to the finish line, Rodio got the best drive he could onto the east banking and missed out on the win by a mere 0.162 seconds. Barry put in a strong showing in the restarted race but dropped two places on the last lap to seventh and missed out on a top five finish by 0.039 seconds.
Of the 38 riders entered for the MotoAmerica Twins Cup round at Daytona, 15 were registered to ride Aprilia RS 660s.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“It was an awesome first race of the season. I was able to break away from the pack and win my first Twins Cup race. It was my biggest margin of victory and I’m very happy. In Race 2, I broke away from the pack with another rider and had a race long battle for the lead. I ended up second in a close finish. I’m really happy with this result as I didn’t think we would make it on track due to an issue we had. I’m really excited to get to Atlanta and keep working towards our goals.”
MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup has two races scheduled for the next round, April 21-23, at Road Atlanta. The championship schedule, competitor information and class rules can be found at https://motoamerica.com/.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
SIXTH FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI’S HOBBS AND DISAPPOINTMENT FOR ESCALANTE IN THE 81st DAYTONA 200
BREA, CA – March 12, 2023 – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki left the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season opener with a top-ten result and a heavy dose of tough luck after missing a potential victory late in the running of the 81st Daytona 200.
MotoAmerica Superbike regular and former MotoAmerica Supersport champion Richie Escalante orchestrated a flawless performance as he negotiated the equally prestigious and arduous race. He guided the Mission Foods Suzuki GSX-R750 at or near the front of the pack deep into the contest, including leading into both scheduled pit stops.
Richie Escalante (54) showed his great race craft but an incident in Turn One took him out of contention. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Seemingly locked in a two-rider race for victory with less than ten laps to go, Escalante was taken out in a collision that occurred when his opponent attempted a tight inside pass in Turn 1 that resulted in a penalty. Despite the ruling in his favor, the incident still instantly erased Escalante’s excellent shot at the victory.
Escalante said, “First of all, I want to thank the team for everything they did for me, from pre-race testing, to qualifying and setting the lap record, to the amazing pit stops during the race. The Mission Foods Suzuki GSX-R750 was fantastic. I thought we performed well in the race, running a particularly good pace. It came down to the last ten laps, and I was trying to separate. There was a racing move, another rider touched my bike, and I crashed. I have a lot of respect for Josh Herrin. He is a former Superbike champion and has won a lot of races. I thought I was the fastest today, but sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you crash. We didn’t win so I am not 100% happy. I thought we did well all week, but it did not work out the way we wanted in the end. It’s back to work on Monday to get ready for Superbike in Atlanta.”
A couple of short laps later, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs came together with a lapped rider while running inside the top five. A resultant red flag provided the team with a shot at redemption after facing complete disaster, and Hobbs took full advantage.
In his first race aboard his GSX-R750, Teagg Hobbs (79) brings home a top ten in Daytona. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Hobbs battled with the lead group in the 10-lap shootout for a victory that followed the stoppage, even leading in its early stages. He gradually lost touch with the drafting war for victory, securing an eventual sixth-place effort in his maiden race aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
“I came together with another rider, and race officials made me go to medical,” said Hobbs. “I was getting checked out when I saw the team putting my bike back together in pit lane on the screen. After they said I was okay, I put my gear back on and started limping back to the pits, then I borrowed a golf cart and made it back just in time. I was able to get up to the front and lead two laps but the bike and the rider both had some issues resulting from the crash. We got a good result at least. Over the weekend, we made nice progress and got the bike sorted.”
Unfortunately, Tyler Scott’s bid for the win from the front row never really materialized. The prodigious pilot encountered technical issues early and ultimately retired just 14 laps into a scheduled 57 (and actual 62) laps.
Even with some technical issues, Tyler Scott (70) shows that he has the speed for the upcoming MotoAmerica season. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Scott said, “For the start in Turn 1, the bike was good, but we soon had electrical problems. I tried to do the best I could. Eventually, I had to pull off due to safety concerns. It didn’t go the way we wanted but I’m really looking forward to racing the 200 with the team next year and can’t wait for our next race in Atlanta.”
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 345 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.
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
KYLE WYMAN AND FACTORY HARLEY-DAVIDSON DOMINATE MOTOAMERICA KING OF THE BAGGERS RACE 2 AT DAYTONA SPEEDWAY
Rispoli and Gillim Fill Out an All-H-D Podium; Rispoli Wins Race 1, Leads Championship
Kyle Wyman (33) and his Harley-Davidson Road Glide on the banking at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
MILWAUKEE (March 12, 2023) – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman scored a dominating win and topped an all-Harley-Davidson podium in the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Wyman led the entire eight-lap race on the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® Limited motorcycle, crossing the finish line 8.03 seconds ahead of Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson teammates James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim. Team Saddlemen teammates Cory West and Jake Lewis finished fourth and fifth to complete a top five sweep of the race for Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles.
“I’m so excited that we got our Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle working so well today,” said Wyman. “This is my first win at Daytona since 2019, and this is such a special place, so a victory here is always special. We had a tough day yesterday, but the entire team just dug in and we had smooth sailing today. You can think of so many scenarios that could happen going into this weekend, but you could not predict either one of these days. It’s a nice way to end the weekend at Daytona. I’m ready to take this momentum to Atlanta.”
On Thursday, Kyle Wyman topped King of the Baggers qualifying with a record-breaking best lap of 1:51.98 on the 3.510-mile Daytona road course. On Friday, Kyle looked strong in winning the King of the Baggers Challenge three-lap dash-for-cash race by 1.96 seconds. The Friday King of the Baggers race was a disappointment for the team, as both Kyle Wyman and his brother and teammate, Travis Wyman, retired with mechanical problems while leading the race respectively. Rispoli won that race on his Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Road Glide, beating his teammate Gillim to the line by 0.089 seconds. Factory Indian racer Tyler O’Hara finished third. Team Saddlemen racer Cory West Finished fourth on his Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
On Saturday, Kyle Wyman signaled that he was riding the bike to beat after demolishing his qualifying time with a new lap record 1:50.56 time in the warm-up session, going almost two seconds quicker around the course than anyone. In Saturday’s race, Wyman had a fast lap of 1:50.86 and was never challenged. Unfortunately, his teammate Travis Wyman was knocked out of the race early with a mechanical issue.
After two of 14 rounds in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Vance & Hines racer Rispoli leads the championship with 45 points, followed his teammate Gillim with 36 points. Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson rider Cory West sits third with 26 points, and Harley-Davidson factory rider Kyle Wyman is in fourth place with 25 points. Team Saddlemen’s Jake Lewis is tied for fifth with Factory Indian racer Tyler O’Hara with 21 points.
8. Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
9. Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
10. Danny Eslick (H-D) Nowaskey Extreme Performance
Harley-Davidson invites you to kick off the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Check out, ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending 2021 champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Watch it now on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel.
Harley-Davidson stands for the timeless pursuit of adventure and freedom for the soul. Go to H-D.com to learn more about the complete line of 2023 Harley-Davidson Grand American Touring, Sport, Adventure Touring, Cruiser and Trike motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Certified™ pre-owned motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories, Harley-Davidson MotorClothes and gear, and Harley-Davidson Financial Services.
Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Championship Series
Postponed Daytona Short Track II
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 11, 2023
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 4 laps
2. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -00.681 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -02.049
4. Trent Lowe (Hon), -02.699
Provisional Mission SuperTwins #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Brandon Robinson (Ind), 4 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -00.148 seconds
3. Jared Mees (Ind), -00.458
4. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -01.411
Provisional Astro Invitational Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Ronnie Jones (Bul), 10 laps
2. Garth Brow (Bul), -03.694 seconds
3. Charles Roberts (Bul), -07.511
4. Dominic Beaulac (Bul), -07.878
5. Wyatt Campbell (Bul), -08.744
6. Jackie Mitchell (Bul), -10.970
7. Kris Weiss (Bul), -12.411
8. Rick Reed (Bul), -21.165
9. Greg Scalf (Bul), -1 lap
10. Jeffrey Hiers (Bul), -1 lap, -05.030
11. Jerry Lacy (Bul), -1 lap, -21.923
12. Robby-Bobby McLendon (Bul), -5 laps, DNF
13. Charles Williams (Bul), -10 laps, DNF
14. Chris Boone (Bul), -10 laps, DNF
15. Lucien Marioneaux (Bul), -10 laps, DNF
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 22 laps
2. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -05.439 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -06.539
4. Trent Lowe (Hon), -06.623
5. Max Whale (KTM), -08.830
6. Justin Jones (KTM), -11.607
7. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -11.798
8. Andrew Luker (Yam), -13.468
9. James Ott (Hus), -13.883
10. Logan Eisenhard (KTM), -15.350
11. Morgen Mischler (Hon), -15.744
12. Cole Zabala (Hon), -16.283
13. Tom Drane (Yam), -16.620
14. Chad Cose (Hus), -17.851
15. Travis Petton (KTM), -1 lap
16. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -1 lap, -02.579
17. Clarke Morian (KTM), -1 lap, -06.022
18. Tanner Dean (KTM), -9 laps, DNF
19. Gerard Bailo (Hon), -22 laps, DNF
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Dallas Daniels (Yam), 34 laps
2. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -02.069 seconds
3. Davis Fisher (Ind), -02.503
4. Jared Mees (Ind), -03.191
5. JD Beach (Yam), -03.765
6. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -04.847
7. Briar Bauman (KTM), -09.253
8. Sammy Halbert (Yam), -10.679
9. Kayl Kolkman (Yam), -11.198
10. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -11.383
11. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -13.477
12. Bronson Bauman (KTM), -13.595
13. Dan Bromley (Yam), -13.991
14. Ben Lowe (Ind), -15.041
15. Cameron Smith (Kaw), -15.113
16. Billy Ross (Ind), -17.798
17. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -1 lap
18. Jeffery Lowery (Yam), -2 laps
19. Ryan Wells (Roy), -2 laps, -06.175
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track (AFT):
Daniels, Kopp Pull Off Double Doubles at DAYTONA Short Track II
Jarod Vanderkooi (20) and Dallas Daniels (32) battle for the lead in the AFT SuperTwins race at Daytona Short Track II. Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2023) – Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) kicked off his 2023 Progressive American Flat Track championship campaign in near-perfect fashion, completing the second half of the season-opening double win with another sensational ride in Saturday night’s DAYTONA Short Track II presented by Daytona Dodge at the Flat Track at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Daniels was already a legitimate title contender as a rookie a year ago. Early indications suggest he’s that much stronger now with a year’s Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle experience under his belt.
The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace got away off the line in third, running in close quarters behind early leader Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750), with Thursday runner-up Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) right in his tracks.
Robinson made an early exit from the fight for the win, getting into the airfence and losing several positions in the process. Daniels slipped up the inside of Mees a little less than three minutes into the ten-minute-plus-two-lap Main to take over second, just as Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) closed in to make it four-rider fight at the front again.
Daniels then spent the next four minutes stalking Vanderkooi, looking up the inside and around outside, while generally applying the sort of pressure that might just open a door straight through. He finally found the gap he was looking for with 3:30 minutes remaining on the clock, striking up the inside as the leaders encountered a wave of lapped riders.
Daniels met little resistance once into the lead, stretching out an advantage that finalized as a 2.069-second margin of victory in the end.
“It was tough – Jarod was running a really good race,” Daniels said. “He was being patient – he was really easy on the throttle and wasn’t making any mistakes. I had to search. I wanted to sit there for a little bit. After I got off the line, I was all right with where I was, and I was paying attention to everything. I wanted to stalk him for a while, but then it was time to go.
“A double at Daytona is crazy. It’s unbelievable. A big thanks to the whole Estenson Monster Energy Yamaha team. We had a great year last year, and to start off the year with two wins in Daytona is insane.”
Shortly after Daniels took over the lead, Fisher slashed his way past Mees to complete the “new guard” podium line-up in third, joining winner Daniels and second-placed Vanderkooi.
Reigning champ Mees came away with his second fourth of the double-opener – a marked upgrade over how his prospects may have looked earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), logged a second fifth.
Robinson recovered well enough from his early drama to finish in sixth, one spot ahead of Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke), who was forced to claw his way up to seventh from outside the top ten.
Four-time DAYTONA ST winner Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/Castrol Yamaha MT-07), privateer Kayl Kolkman (No 98 B&L Plumbing/Rod Lake Yamaha MT-07), and Royal Enfield factory man Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) completed the top ten.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) doubled up in Daytona, delivering a second dose of domination on Saturday night.
Clearly in a class of his own at the venue, Kopp pulled off another sweep, repeating his Thursday trick of topping practice, qualifying, his Heat, the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge, and most importantly, the Main Event.
Kopp successfully weaved his way through the opening lap chaos to secure the lead three turns into the race. And while Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) did everything in his power to cling onto Kopp’s rear wheel, a little more than a minute in, the race for victory was effectively over.
Kopp ultimately worked his advantage up to over five seconds before taking a drama-free checkered flag.
“It’s just two for 18,” Kopp said. “We’ve got 16 more rounds, so there’s a lot more work to do. You can’t judge a season off two races at a track that really suits my style. I grew up riding a lot of indoors in the Pacific Northwest, and this was kinda like that. Thanks to my whole Red Bull KTM crew – this is a dream way to start the season for sure.”
After losing touch with the leader, Saathoff was gradually reeled in by ‘22 championship runner-up Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), who first had to fight his way past Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Justin Jones (No. 91 NRC Racing/Elder Trucking KTM 450 SX-F) to slide into third.
Gauthier and Saathoff then swapped the second spot back and forth, squaring one another up in quick succession before the charging Gauthier finally stole the position away for good.
Saathoff held on for the final spot on the box by a scant 0.084 seconds despite having to fend off a late challenge from new Turner Honda teammate Lowe.
Kopp’s teammate, Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), battled past the impressive Jones to complete the top five.
Next Up:
The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series makes its first-ever trip to Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia, for the inaugural Yamaha Senoia Short Track on Saturday, March 25. Visit https://www.tixr.com/promoters/americanflattrack to secure your tickets today.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv 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 https://www.fanschoice.tv.
FOX Sports coverage, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 from the DAYTONA Short Track I on March 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT) and DAYTONA Short Track II on March 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT).
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. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram and catch all the Progressive American Flat Track racing action on FOX Sports.
Bagnaia hits back, Marini close, Aprilia unleash new aero: that’s a wrap on Day 1!
The reigning Champion deposes the king of the pre-season so far, with Viñales hot on their heels on Saturday
Saturday, 11 March 2023
The curtain has come down on the penultimate day of MotoGP™ pre-season testing, and it’s a familiar name on top as reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took over late on. Pecco deposed thus-far King of Pre-Season Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) as the number 10 was forced to settle for second, with Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales rounding out the top three on a fully dry, action-packed Saturday.
Luca Marini (10). Photo courtesy Dorna.
DUCATI, VR46, GRESINI & PRAMAC
Bagnaia was the fastest by the end of play, the reigning Champion hitting back against Marini after the number 10 was fastest for much of the day. Bagnaia’s advantage was just over two tenths, with new teammate Enea Bastianini outside the top ten in P17 on Day 1… but it’s unlikely that’s much to worry about. He worked a lot on used tyres and had a couple of technical niggles to overcome early on, before a crash ended his action early, rider ok.
Both sides of the Ducati Lenovo Team garage now look set – both have the updated aero and Bagnaia continued with the downwash ducts rather than the “ground effect” fairings seen previously. Bastianini was the same. The single wingnut setup on the left handlebar, used for the holeshot, was on all machines.
Back to Marini, and the Italian’s super run in pre-season kept rolling on the penultimate day. He was second, with teammate Marco Bezzecchi in seventh. Marini was also grinning after competing with Bagnaia and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) for top honours. Meanwhile, Gresini Racing MotoGP™’s Ducati newcomer Alex Marquez slotted into fourth as he continues to impress, and his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio ended the day in P9. Diggia suffered a crash and headed to local hospital for a further check up.
Jorge Martin (89). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Completing the top ten was Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). He was seen with a different chassis, one that’s been spotted before and could be part of an ongoing experiment from Ducati. The number 89, meanwhile, went the opposite way to the factory duo elsewhere – putting in a whole lot of laps with the ground effect fairings. Teammate Johann Zarco was P13, not far off Martin by the end of Day 1. He had a different front fairing and air intake to the rest, and the “wings” were a little different too. The Frenchman was the only Ducati with this setup, previously tested by Michele Pirro last season.
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy Dorna.
APRILIA & RNF
Aero updates and innovations were the name of the game down in the Aprilia Racing garage. The Noale factory had a few small aero pieces, including a wing bolted onto the swingarm, some wings that are attached to the front forks and an improved rear wing.
A glance at the timesheets makes for pretty reading for them too. Viñales was a consistent threat at the summit, as was Miguel Oliveira (RNF MotoGP™ Team). The Portuguese rider has been given a few Aprilia goodies to test in Portimao, one noticeable one being some aero that hangs off the side of the front wheel.
Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Oliveira ended the day in P6, one place behind an upbeat Raul Fernandez (RNF MotoGP™ Team), who took a little longer to pounce up towards the pointy end of the timesheets, but heading into the final couple of hours climbed to P5. That made it three Aprilias inside the top six, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) ending Saturday’s action in P11.
Both the Spaniard and teammate Viñales crashed in the early hours of testing, and Espargaro explained to us during After The Flag that he hurt the ankle he damaged at Silverstone in the small off. The number 41 admitted he also struggled with arm pump on Saturday, “not a disaster”, but far from ideal.
Alongside Ducati, Aprilia appear to be the factory that are looking most comfortable heading into the final day of testing. Fernandez and Oliveira’s speed will be a massive boost… or threat, depending where you sit on pitwall.
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy Dorna.
YAMAHA
The most notable upgrade we saw in the Yamaha box on Day 1 was a radical new piece of aero on one of Franco Morbidelli’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) bikes. As seen in the picture below – there’s a new set of wings just above the sidepod and below the standard set of wings. Morbidelli was also continuing to lap with two different chassis that he has available.
A close-up of a new fairing on Franco Morbidelli’s Monster Energy Yamaha YZR-M1. Photo courtesy Dorna.
In Fabio Quartararo’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) corner, both of his YZR-M1s were fitted with Yamaha’s larger aero, suggesting that’s the direction he prefers. The 2021 World Champion was trying different front-end set-ups as he explores what can be done with the bike now the aero is – seemingly – decided.
A late time attack saw Quartararo climb up to eighth, 0.8s away from the top, with Morbidelli finishing P21 having completed 95 laps – five more than Quartararo. A very busy day for the Iwata factory, with another coming up on Sunday.
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy Dorna.
HONDA & LCR
Lots of things were going on at HRC as they tried to finalise the directions they want to be taking in 2023. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was doing a lot of work on Honda’s updated wings and air intake, as well as a new chassis that has been brought to the Portimao Test.
The number 93 suffered a small crash during the afternoon, but the eight-time World Champion was perfectly ok. A P19 finish doesn’t make for outwardly positive reading, but 78 laps suggests it was a day of working things out – and yet more proof the fitness is there. Marquez confirmed the afternoon rhythm was disrupted by testing “big concepts”, so Sunday’s outing will be focused on getting the best out of what Honda already have.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
14th place Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) was also giving Honda’s new chassis a good runout. The 2020 World Champion admitted he didn’t feel great on Day 1 and struggled a bit – and a crash didn’t help in the afternoon. Fast corners and power delivery are the main areas of improvement for Mir ahead of the final day.
Regarding the chassis, LCR Honda duo Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) had the older chassis fitted to both their RC213Vs. Rins ended the day as the fastest Honda in P11 and having not much in the way of new parts to try, the two-time 2022 race winner has been focusing on continuing his adaptation to the new bike. It looks like a step forward has been made.
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy Dorna.
KTM & GASGAS TECH3
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder was the lead KTM on Day 1, in P15, but he had close company from new teammate Jack Miller just behind him. The visible work going on was centered on aero, with each having one bike with the “ground effect” fairing and the downwash ducts and one bike with only the “ground effect” fairing.
It sounded like the Austrian factory overall has switched to the engine that sounded different in Sepang, with that overheard once again.
Pol Espargaro (44). Photo courtesy Dorna.
At GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, Pol Espargaro was down the timesheets but likewise had the aero split seen at Red Bull KTM, and his teammate Augusto Fernandez likewise. For the first time, the two GASGAS riders also had the same chassis, and Fernandez was a little closer as he prepares to face down his first race weekend in MotoGP™.
That’s a wrap on Day 1, there’s just one more day of track action standing between the field and the first race weekend of the year. Come back for more on Sunday and enjoy the final After the Flag pre-season show with a VideoPass trial, and join the Tech Group to stay on top off all the updates from pitlane.
Track action runs from 9:30 GMT to 17:30 GMT on the final day of action – see you there!
If you watched the 81st Daytona 200 MotoAmerica Supersport race and were confused about how the restarted race was handled and how the final results were determined you are not alone.
Many riders and paddock veterans also expressed confusion on several aspects of the restarted race and its finish, but the fact is MotoAmerica followed the wording in its published rules to the letter. Here is an explanation of some key points.
The red flag.
On lap 53 of 57, Danny Eslick, Teagg Hobbs, and Jason Waters came together at the International Horseshoe with Hobbs and Waters crashing. The location of the crash forced Race Control to stop the race with the red flag so workers could safely access and deal with the crash scene.
The length of the restart.
The leaders of the race had completed 52 of 57 scheduled laps when the race was stopped. In the 2023 Daytona 200 and Supersport Extended Race Supplemental Regulations, it states that if the Daytona 200 is stopped after more than three laps and less than 53 laps are completed, the race will be restarted for a second race and the distance of the second/restarted race will be enough to complete the original race distance of 57 laps and “shall not be less than ten (10) laps.”
As a result, the 2023 Daytona 200 was actually the Daytona 217.62 – 62 laps x 3.51 miles. According to 1972 Daytona 200 winner and Daytona 200 historian Don Emde, this was the longest Daytona 200 race.
How riders who were one or more laps down before the red flag were classified on the lead lap for the restart.
Only riders who finished 75% (39 laps in this case) of the original race and were actively competing at the time of the red-flag stoppage were eligible to compete in the second/restarted race. The grid positions were determined according to the finishing order of the first/stopped race, according to the rules, and “The final race classification will be established according to the position and the number of laps of each rider at the time he crossed the finish line at the end of the last part of the race.”
In short, this means that the second/restarted race was a new race only open to riders who had completed 39 laps of the original race and were still actively competing when that original race was stopped.
The time penalties assessed to Blake Davis (15 seconds), Kevin Nolde (15 seconds x 2), and Brandon Paasch (15 seconds) for speeding on pit lane during the first portion of the race.
Again, in the rules it clearly states, in bold: “Riders receiving a time penalty in the first race will have the penalty applied only to the finish of the final race.”
So, even though the second/restarted race was considered a new race with everyone on the lead lap again, Davis, Nolde, and Paasch were still assessed time penalties they incurred in the stopped/first race.
Kyle Wyman Bounces Back To Win Mission King Of The Baggers At Daytona
Mesa Wins REV’IT! Twins Cup, O’Hara Takes Super Hooligan Sweep
Kyle Wyman (33) leads James Rispoli (43), Tyler O’Hara (1), Jeremy McWilliams (99) and Hayden Gillim (79) in the Mission King Of The Baggers race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 11, 2023) – H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman made up for the disappointment of failing to finish the first of two Mission King Of The Baggers races on Friday with a dominating eight-second victory on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
Wyman’s factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide coasted to a stop in Friday’s first Baggers race, forcing the 2021 King Of The Baggers Champion to watch Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli score his first career victory in the opening round of the championship.
And everyone paid the price for his disappointment as Wyman went on a tear on Saturday, leading every lap of the eight-lap race to beat Rispoli by 8.030 seconds. Third place went to Rispoli’s teammate Hayden Gillim, a day after Gillim finished second. Team Saddlemen’s Cory West finished fourth with his teammate Jake Lewis rounding out the top five.
Defending Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Tyler O’Hara had an off-day with the Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods-backed Californian running off in turn one and ending the race in 11th. O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams was also off the pace, finishing 11th after just losing out in a battle with Roland Sands Design/Indian Motorcycle’s Kyle Ohnsorg.
Stefano Mesa (137) leads the REV’IT! Twins Cup class through the chicane at Daytona International Speedway en route to victory. Blake Davis (1) and Dominic Doyle (25) give chase. Photo By Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
REV’IT Twins Cup – Mesa!
Veteran Stefano Mesa made the most of his one-off appearance on the MP13 Racing Yamaha YZF R-7 to win Saturday’s REV’IT! Twins Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Mesa, who was riding as a replacement for the injured Kayla Yaakov, topped Friday’s winner Gus Rodio by just .162 of a second after five laps of the Speedway.
Rodio, who won Friday’s REV’IT! Twins Cup race, was well clear of Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing’s Jackson Blackmon.
Mesa failed to finish Friday’s race one with a mechanical problem.
Defending REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion Blake Davis finished fourth, a tick over six seconds behind Blackmon and just .358 of a second ahead of Cycle Tech’s Hayden Schultz.
Tyler O’Hara (1) leads his teammate Jeremy McWilliams (99) on the Daytona tri-oval in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race. O’Hara won with McWilliams finishing second. Photo By Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – West DQ’d, O’Hara Wins
Team Saddlemen’s Cory West won the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, but his Harley-Davidson Pan America failed to pass technical examination and West was stripped of his victory.
West’s misfortune was Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods’ Tyler O’Hara gain, as he inherited the victory with West’s disqualification. O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams finished second today, a day after finishing third in race one. O’Hara’s win was his second as he completed a perfect weekend in the class.
Grey Area Racing’s Mark Price rode his KTM to third after barely beating Vigilante Racing’s Nate Kern and his BMW to the line. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa was fifth on an Energica electric motorcycle.
Daytona Quotes Twins Cup – Stefano Mesa, Winner
“First off, I want to wish Kayla (Yaakov) a healthy recovery, speedy recovery. Same with Ben (Gloddy) and Dom (Doyle) that just crashed in the race. Grateful for Melissa (Paris) and Josh (Hayes) to come offer me the ride for the twins, especially knowing I’ve never been on something like that. I am the guy that rides a lot of different motorcycles, but never been on a Twins Cup bike. Was just a good weekend right off the bat. Felt good on the bike right in the practice and just kept working from there. How Gus (Rodio) said, I’m kind of the older one in the class, you could say, and the one with the most experience. So, it was kind of good to go and race with all the kids. I ride with these kids a lot. I’ve coached them. I’ve tried to get them faster in the past, so definitely riding with them was a good experience. It’s good to see how fast they’re going, how much they’re pushing these little things, because they’re absolutely riding it to the limit. Just grateful for the opportunity and grateful to get the win.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – Kyle Wyman, Winner
“Definitely anger, a little bit of frustration because I just know how good the bike is when it’s all there like we developed it. To have it kind of end like that yesterday was frustrating for sure. What can I say? The boys have done their homework over this winter. Obviously, we have a pretty strong package. We’re still not the fastest bike in a straight line, which was interesting. But we are in a really good spot for the rest of the season. I don’t know exactly where the points shake out. James (Rispoli) filled both his bags full of points. I only filled the one side, so we’ll have to see kind of where it’s at. I’m super happy to finish the weekend on a high note because then it feels like a good weekend.”
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Tyler O’Hara
“Chess, not checkers. You need to put yourself in a position to win on the last lap, and I was able to achieve that. I’m very proud of my whole Indian Motorcycle Progressive Mission Foods team. My Indian FTR1200 was fun to ride at Daytona.”
Editorial Note: The Daytona 200 was red flagged on lap 53 of 57 scheduled laps. MotoAmerica officials decided to run a 10-lap restart, resulting in a race distance of 62 laps, or 217.52 miles.
Thirteen Years Later, Josh Herrin Wins The Great American Motorcycle Race For The Second Time
The original start of the 81st Daytona 200 with Josh Herrin (1) leading Danny Eslick (69), PJ Jacobsen (66), Richie Escalante (54), Tyler Scott (70), Geoff May (99), and the rest through Turn One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
DAYTONA, FL (March 11, 2023) – Thirteen years ago, a young Josh Herrin won the Daytona 200. Unfortunately, back then it was the pole sitter who was awarded the Rolex and Herrin didn’t start the race from pole. Thus, no Rolex. When it changed to the race winner getting the Rolex, Herrin started getting poles but not wins. Today he got it right, winning the 81st running of the Daytona 200, sponsored in part by Pirelli and Bridgestone, and earning his second 200 victory. And this time he got his Rolex.
The 13 years between wins for Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Herrin is the longest gap between Daytona wins in the history of the race. The previous longest timespan between wins was seven years for Eddie Lawson, who won the race in 1986 and not again until 1993.
Herrin was at or near the front of the lead pack for the duration of the 200 and with nine laps to go it looked like a two-rider shootout between Herrin and his Ducati Panigale V2 and the Suzuki GSX-R750 of Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante. Those two had seemingly broken the spirit of the rest and there was a gap back to third-placed Josh Hayes and the Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
A lap later, however, and Escalante was on the ground in turn one and out of the race after the pair came together. That left Herrin alone at the front, but with five laps to go the red flag came out on the 52nd lap when Teagg Hobbs and Jason Waters crashed together in the International Horseshoe.
The Daytona 200 rulebook states: “For the Daytona 200, the number of laps of the second race will be the number of laps required to complete the original race distance of fifty-seven (57) laps but shall not be less than ten (10) laps.” Thus, the race would end up being 62 laps and 217.62 miles.
Herrin, meanwhile, had been penalized six spots on the grid of the restart because of his altercation with Escalante.
The 10-lap sprint after the restart featured a horde of seven riders at the front, but it was Herrin at the pointy end when it mattered as he won the drafting war to beat Hayes by .070 of a second. Attack Performance Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen was third, .140 behind, for a complete turnaround of how his day had gone with a clutch issue thwarting his progress in the early stages of the race. The clutch problem translated to Petersen being forced to pit three times, but he didn’t give up and it paid dividends at the completion of the 10-lap sprint.
Fourth place went to Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim, who would later protest the results believing that Petersen didn’t actually finish third. His protest was denied. Gillim had fought back after crashing with 20 laps to go and remounting.
Celtic/Tytlers Cycle/TSE Racing’s PJ Jacobsen finished fifth and just .439 of a second behind Herrin. Jacobsen also got new life thanks to the restart after crashing and remounting on the 31st lap.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Hobbs was sixth after his team rebuilt his crashed bike. Disrupt Racing’s Geoff May, TOBC Racing’s Danny Eslick, TSE/Truelove Brothers Racing’s Matt Truelove and Farrell Performance’s Jason Farrell rounded out the top 10.
Two-time and defending Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch was 12th after being penalized 15 seconds at the end of the race for a pit lane speed violation. Biothermal/Blake Davis Racing’s Blake Davis suffered a similar fate and was dropped to 11th in the final standings. Both riders raced at the front of the pack in the restarted portion of the race, but their penalties were applied at the completion of the race, per the rulebook.
Herrin’s victory on the Ducati Panigale V2 was the Italian marque’s second win in the 200 with Jason DiSalvo winning on a Team Latus Ducati 848 EVO.
Josh Herrin (1) crosses the finish line ahead of Josh Hayes (4), Brandon Paasch (96) and Cameron Petersen (45) at the end of the Daytona 200. Paasch was penalized 15 seconds for a pit-lane infraction and was dropped to 12th in the final results. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Daytona 200 Quotes Josh Herrin – Winner
“We were on I think after the final pitstop, and I had been seeing just different spots that I could overtake if I needed to,” Herrin explained of his run-in with Richie Escalante. “His bike was a missile, especially the first banking. I had to get a really good run out to get him into the chicane because he was really good coming out of the chicane. So, in my head I’m thinking, ‘All right, I’m going to struggle to do it if he puts in a good lap.’ That was one of the spots where I thought would be a possibility and it would kind of throw him off of his rhythm. With the last however many laps to go, I just saw an opening and wanted to try it. As far as I was concerned, I was there and had the line. I felt the contact and looked back. I didn’t see him, but I wasn’t positive if he had gone down or not. So, I kept putting my head down. When I came around the next time, I saw him out there flipping me off. So, I figured that something had happened.”
“I was freaking out,” Herrin said when asked about the race being red flagged and restarted. “My neck was destroyed just from sitting on the banking for that long. We didn’t put a pad, which we should have. I didn’t think about it. After 57 laps, your neck just sitting there holding it up the whole time, I was wrecked. When they added five laps I was panicking because at that point I knew it was going to be a sprint to the finish, and I didn’t think I had the legs to get the win. They told me Cam (Petersen) was a lap down. They told me Brandon (Paasch) had a 20-second penalty. I thought that I had lapped Blake Davis at one point, but it must have been somebody else. I was just super confused. I didn’t know if I needed to try to beat Cam or if I needed to try to beat Brandon. I didn’t know what was going on. I just had a lap where I said, “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I need to just try to win, no matter who’s there.” Because if for some reason the guys in the pit were wrong, then I’d be screwed.”
Josh Hayes – Second Place
“Honestly, I had some pace in the infield and in the second and third sectors I was just hanging on,” Hayes said. “I needed them to be able to do it. Two or three laps there, and maybe consecutive, I think I got two where they would get somebody on the entrance to the chicane, and I couldn’t get in the position to do it. So, I’d have to follow a few people through and then I was just kind of hung out there on my own. It was a gap of what you can see in the tri-oval. They were going into one and I was still coming into the tri-oval. I pushed as hard as I could for a while, and I could see I was kind of maintaining. I did the pit stop and came back out and I was kind of in the same position. I might have lost a second to them, but I was relatively in the same position. I fought, and fought, and fought. I finally got what the gap was behind me. I kind of settled in and then I saw Richie (Escalante) on the ground and saw P2. I said, ‘Well, I’m just going to kind of bring her home clean right now.’ Actually, it kind of worked in my favor because I took it pretty easy on the tire at that point, which ended up giving me some tire at the end.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Something happened with the clutch from lap one,” Petersen said of his early race woes. “The rear chatter when doing downshifts was just incredible. I couldn’t get on the brakes. I couldn’t tip it into the corners. I was really struggling through the infield. The lead group got a little bit of a gap on me and that was pretty much it. We were forced to do three pit stops this race, which kind of put us a lap down. Lucky enough, my tires were pretty fresh. I think the lap the red flag came out, I was able to un-lap myself. So again, I got super lucky. But I don’t really know. Going into those last 10 laps, I had no idea where I was. Nobody told me anything. So, I just put my head down and tried to ride as fast as I could. Once again, I just got beat to the line.”
More, from a press release issued by CSBK:
Herrin wins controversial Daytona 200; Vieira 15th, Young DNF
Bridgestone BPM Yamaha rider Elliot Vieira (33) managed an excellent 15th in his first-ever Daytona 200 experience on Saturday. Photo by Colin Fraser, courtesy CSBK.
Daytona Beach, FL – The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike duo of Ben Young and Elliot Vieira completed their Daytona 200 weekend in opposite spirits on Saturday, as Josh Herrin won a controversial 62-lap feature at Daytona International Speedway.
While Vieira finally exercised his mechanical demons in warm-up on Saturday morning, specifically fixing the braking issues that plagued him all week, it was Young who found brake problems of his own aboard his Bridgestone-backed BPM Yamaha.
Hoping to just manage their machines to the end, both enjoyed strong starts to the historic 200-mile endurance race, with Young putting himself 13th after the first batch of pit stops and Vieira up eleven spots to 21st.
Despite a slower second pit-stop for Vieira, the duo continued their momentum into the second stage of the race, with Young climbing just outside the top-ten and with stronger pace than some ahead of him while Vieira settled into 25th.
However, the worst-case scenario struck for the BPM Yamaha team with just five laps to go, when a late red-flag produced a ten-lap restart. The all-out pace of the restart meant the lesser-powered machines of Young and Vieira were mismatched against the heavyweight teams up front, who carried as much as 15-20 extra horsepower.
Desperately fighting to stay inside the top-15, Young ultimately pushed beyond his machine’s limits as he crashed out with just six laps remaining, running in a strong 12th at the time. Vieira, meanwhile, found consistent pace on fresher tires right when he needed it, scrapping his way through the pack to finish an excellent 15th in the end.
It was a sensational result for Vieira, who had completed only a handful of clean laps prior to Saturday amidst his mechanical issues and ultimately found a way to put himself in the top-15 in his first ever Daytona appearance.
While Young’s crash was a frustrating end to an even more frustrating weekend, the reigning Bridgestone CSBK champion proved that a sensational result was possible under different circumstances.
Both riders will now have a few days off to soak in their first Daytona 200 appearance together, before returning to Bridgestone CSBK action on Tuesday for the official Winter Test in nearby Jennings, FL.
Josh Herrin (centre) won a wild Daytona 200 on Saturday ahead of Josh Hayes (left) in second and Cameron Petersen (right) in third. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
Herrin wins “confusing” Daytona 200 for second time
Josh Herrin will walk away from the famed International Speedway as a Daytona 200 winner for the second time in his career and first time in 12 years, a controversial result that was just one part of a wild and puzzling last few laps.
Battling with Richie Escalante for most of the middle part of the race, largely one-on-one with Josh Hayes a distant third, Herrin collided with the Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki of Escalante in turn one, knocking the Mexican out of the lead and the contest.
With third-place runner Brandon Paasch facing a 15-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane and sixth-place competitor Cameron Petersen a lap down, it seemed likely that only Hayes, Teagg Hobbs in fourth, or Hayden Gillim in fifth could challenge the Warhorse HSBK Ducati of Herrin if he was to be penalized himself.
However, an extra wrench got thrown into things when Hobbs got collected in a red-flag incident with five laps to go, the first stoppage of the afternoon. Facing a five-lap sprint, the puzzling decisions continued to pile up in the next few moments.
First, the race was extended to five extra laps, producing a ten-lap restart and the first ever “Daytona 216.5” across 62 laps. Then, Herrin was awarded a six-place grid penalty on said restart – an inconsequential punishment for the blazingly-fast Ducati rider.
Herrin quickly returned to the front as expected, battling at the front of an eight-rider group that included Hayes, the penalized Paasch, and the lap-down Petersen. The next wrinkle came when a charging Petersen unlapped himself, inexplicably jumping to the front of the timesheets and somehow in the battle for the win.
Amidst all the chaos and confusion – both on and off the track – it was Hayes who exited the chicane on the final lap leading from Herrin and Petersen, at one point looking far enough ahead to hold on for his first official Daytona 200 victory. However, the power and slipstream of Herrin was inevitable, as he charged across the line to score his second career Daytona win.
“When they added five laps I didn’t know if I had the legs in me to finish,” Herrin said. “And then I didn’t know what the deal was with Petersen and Paasch – I was super confused – but I just decided it didn’t matter as long as I finished first.”
As for the controversial incident with Escalante, the eventual winner maintained his innocence despite the grid penalty.
“As far as I’m concerned, I had the line. I got creative and he wasn’t expecting it,” Herrin protested.
When the dust settled, it was Hayes who finished second officially, while Petersen was awarded third despite being a lap down up until the final moments. Petersen himself did not even know of the decision, but that didn’t stop the criticism from coming.
“I love Cam Petersen to death, but he did not finish third,” Hayden Gillim said, who ultimately finished one spot back in fourth. “I quit racing in 2019 over stuff like this, and to be on the other side of it again sucks.”
Full results from the wild 81st running of the Daytona 200 can be found on the official MotoAmerica website.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin Wins The 2023 Daytona 200 For Ducati
Herrin puts the number one Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC in P1 at The World Center of Racing
Josh Herrin on the podium with the Daytona 200 winner’s trophy. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Sunnyvale, Calif., March 11, 2023 – Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) pulled off a legendary victory in the 2023 Daytona 200, the 81st running of the iconic event. Herrin started from pole position and led for much of the encounter but a red flag while holding a lead of over 20 seconds with only a handful of laps remaining meant everything was back to square one and a 10-lap dash.
Herrin kept his cool during the melee, positioning himself perfectly for the slingshot to finish line on the last lap. He played that card to perfection, drafting past Yamaha’s Josh Hayes to record a historic Daytona 200 win for Ducati by just 0.070 seconds and the first for the Panigale V2.
Herrin’s teammate Xavi Forés American debut didn’t go to plan with a mechanical problem signaling the end of his race before the first round of pitstops.
2023 Daytona 200 Results
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati)
P2 – Josh Hayes (Yamaha)
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
P4 – Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)
P5 – PJ Jacobsen (Yamaha)
DNF – Xavi Forés (Ducati)
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #1):
“The race went amazing,” beamed Herrin from Victory Lane. “It seemed like everything was against us, but we worked as a team and got settled down and even Xavi’s guys from Germany came over at the end to help us. It was a very eventful race and I can’t believe we were able to pull it off. After how the race went in 2022, in my mind I needed to get the win for the team and for Ducati. It’s such a special moment and that I was able to do it on the V2 before we step up to the V4 R in Superbike this year. We’ve got a lot of confidence heading into the race season now and I’m thankful to be part of the Ducati family. Also, a huge thank you to Paolo and Gigi for believing in me and the team!”
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #12):
“Well, it was a very disappointing weekend for me. Today we had to deal with some issues that ended my race very early so I cannot hide my frustration. Hopefully, I can have another chance to ride properly here in Daytona in the future. A big thanks to the team who tried hard to build the best bike possible.”
More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:
Josh Herrin Battles Back To Win Second Career DAYTONA 200, Second for Ducati
Full slate of races at Daytona International Speedway cap off 82nd annual Bike Week
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2023) – With a thrilling dive to the inside apron as a pack of five bikes prepared to cross the finish line within a half-second of each other, Josh Herrin captured the second DAYTONA 200 championship of his career 13 years after first topping the podium.
The 13 years between wins is the longest gap between DAYTONA 200 victories in the history of the race. The previous longest number of years was seven for Eddie Lawson with wins in 1986 and 1993.
For Ducati, it was the make’s second win after last winning it with Jason DiSalvo in 2011.
Yamaha secured second and third place with Joshua Hayes riding the No. 4 Squid Hunter Racing bike, and Cameron Peterson rounding out the podium on this No. 45 Attack Performance Yamaha.
Herrin sat on pole for the 81st running of the DAYTONA 200, but the race wasn’t straightforward for the rider of the No. 2 Warhorse HSBK Ducati NYC.
With 24 laps to go, lead pack Celtic/Tytlers Cycle/TSE Racing rider PJ Jacobsen went down in the infield portion, and that was followed three laps later by Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim going down in the middle of the Le Mans Chicane on the oval backstretch. Both had been running in the top six at the time of their incidents. Gillim was able to get his bike back up and remained on the lead lap to return as a factor late in the race.
After the second set of pit stops, Herrin and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Richie Escalante separated themselves from the rest of the field – putting up an 18-second lead over third-place Hayes with 10 laps to go. The pair traded the lead back and forth – and at times from turn to turn.
But with eight laps to go, Escalante and Herrin went toe-to-toe coming out of Turn 1 as Herrin dove inside of Escalante for the pass, and only Herrin made it through. Escalante went down and that left Herrin alone out front.
“We were after the final pit stop, I had been seeing different spots that I could overtake if I needed to. His bike was a missile,” Herrin said post-race. “That was one of the spots where I thought would be a possibility and would kinda throw him off of his rhythm. With however many laps to go, I just saw an opening and wanted to try it, and as far as I was concerned, I was there, had the line.
“I’m just trying to figure out where I could win the race from. I was just trying to get creative and find spots, and I think he just wasn’t expecting it because it wasn’t the last lap.”
Following the incident, Herrin built up a 24- second lead on Hayes, but a red flag with five laps to go for an incident between fourth-place Teague Hobbs on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki and Edge Racing Yamaha rider Jason Waters, who was two laps down, in the infield. The field was brought down pit road and Hobbs was able to get his bike back to pit road and repaired for the restart.
During the red flag a pair of officiating decisions were announced by MotoAmerica. Herrin was penalized six grid positions on the restart for the incident with Escalante, which dropped him to seventh and put Hayes on the pole for the restart. Additionally, five laps were added to the remainder of the race, to make it a 10-lap dash for the finish.
The grid penalty didn’t hurt Herrin as he made his way back to the lead a lap after the restart. And a battle reminiscent of Herrin and Escalante earlier in the race developed between Herrin, Hayes, Gillim and Petersen.
Coming to the white flag, Herrin led a tightly packed together lead group of seven riders. He pulled a strategic move as they came out of the infield portion onto the high banks, swinging wide to allow a pair of riders to pass him.
“Before the first banking, I went in hot and tried to get at least a couple guys to go by me because I didn’t think I would be able to hold it off leading,” said Herrin. “That worked out good. That was huge risk number one. Huge risk number two was going into the chicane I chopped everybody up and rolled through the chicane really slow to give Josh about a five to 10 bike-length lead because I knew if I was on him I would pass him about halfway through the banking and it would be a double-wide draft of guys behind and they would get by us.”
Hayes carried that slight gap out of the Le Mans Chicane and up onto the banking. But it wasn’t enough of a lead as the pack caught him in the draft coming onto the front stretch and Herrin dove to the inside apron for the winning pass as the pack came to the finish line.
Two-time defending DAYTONA 200 champion and TOBC Racing rider Brandon Paasch was in the lead pack of six bikes that initially separated itself from the field, but a pit-road speeding penalty on the first pit stop landed him a 15-second time penalty that was assessed at the end of the race. He crossed the line with the lead pack of seven but was relegated to a 12th-place finish.
Roland Sands Design (RSD) Mission Super Hooligan Class
The second and final weekend of the 82nd Bike Week at DAYTONA Presented by Monster Energy got underway with the first event of MotoAmerica racing. Friday, March 10 saw the first round of the Roland Sands Super Hooligans Championship at The World Center of Racing. Tyler O’Hara, rider of the No. 1 Indian FTR, crossed the finish line first in an exciting last lap pass over Bobby Fong, rider of the No. 50 Indian Challenger, after the two battled it out for six intense laps. British rider Jeremy McWilliams rounded out the podium, finishing third place on his No. 99 Indian FTR.
The second round of the Super Hooligans class took place on Saturday, with another six laps of racing around the road course. Cory West came across the finish line first on his No. 13 Team Saddlemen bike but was later disqualified for a technical infraction. The final finishing order for Roland Sands Super Hooligans race two featured the two of the podium placers from race one, Tyler O’Hara finishing first and Jeremy McWilliams in second, with rider of the No. 665 Grey Area Racing KTM Mark Price moving up into third.
REV’IT! Twins Cup Class
The Rev’It Twins Cup kicked off Friday afternoon with an eventful nine laps of racing. Three laps after riders left the grid, the action intensified when the rider of the No. 25 Team ISO Yamaha, Dominic Doyle, crashed out, taking Ben Gloddy on his No. 72 Rodio Racing Aprilia. The crash caused a shift in the battle for third place, as both riders were in fourth and fifth when their races ended. Hayden Shultz finished third on his No. 49 Cycle Tech Yamaha, with Jackson Blackmon finishing second on his No. 18 Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing Yamaha. Gus Rodio, the rider of the No. 96 Rodio Racing Aprilia, came out on top in race one.
Doyle’s bad luck continued in race two of the Rev’It Twins Cup on Saturday. The Rodio Racing rider crashed out again on lap three of the nine lap race, bringing out the red flag. Racing resumed about 20 minutes later in a five-lap sprint, with the Stefano Mesa, the native Floridian, standing in for Kayla Yaakov following a leg injury, finishing first on the No. 137 MP13 Racing Yamaha. Gus Rodio finished second and Jackson Blackmon finished third, both riders securing a couple more points on the weekend.
Mission King Of The Baggers Class
The Mission King of the Baggers Championship returned to Daytona for the second year, with Baggers racing on the high banks of the superspeedway. Race one got underway on Friday afternoon, with James Rispoli coming in first on his No. 43 Vance & Hines Harley Davidson after a great save coming out of turn six. His teammate Hayden Gillim finished second on his No. 79 Vance & Hines Harley Davidson, with Tyler O’Hara picking up another podium this weekend after scoring points in the Super Hooligans Class.
The second race in the Mission King of the Baggers class finished early Saturday evening, closing out an epic weekend of MotoAmerica racing with a Harley-Davidson podium lockout. American Kyle Wyman crossed the finish line in first place on his No. 33 Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle, with Vance & Hines riders James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim finishing second and third, securing podiums in Baggers both races.
Bagnaia reigns but Quartararo gains as 12 riders break the lap record on Sunday
Pecco, Zarco, Quartararo, Marini… the list of laptime heroes goes on as pre-season comes to a hectic close at Portimao
Francesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 12 March 2023
Another day, another set of timesheets… and the last one before we go racing! The final day of pre-season is in the books and there’s a new fastest ever lap of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, with reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) absolutely smashing his old lap record and bringing it down to a stunning 1:37.968. But he wasn’t the only one under the old 1:38.725, with an incredible 12 riders ending 2023 pre-season with a quicker lap than that.
At the top, the first on Bagnaia’s tail was Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) as he unleashed a time attack on Sunday, not into the 1:37s but seemingly taking a big step forward. Just 0.038 behind him came another rider who took a leap forward on the final day of pre-season, with 2021 Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) taking third and looking a whole lot happier by the end of play than he had 24 hours earlier.
Here’s a rundown of the final day’s action as we start to switch from test mode to race mode!
Johann Zarco (5). Photo courtesy Dorna.
DUCATI, PRAMAC, VR46 & GRESINI
Bagnaia smashed his own all-time lap record and then put in a MotoGP™ Sprint simulation that raised eyebrows up and down pitlane, with most laps under the old best race lap. That was a Jaws music moment before Quartararo was able to get a lot closer, and then Zarco split the two 2022 Championship rivals.
Bastianini struck late to move up significantly compared to a lackluster showing on the timesheets on Saturday, having not put in a real hot lap before. He ends the test in sixth, but will most definitely want to reel his teammate further in once the Portuguese GP begins. There was little new to see at Ducati, with focus seemingly having shifted to really dialling in what they’ve tested… barring one small new lever spotted by our pitlane reporters, currently cause for curiosity.
Francesco Bagnaia. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Enea Bastianini (23). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Zarco was the closest challenger to reigning Champion Bagnaia, moving up later in the day to depose compatriot Quartararo from second. Zarco appears to have found some long run pace, and said he was back on fettling his own setup rather than running through any testing for the factory. Teammate Jorge Martin was also looking good, and he ends the test in P8 after again running the “ground effect” fairings as he did yesterday.
Luca Marini. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Marco Bezzecchi (72). Photo courtesy Dorna.
At Mooney VR46 Racing Team, it was a slightly damp squib end to testing for Luca Marini after the fastest rider in Valencia and Sepang suffered two technical issues that interrupted his final day, leaving him right down the timesheets until a final push at the end. It was a good push though, and he manages to end Sunday in P4 – just ahead of sophomore teammate Marco Bezzecchi. The two look more than ready to take on the battle for some serious positions when the season gets it gear.
At Gresini Racing MotoGP™, it was a final test of two halves. Fabio Di Giannantonio was ruled out after his crash on Day 1, with no injuries but ruled unfit to give him time to recover ahead of the first race weekend. Alex Marquez was sitting fourth for much of the day before a late attack for a few of his fellow Ducati riders, and the two-time World Champion was shuffled down to a still very interesting seventh – right behind Bastianini. He suffered two crashes but all ok, and even saw that as a positive to get it behind him as he starts a new adventure with a new machine.
Alex Marquez (73). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Jorge Martin (89). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy Dorna.
YAMAHA
The Portimao Test was looking worrying for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ on Day 1, and even during the morning hours of Day 2. Soft tyre woes continued to hinder both Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, but with roughly three hours of pre-season testing to go, Quartararo pounced up to P2 on the timesheets – just 0.148s away from Bagnaia’s new all-time lap record. A last minute sprint for glory.
Both riders were continuing to play around with different aero packages on the final day, with Morbidelli’s the most striking on the front of the bike. The Italian was putting in some work on similar to a new upgrade we witnessed for the first time on Saturday, but this one the top set of wings, then a double sidepod design as well as the downwash duct at the bottom. But then came this…
A new aero device on the tail of Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha. Photo courtesy Dorna.
The huge addition, as seen when Quartararo headed out towards the close of play, was interesting to say the least. A rear wing but something never seen before: a much bigger, upside-down triangular-shaped design. The review from the Frenchman: “it wasn’t worse”. But he said data was needed to see if it was better.
All in all, it was a busy day down in the Yamaha camp. Crucially though, a big step was made for Quartararo, who is feeling a lot happier than he was in Sepang and on Day 1. Going back to some old settings allowed the Frenchman to make critical strides forwards which will be a huge relief for Yamaha. The same sighs of relief won’t be swimming through Morbidelli’s side of the box, however, as the Italian ended the test in P19 after completing 89 laps.
Franco Morbidelli (21). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy Dorna.
KTM & GASGAS TECH3
At Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, the test was about analysing what they have rather than bringing in a slew of new parts, and a main point of focus remained the engine. That was heard from all machines – both KTM and GASGAS. Brad Binder was the lead RC16 on the timesheets as the South African ends the test in P9 and a good chunk under the old lap record, ahead of the three lead Aprilias.
Jack Miller was P17 on the second Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine as he looks to settle in. He was focusing on settings and gave a lot of feedback on the electronics, some of which was also reportedly of interest to his new teammate. He was upbeat and said they’re really starting to get there, with a bit left to polish… but gave his adaptation a 7 or 8 out of 10 so far.
Jack Miller (43). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Francesco Guidotti said Day 1 was tougher, Sunday morning remained a challenge but by the end of play, they’d started to see some light at the end of the tunnel. The main issue? They’re missing a “few tenths” of grip and are working on mechanical solutions as well as on the electronics to take that step forward.
As GASGAS Factory Racing Tech 3, Pol Espargaro was just 0.065 off Miller just ahead of him as the gaps remain absolutely tiny down the field, with rookie Augusto Fernandez one of those a little further back, a few tenths behind Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu).
Pol Espargaro (44). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Augusto Fernandez (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy Dorna.
APRILIA & RNF
Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro admitted that he struggled with arm pump on Day 1 of the Portimao Test, and those issues continued into Sunday. He put in 52 laps – the least of anyone – and says he will be getting his arm checked out ahead of Round 1 of the season, although the #41 said it wasn’t a disaster. Pace-wise, Espargaro will be happy as he ends the test as the top Aprilia in P10.
On the other side of the factory box, Maverick Viñales ends pre-season testing with a beaming smile on his face despite experiencing a technical issue on one of his bikes. P12 definitely doesn’t tell the full tale of his test. The vibes radiating from Top Gun are all positive after another 82 laps were pocketed on the final day, as all signs point towards him and Aprilia kicking off 2023 in fine form. Viñales was the final rider inside the old lap record.
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fine form is one way of describing the performance of a pair of Aprilia newcomers: Miguel Oliveira and RNF MotoGP™ Team teammate Raul Fernandez. Both riders have been consistently up the sharp end of the timesheets in Portimao, but afternoon crashes for both – Oliveira at Turn 3, Fernandez at Turn 1 – put a slight dampener on their final day. But like Espargaro and Viñales, their positions on the timesheets don’t necessarily portray the story of their pre-season… and they’ll be ones to watch when the lights go out for sure.
Miguel Oliveira (88). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Joan Mir (36). Photo courtesy Dorna.
HONDA & LCR
“It’s time to start working with what we have,” expressed Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) after Day 1 as the eight-time World Champion admitted that after testing big things in the afternoon, he and Honda lost their way a bit. It’s no surprise we didn’t see many new parts on the RC213Vs on Sunday then, but we did see Marquez continuing on Honda’s updated air intake and aero package set-up.
Marquez confirmed that his final day on track was the best he’d felt all pre-season. A Sprint simulation suggested Honda aren’t a million miles away, not where they want to be, but it’s not a disaster. Marquez also confirmed he and teammate Joan Mir are pulling in the same direction, so there was plenty of promising noises coming from the HRC camp ahead of Round 1.
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Takaaki Nakagami (30). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) was given the 2021 Honda aero package and ground effect fairing to test on the final day, the latter was also seen using a very different set-up on the front suspension from all the other Hondas. In addition, both Rins and teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) have been using last year’s clutch – not the new, carbon one that Nakagami has previously tested.
It’s Mir who ends the Portimao Test as the quickest Honda in P13, 0.016s ahead of Marquez who in turn is 0.004s faster than Rins. They’re all within a second of the all-time lap record, a sign Honda are heading down the correct path. Nakagami finishes the Test down in P20, 1.3s from top spot.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
FULL RESULTS – DAY 2
And then… all was quiet in pitlane. That’s a wrap on pre-season for the premier class, and now all there’s left to do is RACE! The first Grand Prix of the season is just around the corner, so make sure to join us then as the engines fire up in Portimao once more. The 24th to the 26th of March 2023: save the date as a new era begins!
Lucas Oil Stadium lit up during opening ceremonies but the real fireworks took place during the closing minutes of the night's 450SX Class Main Event. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Ken Roczen Takes Dramatic and Emotional Win at Indy Supercross
Hunter Lawrence Stretches Eastern Regional 250SX Class Points Lead with Indy Victory
Indianapolis, Ind. – Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen earned a thrilling victory in front of the 62,728 screaming fans who packed Lucas Oil Stadium for Round 9 of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season.
Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia took second place after intensely pressuring for the lead in the final laps of the race. Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb finished third on an especially challenging track filled with deep, soft ruts. Webb’s finish gives him the season’s points lead and the red plate, by a single point, for both the Supercross season as well as toward the inaugural 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship series. In Round 5 of Eastern Regional 250SX Class racing, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence earned his fourth win of the season.
Ken Roczen (94) grabbed his fourth win inside Lucas Oil Stadium. He kept his cool, and the lead, under intense pressure on one of the season’s most challenging tracks. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
When the gate dropped for the 450SX Class Main Event Ken Roczen crossed the Holeshot stripe first and immediately jumped into the lead. After one lap was in the books Roczen led Cooper Webb, Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo, Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsport’s Justin Hill, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson, and Justin Barcia. After a slow start, points leader Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac had moved up to eleventh place.
Sexton went to work on Webb for second as the top four riders slowly pulled away from the rest of the field. Less than two minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race Sexton moved past Webb and set his sights on Roczen. The lead was down to less than one second when Sexton caught a rut on a jump and crashed. The incident gave Roczen a little breathing room on Webb. Sexton remounted back in twelfth place.
Seven minutes into the Main Event Barcia applied heavy pressure on Webb for second place. Barcia took the spot after the two racers came together exiting the whoops. Neither rider went down, and Webb stayed tight on Barcia while the two tried to reel in Roczen, who was over three seconds ahead.
As the race clock reached three minutes remaining Barcia had the lead down to just one and a half seconds and the volume of the Indianapolis crowd was intense. Barcia got right on the rear fender of the Suzuki, dropping the gap to .7 seconds as the two racers took the white flag. Roczen held his composure through the final lap, earning his first win of the season. The victory makes Roczen a four-time winner in Indy, the winningest active racer at the venue. It was Roczen’s first win since 2022, and Suzuki’s first win since 2016 – which incidentally was earned by Roczen. Barcia took a close and hard-fought second place, his best result of the season. Webb crossed the checkered flag in third, earning enough points to take the red plate and the points lead heading into Round 10 next weekend in Detroit.
Hunter Lawrence (96) almost made the win look easy on one of the toughest, and most-rutted tracks of the season. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
When the gate dropped for the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Hunter Lawrence took the lead with a Holeshot over Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Chris Blose, Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Marshal Weltin, and Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher moved up to fourth early in the opening lap and reached third position before the lap was over. On lap two Thrasher put his Yamaha into second place and the crowd was primed to see an intense battle. The two riders collided the weekend before and Thrasher held some extra motivation to catch and pass the Honda rider.
Martin was the rider on the move early; after losing several spots on the opening laps he charged into fourth place just before race’s midpoint. He was the fastest rider on the track on that lap but was still about eight seconds back from the third place spot held by Smith. With just under seven minutes left on the race clock Lawrence had a scary moment when he came together with a lapped rider. Hunter’s right hand came off the handlebar but he stayed up and seemed to be no worse for the wear. As the clock wined down Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan crashed in the whoops, giving up his fifth place spot.
When the flames lit at the finish Lawrence pulled in his fourth win of the season and stretched his points lead to 22. Thrasher earned second place points without ever getting into striking distance of the lead. Thrasher’s teammate Smith took third place and Martin crossed the line in fourth.
This week the series takes a short hop north to Detroit, Michigan for Round 10 at Ford Field on Saturday, March 18th. The domed stadium is sure to provide more great racing as the athletes pass the midpoint of the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. Each Supercross round also pays points toward the brand-new SuperMotocross World Championship which pits the top Supercross and Motocross racers against one another for two Playoff races and one Final in September. The 450 Class winner will take home a cool one million dollars and go down in the history books as the first champion of the SuperMotocross League. The 250 Class racers will battle for the 250 Class title, with a $500,000 championship payout to the winner of that division and an equal spot in the sport’s history books.
The action from Indianapolis and previous rounds is already available in video highlights at SupercrossLIVE.com. The site also provides story features, race results, racer power rankings, as well as ticket sales to upcoming events. Every Supercross and SuperMotocross event is streamed live on Peacock, with select rounds broadcast on NBC, USA Network, and CNBC. For details and more please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
450SX Class podium (racers from left) Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen, and Cooper Webb. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
450SX Class Results
1. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Ger., Suzuki
2. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
3. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM
4. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM
5. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki
6. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki
7. Christian Craig, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
8. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha
9. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM
10. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
450SX Class Championship Standings
1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (202)
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha (201)
3. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (189)
4. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (166)
5. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Ger., Suzuki (164)
6. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (155)
7. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (154)
8. Christian Craig, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (119)
9. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Honda (93)
10. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki (92)
250SX Class podium (racers from left) Nate Thrasher, Hunter Lawrence, and Jordon Smith. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Aus., Honda
2. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha
3. Jordon Smith, Ochlocknee, Ga., Yamaha
4. Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Yamaha
5. Max Anstie, Newbury, Eng., Honda
6. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki
7. Haiden Deegan, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha
8. Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM
9. Cullin Park, Clermont, Fla., Honda
10. Coty Schock, Dover, Del., Honda
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
Stefano Mesa (137) on his Energica EVA Ribelle RS during a MotoAmerica Mission Super Hooligan race at Daytona in 2023. Photo courtesy Energica USA.
EXCITING DEBUT FOR MESA AND TYTLERS CYCLE RACING WITH THE EVA RIBELLE RS AT DAYTONA
Tytlers Cycle Racing and Stefano Mesa have completed the opening round of the 2023 Mission Foods Super Hooligan National Championship by MotoAmerica, with the fast and experienced Colombian rider able to ride the race-ready Energica EVA Ribelle RS to a seventh and a fifth place in the first two races of the series held at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Florida, USA.
There was plenty of anticipation for the debut of the first full-time electric-powered effort in the series, and Mesa – who has had his fair share of success on the iconic Daytona high banks over the years – proved to be more than ready for the new challenge.
A successful performance at Daytona was everything but a given, as the lack of previous data at the track or experience with the spec Dunlop tires meant that there were still some unknowns on the overall potential of the Energica race package at the high-speed venue – which layout-wise is surely not the most favorable one for electric motorcycles.
Stefano Mesa (137) on his Energica EVA Ribelle RS during a MotoAmerica Mission Super Hooligan race at Daytona. Photo courtesy Energica USA.
Despite all of the above, the #137 rider mastered the full power of Energica’s streetfighter machine while getting in the mix with ICE-powered competitors as well as making the most of the instant torque available to his right wrist at the start of the encounter. The Energica EVA Ribelle proved to be a solid package in more than capable hands, and the results achieved have injected further confidence for the upcoming race events.
The Super Hooligan series will now take a break before resuming proceedings for Round two at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington on June 23-25. For more on the Super Hooligan series go to: https://www.superhooligan.com
APRILIA RS 660 TAKES TOP STEP WITH RODIO IN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA
RODIO RACING POWERED BY ROBEM ENGINEERING RIDER NARROWLY MISSES THE DOUBLE, SETTLES FOR SECOND ON SATURDAY, LEAVING FLORIDA WITH AN EARLY CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
Gus Rodio (96). Photo by Sara Chappell Photos, courtesy Aprilia.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – 12 MARCH 2023 – It was back to winning ways for Aprilia in MotoAmerica Twins Cup on Friday, as Rodio Racing powered by Robem Engineering rider Gus Rodio was victorious in the first series race of 2023. Rodio piloted his Aprilia RS 660 to a victory by a margin of more than eight seconds before nearly claiming a second win on Saturday at the March 9-11 round at Daytona International Speedway.
Rodio’s performance, which included returning to the Saturday race after suffering a mechanical problem, allowed him to amass a nine-point championship lead by the end of the event. Two other Aprilia riders, Rodio’s teammate Ben Gloddy, and Optimum Performance Motorsports’ Jody Barry, put in strong performances at Daytona, though Gloddy’s weekend was cut short due to an unfortunate injury.
The first Twins Cup practice session ended with an Aprilia rider at the top of the time sheet. Rodio put in a best lap of 1:57.671, which was 0.064 seconds faster than the second-best lap time. Two more Aprilia riders finish in the top five, as Barry was the fourth-fastest rider and Gloddy fifth.
The first qualifying session of the event took place later on Thursday. Rodio was again the fastest of the Aprilia riders. He finished the session in fourth place. Gloddy and Barry provisionally qualified in sixth and eighth, respectively.
Qualifying concluded Friday morning with three Aprilia riders having qualified in the top 10. Rodio secured fourth place on the Twins Cup starting grid, while Gloddy and Barry qualified sixth and eighth, respectively.
Friday afternoon saw the first Twins Cup race of 2023 get underway with Rodio quickly working his way up to the race lead by the end of Lap 1. Gloddy also got a good start and had advanced to third place by the end of the first lap. He was running in fourth when another rider crashed heavily in front of him and, despite his best effort, was knocked off his motorcycle and was unable to continue racing. Barry had a sluggish start to the race. He dropped down the running order as far as 12th on Lap 1 before charging forward to sixth place on Lap 3 — which is the position he finished the race in.
Rodio’s pace improved to the rest of the field as the race went on. He was part of a three-rider battle for the race lead until the closing laps, when he steadily increased his lead each lap to take the victory by more than 8.5 seconds.
Gloddy was unable to take part in Saturday’s Race 2 due to an injury he suffered during his crash in Race 1.
The Saturday contest was a trying one for Rodio and his team. As the field began forming up for the start of the race, Rodio pulled into the pits due to a technical problem with his motorcycle and was unable to take the start. As the lone Aprilia in the top 10, Barry put in a solid effort in the race’s early laps. He was running in seventh when the race was stopped on Lap 3 due to a crash.
The race was restarted with the original starting grid, which allowed Rodio to rejoin the race on the lead lap. The start saw Rodio get a good jump off the line and he was back to the race lead by the end of the first lap. Rodio also led Laps 3 and 4 as he and another rider broke away from the rest of the field. While the other rider was able to draft past Rodio on the approach to the finish line, Rodio got the best drive he could onto the east banking and missed out on the win by a mere 0.162 seconds. Barry put in a strong showing in the restarted race but dropped two places on the last lap to seventh and missed out on a top five finish by 0.039 seconds.
Of the 38 riders entered for the MotoAmerica Twins Cup round at Daytona, 15 were registered to ride Aprilia RS 660s.
Gus Rodio / No. 96
“It was an awesome first race of the season. I was able to break away from the pack and win my first Twins Cup race. It was my biggest margin of victory and I’m very happy. In Race 2, I broke away from the pack with another rider and had a race long battle for the lead. I ended up second in a close finish. I’m really happy with this result as I didn’t think we would make it on track due to an issue we had. I’m really excited to get to Atlanta and keep working towards our goals.”
MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup has two races scheduled for the next round, April 21-23, at Road Atlanta. The championship schedule, competitor information and class rules can be found at https://motoamerica.com/.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
SIXTH FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI’S HOBBS AND DISAPPOINTMENT FOR ESCALANTE IN THE 81st DAYTONA 200
BREA, CA – March 12, 2023 – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki left the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season opener with a top-ten result and a heavy dose of tough luck after missing a potential victory late in the running of the 81st Daytona 200.
MotoAmerica Superbike regular and former MotoAmerica Supersport champion Richie Escalante orchestrated a flawless performance as he negotiated the equally prestigious and arduous race. He guided the Mission Foods Suzuki GSX-R750 at or near the front of the pack deep into the contest, including leading into both scheduled pit stops.
Richie Escalante (54) showed his great race craft but an incident in Turn One took him out of contention. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Seemingly locked in a two-rider race for victory with less than ten laps to go, Escalante was taken out in a collision that occurred when his opponent attempted a tight inside pass in Turn 1 that resulted in a penalty. Despite the ruling in his favor, the incident still instantly erased Escalante’s excellent shot at the victory.
Escalante said, “First of all, I want to thank the team for everything they did for me, from pre-race testing, to qualifying and setting the lap record, to the amazing pit stops during the race. The Mission Foods Suzuki GSX-R750 was fantastic. I thought we performed well in the race, running a particularly good pace. It came down to the last ten laps, and I was trying to separate. There was a racing move, another rider touched my bike, and I crashed. I have a lot of respect for Josh Herrin. He is a former Superbike champion and has won a lot of races. I thought I was the fastest today, but sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you crash. We didn’t win so I am not 100% happy. I thought we did well all week, but it did not work out the way we wanted in the end. It’s back to work on Monday to get ready for Superbike in Atlanta.”
A couple of short laps later, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Teagg Hobbs came together with a lapped rider while running inside the top five. A resultant red flag provided the team with a shot at redemption after facing complete disaster, and Hobbs took full advantage.
In his first race aboard his GSX-R750, Teagg Hobbs (79) brings home a top ten in Daytona. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Hobbs battled with the lead group in the 10-lap shootout for a victory that followed the stoppage, even leading in its early stages. He gradually lost touch with the drafting war for victory, securing an eventual sixth-place effort in his maiden race aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
“I came together with another rider, and race officials made me go to medical,” said Hobbs. “I was getting checked out when I saw the team putting my bike back together in pit lane on the screen. After they said I was okay, I put my gear back on and started limping back to the pits, then I borrowed a golf cart and made it back just in time. I was able to get up to the front and lead two laps but the bike and the rider both had some issues resulting from the crash. We got a good result at least. Over the weekend, we made nice progress and got the bike sorted.”
Unfortunately, Tyler Scott’s bid for the win from the front row never really materialized. The prodigious pilot encountered technical issues early and ultimately retired just 14 laps into a scheduled 57 (and actual 62) laps.
Even with some technical issues, Tyler Scott (70) shows that he has the speed for the upcoming MotoAmerica season. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
Scott said, “For the start in Turn 1, the bike was good, but we soon had electrical problems. I tried to do the best I could. Eventually, I had to pull off due to safety concerns. It didn’t go the way we wanted but I’m really looking forward to racing the 200 with the team next year and can’t wait for our next race in Atlanta.”
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 345 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.
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
KYLE WYMAN AND FACTORY HARLEY-DAVIDSON DOMINATE MOTOAMERICA KING OF THE BAGGERS RACE 2 AT DAYTONA SPEEDWAY
Rispoli and Gillim Fill Out an All-H-D Podium; Rispoli Wins Race 1, Leads Championship
Kyle Wyman (33) and his Harley-Davidson Road Glide on the banking at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Harley-Davidson.
MILWAUKEE (March 12, 2023) – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman scored a dominating win and topped an all-Harley-Davidson podium in the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Wyman led the entire eight-lap race on the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® Limited motorcycle, crossing the finish line 8.03 seconds ahead of Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson teammates James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim. Team Saddlemen teammates Cory West and Jake Lewis finished fourth and fifth to complete a top five sweep of the race for Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles.
“I’m so excited that we got our Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle working so well today,” said Wyman. “This is my first win at Daytona since 2019, and this is such a special place, so a victory here is always special. We had a tough day yesterday, but the entire team just dug in and we had smooth sailing today. You can think of so many scenarios that could happen going into this weekend, but you could not predict either one of these days. It’s a nice way to end the weekend at Daytona. I’m ready to take this momentum to Atlanta.”
On Thursday, Kyle Wyman topped King of the Baggers qualifying with a record-breaking best lap of 1:51.98 on the 3.510-mile Daytona road course. On Friday, Kyle looked strong in winning the King of the Baggers Challenge three-lap dash-for-cash race by 1.96 seconds. The Friday King of the Baggers race was a disappointment for the team, as both Kyle Wyman and his brother and teammate, Travis Wyman, retired with mechanical problems while leading the race respectively. Rispoli won that race on his Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Road Glide, beating his teammate Gillim to the line by 0.089 seconds. Factory Indian racer Tyler O’Hara finished third. Team Saddlemen racer Cory West Finished fourth on his Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
On Saturday, Kyle Wyman signaled that he was riding the bike to beat after demolishing his qualifying time with a new lap record 1:50.56 time in the warm-up session, going almost two seconds quicker around the course than anyone. In Saturday’s race, Wyman had a fast lap of 1:50.86 and was never challenged. Unfortunately, his teammate Travis Wyman was knocked out of the race early with a mechanical issue.
After two of 14 rounds in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Vance & Hines racer Rispoli leads the championship with 45 points, followed his teammate Gillim with 36 points. Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson rider Cory West sits third with 26 points, and Harley-Davidson factory rider Kyle Wyman is in fourth place with 25 points. Team Saddlemen’s Jake Lewis is tied for fifth with Factory Indian racer Tyler O’Hara with 21 points.
8. Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
9. Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
10. Danny Eslick (H-D) Nowaskey Extreme Performance
Harley-Davidson invites you to kick off the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Check out, ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending 2021 champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Watch it now on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel.
Harley-Davidson stands for the timeless pursuit of adventure and freedom for the soul. Go to H-D.com to learn more about the complete line of 2023 Harley-Davidson Grand American Touring, Sport, Adventure Touring, Cruiser and Trike motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Certified™ pre-owned motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories, Harley-Davidson MotorClothes and gear, and Harley-Davidson Financial Services.
The motorcycle parking area Thursday night at the American Flat Track (AFT) Daytona Short Track I at Daytona International Speedway. Photo courtesy AFT.
Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Championship Series
Postponed Daytona Short Track II
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 11, 2023
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 4 laps
2. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -00.681 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -02.049
4. Trent Lowe (Hon), -02.699
Provisional Mission SuperTwins #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Brandon Robinson (Ind), 4 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -00.148 seconds
3. Jared Mees (Ind), -00.458
4. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -01.411
Provisional Astro Invitational Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Ronnie Jones (Bul), 10 laps
2. Garth Brow (Bul), -03.694 seconds
3. Charles Roberts (Bul), -07.511
4. Dominic Beaulac (Bul), -07.878
5. Wyatt Campbell (Bul), -08.744
6. Jackie Mitchell (Bul), -10.970
7. Kris Weiss (Bul), -12.411
8. Rick Reed (Bul), -21.165
9. Greg Scalf (Bul), -1 lap
10. Jeffrey Hiers (Bul), -1 lap, -05.030
11. Jerry Lacy (Bul), -1 lap, -21.923
12. Robby-Bobby McLendon (Bul), -5 laps, DNF
13. Charles Williams (Bul), -10 laps, DNF
14. Chris Boone (Bul), -10 laps, DNF
15. Lucien Marioneaux (Bul), -10 laps, DNF
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 22 laps
2. Dalton Gauthier (KTM), -05.439 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -06.539
4. Trent Lowe (Hon), -06.623
5. Max Whale (KTM), -08.830
6. Justin Jones (KTM), -11.607
7. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -11.798
8. Andrew Luker (Yam), -13.468
9. James Ott (Hus), -13.883
10. Logan Eisenhard (KTM), -15.350
11. Morgen Mischler (Hon), -15.744
12. Cole Zabala (Hon), -16.283
13. Tom Drane (Yam), -16.620
14. Chad Cose (Hus), -17.851
15. Travis Petton (KTM), -1 lap
16. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -1 lap, -02.579
17. Clarke Morian (KTM), -1 lap, -06.022
18. Tanner Dean (KTM), -9 laps, DNF
19. Gerard Bailo (Hon), -22 laps, DNF
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Dallas Daniels (Yam), 34 laps
2. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -02.069 seconds
3. Davis Fisher (Ind), -02.503
4. Jared Mees (Ind), -03.191
5. JD Beach (Yam), -03.765
6. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -04.847
7. Briar Bauman (KTM), -09.253
8. Sammy Halbert (Yam), -10.679
9. Kayl Kolkman (Yam), -11.198
10. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -11.383
11. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -13.477
12. Bronson Bauman (KTM), -13.595
13. Dan Bromley (Yam), -13.991
14. Ben Lowe (Ind), -15.041
15. Cameron Smith (Kaw), -15.113
16. Billy Ross (Ind), -17.798
17. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -1 lap
18. Jeffery Lowery (Yam), -2 laps
19. Ryan Wells (Roy), -2 laps, -06.175
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track (AFT):
Daniels, Kopp Pull Off Double Doubles at DAYTONA Short Track II
Jarod Vanderkooi (20) and Dallas Daniels (32) battle for the lead in the AFT SuperTwins race at Daytona Short Track II. Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2023) – Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) kicked off his 2023 Progressive American Flat Track championship campaign in near-perfect fashion, completing the second half of the season-opening double win with another sensational ride in Saturday night’s DAYTONA Short Track II presented by Daytona Dodge at the Flat Track at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Daniels was already a legitimate title contender as a rookie a year ago. Early indications suggest he’s that much stronger now with a year’s Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle experience under his belt.
The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace got away off the line in third, running in close quarters behind early leader Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750), with Thursday runner-up Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) right in his tracks.
Robinson made an early exit from the fight for the win, getting into the airfence and losing several positions in the process. Daniels slipped up the inside of Mees a little less than three minutes into the ten-minute-plus-two-lap Main to take over second, just as Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) closed in to make it four-rider fight at the front again.
Daniels then spent the next four minutes stalking Vanderkooi, looking up the inside and around outside, while generally applying the sort of pressure that might just open a door straight through. He finally found the gap he was looking for with 3:30 minutes remaining on the clock, striking up the inside as the leaders encountered a wave of lapped riders.
Daniels met little resistance once into the lead, stretching out an advantage that finalized as a 2.069-second margin of victory in the end.
“It was tough – Jarod was running a really good race,” Daniels said. “He was being patient – he was really easy on the throttle and wasn’t making any mistakes. I had to search. I wanted to sit there for a little bit. After I got off the line, I was all right with where I was, and I was paying attention to everything. I wanted to stalk him for a while, but then it was time to go.
“A double at Daytona is crazy. It’s unbelievable. A big thanks to the whole Estenson Monster Energy Yamaha team. We had a great year last year, and to start off the year with two wins in Daytona is insane.”
Shortly after Daniels took over the lead, Fisher slashed his way past Mees to complete the “new guard” podium line-up in third, joining winner Daniels and second-placed Vanderkooi.
Reigning champ Mees came away with his second fourth of the double-opener – a marked upgrade over how his prospects may have looked earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), logged a second fifth.
Robinson recovered well enough from his early drama to finish in sixth, one spot ahead of Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke), who was forced to claw his way up to seventh from outside the top ten.
Four-time DAYTONA ST winner Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/Castrol Yamaha MT-07), privateer Kayl Kolkman (No 98 B&L Plumbing/Rod Lake Yamaha MT-07), and Royal Enfield factory man Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) completed the top ten.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) doubled up in Daytona, delivering a second dose of domination on Saturday night.
Clearly in a class of his own at the venue, Kopp pulled off another sweep, repeating his Thursday trick of topping practice, qualifying, his Heat, the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge, and most importantly, the Main Event.
Kopp successfully weaved his way through the opening lap chaos to secure the lead three turns into the race. And while Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) did everything in his power to cling onto Kopp’s rear wheel, a little more than a minute in, the race for victory was effectively over.
Kopp ultimately worked his advantage up to over five seconds before taking a drama-free checkered flag.
“It’s just two for 18,” Kopp said. “We’ve got 16 more rounds, so there’s a lot more work to do. You can’t judge a season off two races at a track that really suits my style. I grew up riding a lot of indoors in the Pacific Northwest, and this was kinda like that. Thanks to my whole Red Bull KTM crew – this is a dream way to start the season for sure.”
After losing touch with the leader, Saathoff was gradually reeled in by ‘22 championship runner-up Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), who first had to fight his way past Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Justin Jones (No. 91 NRC Racing/Elder Trucking KTM 450 SX-F) to slide into third.
Gauthier and Saathoff then swapped the second spot back and forth, squaring one another up in quick succession before the charging Gauthier finally stole the position away for good.
Saathoff held on for the final spot on the box by a scant 0.084 seconds despite having to fend off a late challenge from new Turner Honda teammate Lowe.
Kopp’s teammate, Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), battled past the impressive Jones to complete the top five.
Next Up:
The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series makes its first-ever trip to Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia, for the inaugural Yamaha Senoia Short Track on Saturday, March 25. Visit https://www.tixr.com/promoters/americanflattrack to secure your tickets today.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv 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 https://www.fanschoice.tv.
FOX Sports coverage, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 from the DAYTONA Short Track I on March 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT) and DAYTONA Short Track II on March 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT).
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. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram and catch all the Progressive American Flat Track racing action on FOX Sports.
Bagnaia hits back, Marini close, Aprilia unleash new aero: that’s a wrap on Day 1!
The reigning Champion deposes the king of the pre-season so far, with Viñales hot on their heels on Saturday
Saturday, 11 March 2023
The curtain has come down on the penultimate day of MotoGP™ pre-season testing, and it’s a familiar name on top as reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took over late on. Pecco deposed thus-far King of Pre-Season Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) as the number 10 was forced to settle for second, with Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales rounding out the top three on a fully dry, action-packed Saturday.
Luca Marini (10). Photo courtesy Dorna.
DUCATI, VR46, GRESINI & PRAMAC
Bagnaia was the fastest by the end of play, the reigning Champion hitting back against Marini after the number 10 was fastest for much of the day. Bagnaia’s advantage was just over two tenths, with new teammate Enea Bastianini outside the top ten in P17 on Day 1… but it’s unlikely that’s much to worry about. He worked a lot on used tyres and had a couple of technical niggles to overcome early on, before a crash ended his action early, rider ok.
Both sides of the Ducati Lenovo Team garage now look set – both have the updated aero and Bagnaia continued with the downwash ducts rather than the “ground effect” fairings seen previously. Bastianini was the same. The single wingnut setup on the left handlebar, used for the holeshot, was on all machines.
Back to Marini, and the Italian’s super run in pre-season kept rolling on the penultimate day. He was second, with teammate Marco Bezzecchi in seventh. Marini was also grinning after competing with Bagnaia and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) for top honours. Meanwhile, Gresini Racing MotoGP™’s Ducati newcomer Alex Marquez slotted into fourth as he continues to impress, and his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio ended the day in P9. Diggia suffered a crash and headed to local hospital for a further check up.
Jorge Martin (89). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Completing the top ten was Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). He was seen with a different chassis, one that’s been spotted before and could be part of an ongoing experiment from Ducati. The number 89, meanwhile, went the opposite way to the factory duo elsewhere – putting in a whole lot of laps with the ground effect fairings. Teammate Johann Zarco was P13, not far off Martin by the end of Day 1. He had a different front fairing and air intake to the rest, and the “wings” were a little different too. The Frenchman was the only Ducati with this setup, previously tested by Michele Pirro last season.
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy Dorna.
APRILIA & RNF
Aero updates and innovations were the name of the game down in the Aprilia Racing garage. The Noale factory had a few small aero pieces, including a wing bolted onto the swingarm, some wings that are attached to the front forks and an improved rear wing.
A glance at the timesheets makes for pretty reading for them too. Viñales was a consistent threat at the summit, as was Miguel Oliveira (RNF MotoGP™ Team). The Portuguese rider has been given a few Aprilia goodies to test in Portimao, one noticeable one being some aero that hangs off the side of the front wheel.
Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Oliveira ended the day in P6, one place behind an upbeat Raul Fernandez (RNF MotoGP™ Team), who took a little longer to pounce up towards the pointy end of the timesheets, but heading into the final couple of hours climbed to P5. That made it three Aprilias inside the top six, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) ending Saturday’s action in P11.
Both the Spaniard and teammate Viñales crashed in the early hours of testing, and Espargaro explained to us during After The Flag that he hurt the ankle he damaged at Silverstone in the small off. The number 41 admitted he also struggled with arm pump on Saturday, “not a disaster”, but far from ideal.
Alongside Ducati, Aprilia appear to be the factory that are looking most comfortable heading into the final day of testing. Fernandez and Oliveira’s speed will be a massive boost… or threat, depending where you sit on pitwall.
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy Dorna.
YAMAHA
The most notable upgrade we saw in the Yamaha box on Day 1 was a radical new piece of aero on one of Franco Morbidelli’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) bikes. As seen in the picture below – there’s a new set of wings just above the sidepod and below the standard set of wings. Morbidelli was also continuing to lap with two different chassis that he has available.
A close-up of a new fairing on Franco Morbidelli’s Monster Energy Yamaha YZR-M1. Photo courtesy Dorna.
In Fabio Quartararo’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) corner, both of his YZR-M1s were fitted with Yamaha’s larger aero, suggesting that’s the direction he prefers. The 2021 World Champion was trying different front-end set-ups as he explores what can be done with the bike now the aero is – seemingly – decided.
A late time attack saw Quartararo climb up to eighth, 0.8s away from the top, with Morbidelli finishing P21 having completed 95 laps – five more than Quartararo. A very busy day for the Iwata factory, with another coming up on Sunday.
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy Dorna.
HONDA & LCR
Lots of things were going on at HRC as they tried to finalise the directions they want to be taking in 2023. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was doing a lot of work on Honda’s updated wings and air intake, as well as a new chassis that has been brought to the Portimao Test.
The number 93 suffered a small crash during the afternoon, but the eight-time World Champion was perfectly ok. A P19 finish doesn’t make for outwardly positive reading, but 78 laps suggests it was a day of working things out – and yet more proof the fitness is there. Marquez confirmed the afternoon rhythm was disrupted by testing “big concepts”, so Sunday’s outing will be focused on getting the best out of what Honda already have.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna.
14th place Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) was also giving Honda’s new chassis a good runout. The 2020 World Champion admitted he didn’t feel great on Day 1 and struggled a bit – and a crash didn’t help in the afternoon. Fast corners and power delivery are the main areas of improvement for Mir ahead of the final day.
Regarding the chassis, LCR Honda duo Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) had the older chassis fitted to both their RC213Vs. Rins ended the day as the fastest Honda in P11 and having not much in the way of new parts to try, the two-time 2022 race winner has been focusing on continuing his adaptation to the new bike. It looks like a step forward has been made.
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy Dorna.
KTM & GASGAS TECH3
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder was the lead KTM on Day 1, in P15, but he had close company from new teammate Jack Miller just behind him. The visible work going on was centered on aero, with each having one bike with the “ground effect” fairing and the downwash ducts and one bike with only the “ground effect” fairing.
It sounded like the Austrian factory overall has switched to the engine that sounded different in Sepang, with that overheard once again.
Pol Espargaro (44). Photo courtesy Dorna.
At GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, Pol Espargaro was down the timesheets but likewise had the aero split seen at Red Bull KTM, and his teammate Augusto Fernandez likewise. For the first time, the two GASGAS riders also had the same chassis, and Fernandez was a little closer as he prepares to face down his first race weekend in MotoGP™.
That’s a wrap on Day 1, there’s just one more day of track action standing between the field and the first race weekend of the year. Come back for more on Sunday and enjoy the final After the Flag pre-season show with a VideoPass trial, and join the Tech Group to stay on top off all the updates from pitlane.
Track action runs from 9:30 GMT to 17:30 GMT on the final day of action – see you there!
The original start of the 81st Daytona 200 with Josh Herrin (1) leading Danny Eslick (69), PJ Jacobsen (66), Richie Escalante (54), Tyler Scott (70), Geoff May (99), and the rest through Turn One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
If you watched the 81st Daytona 200 MotoAmerica Supersport race and were confused about how the restarted race was handled and how the final results were determined you are not alone.
Many riders and paddock veterans also expressed confusion on several aspects of the restarted race and its finish, but the fact is MotoAmerica followed the wording in its published rules to the letter. Here is an explanation of some key points.
The red flag.
On lap 53 of 57, Danny Eslick, Teagg Hobbs, and Jason Waters came together at the International Horseshoe with Hobbs and Waters crashing. The location of the crash forced Race Control to stop the race with the red flag so workers could safely access and deal with the crash scene.
The length of the restart.
The leaders of the race had completed 52 of 57 scheduled laps when the race was stopped. In the 2023 Daytona 200 and Supersport Extended Race Supplemental Regulations, it states that if the Daytona 200 is stopped after more than three laps and less than 53 laps are completed, the race will be restarted for a second race and the distance of the second/restarted race will be enough to complete the original race distance of 57 laps and “shall not be less than ten (10) laps.”
As a result, the 2023 Daytona 200 was actually the Daytona 217.62 – 62 laps x 3.51 miles. According to 1972 Daytona 200 winner and Daytona 200 historian Don Emde, this was the longest Daytona 200 race.
How riders who were one or more laps down before the red flag were classified on the lead lap for the restart.
Only riders who finished 75% (39 laps in this case) of the original race and were actively competing at the time of the red-flag stoppage were eligible to compete in the second/restarted race. The grid positions were determined according to the finishing order of the first/stopped race, according to the rules, and “The final race classification will be established according to the position and the number of laps of each rider at the time he crossed the finish line at the end of the last part of the race.”
In short, this means that the second/restarted race was a new race only open to riders who had completed 39 laps of the original race and were still actively competing when that original race was stopped.
The time penalties assessed to Blake Davis (15 seconds), Kevin Nolde (15 seconds x 2), and Brandon Paasch (15 seconds) for speeding on pit lane during the first portion of the race.
Again, in the rules it clearly states, in bold: “Riders receiving a time penalty in the first race will have the penalty applied only to the finish of the final race.”
So, even though the second/restarted race was considered a new race with everyone on the lead lap again, Davis, Nolde, and Paasch were still assessed time penalties they incurred in the stopped/first race.
Kyle Wyman Bounces Back To Win Mission King Of The Baggers At Daytona
Mesa Wins REV’IT! Twins Cup, O’Hara Takes Super Hooligan Sweep
Kyle Wyman (33) leads James Rispoli (43), Tyler O’Hara (1), Jeremy McWilliams (99) and Hayden Gillim (79) in the Mission King Of The Baggers race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 11, 2023) – H-D Screamin’ Eagle’s Kyle Wyman made up for the disappointment of failing to finish the first of two Mission King Of The Baggers races on Friday with a dominating eight-second victory on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
Wyman’s factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide coasted to a stop in Friday’s first Baggers race, forcing the 2021 King Of The Baggers Champion to watch Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli score his first career victory in the opening round of the championship.
And everyone paid the price for his disappointment as Wyman went on a tear on Saturday, leading every lap of the eight-lap race to beat Rispoli by 8.030 seconds. Third place went to Rispoli’s teammate Hayden Gillim, a day after Gillim finished second. Team Saddlemen’s Cory West finished fourth with his teammate Jake Lewis rounding out the top five.
Defending Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Tyler O’Hara had an off-day with the Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods-backed Californian running off in turn one and ending the race in 11th. O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams was also off the pace, finishing 11th after just losing out in a battle with Roland Sands Design/Indian Motorcycle’s Kyle Ohnsorg.
Stefano Mesa (137) leads the REV’IT! Twins Cup class through the chicane at Daytona International Speedway en route to victory. Blake Davis (1) and Dominic Doyle (25) give chase. Photo By Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
REV’IT Twins Cup – Mesa!
Veteran Stefano Mesa made the most of his one-off appearance on the MP13 Racing Yamaha YZF R-7 to win Saturday’s REV’IT! Twins Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Mesa, who was riding as a replacement for the injured Kayla Yaakov, topped Friday’s winner Gus Rodio by just .162 of a second after five laps of the Speedway.
Rodio, who won Friday’s REV’IT! Twins Cup race, was well clear of Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing’s Jackson Blackmon.
Mesa failed to finish Friday’s race one with a mechanical problem.
Defending REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion Blake Davis finished fourth, a tick over six seconds behind Blackmon and just .358 of a second ahead of Cycle Tech’s Hayden Schultz.
Tyler O’Hara (1) leads his teammate Jeremy McWilliams (99) on the Daytona tri-oval in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race. O’Hara won with McWilliams finishing second. Photo By Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – West DQ’d, O’Hara Wins
Team Saddlemen’s Cory West won the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, but his Harley-Davidson Pan America failed to pass technical examination and West was stripped of his victory.
West’s misfortune was Indian Motorcycle/Progressive/Mission Foods’ Tyler O’Hara gain, as he inherited the victory with West’s disqualification. O’Hara’s teammate Jeremy McWilliams finished second today, a day after finishing third in race one. O’Hara’s win was his second as he completed a perfect weekend in the class.
Grey Area Racing’s Mark Price rode his KTM to third after barely beating Vigilante Racing’s Nate Kern and his BMW to the line. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Stefano Mesa was fifth on an Energica electric motorcycle.
Daytona Quotes Twins Cup – Stefano Mesa, Winner
“First off, I want to wish Kayla (Yaakov) a healthy recovery, speedy recovery. Same with Ben (Gloddy) and Dom (Doyle) that just crashed in the race. Grateful for Melissa (Paris) and Josh (Hayes) to come offer me the ride for the twins, especially knowing I’ve never been on something like that. I am the guy that rides a lot of different motorcycles, but never been on a Twins Cup bike. Was just a good weekend right off the bat. Felt good on the bike right in the practice and just kept working from there. How Gus (Rodio) said, I’m kind of the older one in the class, you could say, and the one with the most experience. So, it was kind of good to go and race with all the kids. I ride with these kids a lot. I’ve coached them. I’ve tried to get them faster in the past, so definitely riding with them was a good experience. It’s good to see how fast they’re going, how much they’re pushing these little things, because they’re absolutely riding it to the limit. Just grateful for the opportunity and grateful to get the win.”
Mission King Of The Baggers – Kyle Wyman, Winner
“Definitely anger, a little bit of frustration because I just know how good the bike is when it’s all there like we developed it. To have it kind of end like that yesterday was frustrating for sure. What can I say? The boys have done their homework over this winter. Obviously, we have a pretty strong package. We’re still not the fastest bike in a straight line, which was interesting. But we are in a really good spot for the rest of the season. I don’t know exactly where the points shake out. James (Rispoli) filled both his bags full of points. I only filled the one side, so we’ll have to see kind of where it’s at. I’m super happy to finish the weekend on a high note because then it feels like a good weekend.”
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Tyler O’Hara
“Chess, not checkers. You need to put yourself in a position to win on the last lap, and I was able to achieve that. I’m very proud of my whole Indian Motorcycle Progressive Mission Foods team. My Indian FTR1200 was fun to ride at Daytona.”
Editorial Note: The Daytona 200 was red flagged on lap 53 of 57 scheduled laps. MotoAmerica officials decided to run a 10-lap restart, resulting in a race distance of 62 laps, or 217.52 miles.
Thirteen Years Later, Josh Herrin Wins The Great American Motorcycle Race For The Second Time
The original start of the 81st Daytona 200 with Josh Herrin (1) leading Danny Eslick (69), PJ Jacobsen (66), Richie Escalante (54), Tyler Scott (70), Geoff May (99), and the rest through Turn One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
DAYTONA, FL (March 11, 2023) – Thirteen years ago, a young Josh Herrin won the Daytona 200. Unfortunately, back then it was the pole sitter who was awarded the Rolex and Herrin didn’t start the race from pole. Thus, no Rolex. When it changed to the race winner getting the Rolex, Herrin started getting poles but not wins. Today he got it right, winning the 81st running of the Daytona 200, sponsored in part by Pirelli and Bridgestone, and earning his second 200 victory. And this time he got his Rolex.
The 13 years between wins for Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Herrin is the longest gap between Daytona wins in the history of the race. The previous longest timespan between wins was seven years for Eddie Lawson, who won the race in 1986 and not again until 1993.
Herrin was at or near the front of the lead pack for the duration of the 200 and with nine laps to go it looked like a two-rider shootout between Herrin and his Ducati Panigale V2 and the Suzuki GSX-R750 of Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante. Those two had seemingly broken the spirit of the rest and there was a gap back to third-placed Josh Hayes and the Squid Hunter Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
A lap later, however, and Escalante was on the ground in turn one and out of the race after the pair came together. That left Herrin alone at the front, but with five laps to go the red flag came out on the 52nd lap when Teagg Hobbs and Jason Waters crashed together in the International Horseshoe.
The Daytona 200 rulebook states: “For the Daytona 200, the number of laps of the second race will be the number of laps required to complete the original race distance of fifty-seven (57) laps but shall not be less than ten (10) laps.” Thus, the race would end up being 62 laps and 217.62 miles.
Herrin, meanwhile, had been penalized six spots on the grid of the restart because of his altercation with Escalante.
The 10-lap sprint after the restart featured a horde of seven riders at the front, but it was Herrin at the pointy end when it mattered as he won the drafting war to beat Hayes by .070 of a second. Attack Performance Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen was third, .140 behind, for a complete turnaround of how his day had gone with a clutch issue thwarting his progress in the early stages of the race. The clutch problem translated to Petersen being forced to pit three times, but he didn’t give up and it paid dividends at the completion of the 10-lap sprint.
Fourth place went to Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim, who would later protest the results believing that Petersen didn’t actually finish third. His protest was denied. Gillim had fought back after crashing with 20 laps to go and remounting.
Celtic/Tytlers Cycle/TSE Racing’s PJ Jacobsen finished fifth and just .439 of a second behind Herrin. Jacobsen also got new life thanks to the restart after crashing and remounting on the 31st lap.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Hobbs was sixth after his team rebuilt his crashed bike. Disrupt Racing’s Geoff May, TOBC Racing’s Danny Eslick, TSE/Truelove Brothers Racing’s Matt Truelove and Farrell Performance’s Jason Farrell rounded out the top 10.
Two-time and defending Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch was 12th after being penalized 15 seconds at the end of the race for a pit lane speed violation. Biothermal/Blake Davis Racing’s Blake Davis suffered a similar fate and was dropped to 11th in the final standings. Both riders raced at the front of the pack in the restarted portion of the race, but their penalties were applied at the completion of the race, per the rulebook.
Herrin’s victory on the Ducati Panigale V2 was the Italian marque’s second win in the 200 with Jason DiSalvo winning on a Team Latus Ducati 848 EVO.
Josh Herrin (1) crosses the finish line ahead of Josh Hayes (4), Brandon Paasch (96) and Cameron Petersen (45) at the end of the Daytona 200. Paasch was penalized 15 seconds for a pit-lane infraction and was dropped to 12th in the final results. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Daytona 200 Quotes Josh Herrin – Winner
“We were on I think after the final pitstop, and I had been seeing just different spots that I could overtake if I needed to,” Herrin explained of his run-in with Richie Escalante. “His bike was a missile, especially the first banking. I had to get a really good run out to get him into the chicane because he was really good coming out of the chicane. So, in my head I’m thinking, ‘All right, I’m going to struggle to do it if he puts in a good lap.’ That was one of the spots where I thought would be a possibility and it would kind of throw him off of his rhythm. With the last however many laps to go, I just saw an opening and wanted to try it. As far as I was concerned, I was there and had the line. I felt the contact and looked back. I didn’t see him, but I wasn’t positive if he had gone down or not. So, I kept putting my head down. When I came around the next time, I saw him out there flipping me off. So, I figured that something had happened.”
“I was freaking out,” Herrin said when asked about the race being red flagged and restarted. “My neck was destroyed just from sitting on the banking for that long. We didn’t put a pad, which we should have. I didn’t think about it. After 57 laps, your neck just sitting there holding it up the whole time, I was wrecked. When they added five laps I was panicking because at that point I knew it was going to be a sprint to the finish, and I didn’t think I had the legs to get the win. They told me Cam (Petersen) was a lap down. They told me Brandon (Paasch) had a 20-second penalty. I thought that I had lapped Blake Davis at one point, but it must have been somebody else. I was just super confused. I didn’t know if I needed to try to beat Cam or if I needed to try to beat Brandon. I didn’t know what was going on. I just had a lap where I said, “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I need to just try to win, no matter who’s there.” Because if for some reason the guys in the pit were wrong, then I’d be screwed.”
Josh Hayes – Second Place
“Honestly, I had some pace in the infield and in the second and third sectors I was just hanging on,” Hayes said. “I needed them to be able to do it. Two or three laps there, and maybe consecutive, I think I got two where they would get somebody on the entrance to the chicane, and I couldn’t get in the position to do it. So, I’d have to follow a few people through and then I was just kind of hung out there on my own. It was a gap of what you can see in the tri-oval. They were going into one and I was still coming into the tri-oval. I pushed as hard as I could for a while, and I could see I was kind of maintaining. I did the pit stop and came back out and I was kind of in the same position. I might have lost a second to them, but I was relatively in the same position. I fought, and fought, and fought. I finally got what the gap was behind me. I kind of settled in and then I saw Richie (Escalante) on the ground and saw P2. I said, ‘Well, I’m just going to kind of bring her home clean right now.’ Actually, it kind of worked in my favor because I took it pretty easy on the tire at that point, which ended up giving me some tire at the end.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“Something happened with the clutch from lap one,” Petersen said of his early race woes. “The rear chatter when doing downshifts was just incredible. I couldn’t get on the brakes. I couldn’t tip it into the corners. I was really struggling through the infield. The lead group got a little bit of a gap on me and that was pretty much it. We were forced to do three pit stops this race, which kind of put us a lap down. Lucky enough, my tires were pretty fresh. I think the lap the red flag came out, I was able to un-lap myself. So again, I got super lucky. But I don’t really know. Going into those last 10 laps, I had no idea where I was. Nobody told me anything. So, I just put my head down and tried to ride as fast as I could. Once again, I just got beat to the line.”
More, from a press release issued by CSBK:
Herrin wins controversial Daytona 200; Vieira 15th, Young DNF
Bridgestone BPM Yamaha rider Elliot Vieira (33) managed an excellent 15th in his first-ever Daytona 200 experience on Saturday. Photo by Colin Fraser, courtesy CSBK.
Daytona Beach, FL – The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike duo of Ben Young and Elliot Vieira completed their Daytona 200 weekend in opposite spirits on Saturday, as Josh Herrin won a controversial 62-lap feature at Daytona International Speedway.
While Vieira finally exercised his mechanical demons in warm-up on Saturday morning, specifically fixing the braking issues that plagued him all week, it was Young who found brake problems of his own aboard his Bridgestone-backed BPM Yamaha.
Hoping to just manage their machines to the end, both enjoyed strong starts to the historic 200-mile endurance race, with Young putting himself 13th after the first batch of pit stops and Vieira up eleven spots to 21st.
Despite a slower second pit-stop for Vieira, the duo continued their momentum into the second stage of the race, with Young climbing just outside the top-ten and with stronger pace than some ahead of him while Vieira settled into 25th.
However, the worst-case scenario struck for the BPM Yamaha team with just five laps to go, when a late red-flag produced a ten-lap restart. The all-out pace of the restart meant the lesser-powered machines of Young and Vieira were mismatched against the heavyweight teams up front, who carried as much as 15-20 extra horsepower.
Desperately fighting to stay inside the top-15, Young ultimately pushed beyond his machine’s limits as he crashed out with just six laps remaining, running in a strong 12th at the time. Vieira, meanwhile, found consistent pace on fresher tires right when he needed it, scrapping his way through the pack to finish an excellent 15th in the end.
It was a sensational result for Vieira, who had completed only a handful of clean laps prior to Saturday amidst his mechanical issues and ultimately found a way to put himself in the top-15 in his first ever Daytona appearance.
While Young’s crash was a frustrating end to an even more frustrating weekend, the reigning Bridgestone CSBK champion proved that a sensational result was possible under different circumstances.
Both riders will now have a few days off to soak in their first Daytona 200 appearance together, before returning to Bridgestone CSBK action on Tuesday for the official Winter Test in nearby Jennings, FL.
Josh Herrin (centre) won a wild Daytona 200 on Saturday ahead of Josh Hayes (left) in second and Cameron Petersen (right) in third. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
Herrin wins “confusing” Daytona 200 for second time
Josh Herrin will walk away from the famed International Speedway as a Daytona 200 winner for the second time in his career and first time in 12 years, a controversial result that was just one part of a wild and puzzling last few laps.
Battling with Richie Escalante for most of the middle part of the race, largely one-on-one with Josh Hayes a distant third, Herrin collided with the Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki of Escalante in turn one, knocking the Mexican out of the lead and the contest.
With third-place runner Brandon Paasch facing a 15-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane and sixth-place competitor Cameron Petersen a lap down, it seemed likely that only Hayes, Teagg Hobbs in fourth, or Hayden Gillim in fifth could challenge the Warhorse HSBK Ducati of Herrin if he was to be penalized himself.
However, an extra wrench got thrown into things when Hobbs got collected in a red-flag incident with five laps to go, the first stoppage of the afternoon. Facing a five-lap sprint, the puzzling decisions continued to pile up in the next few moments.
First, the race was extended to five extra laps, producing a ten-lap restart and the first ever “Daytona 216.5” across 62 laps. Then, Herrin was awarded a six-place grid penalty on said restart – an inconsequential punishment for the blazingly-fast Ducati rider.
Herrin quickly returned to the front as expected, battling at the front of an eight-rider group that included Hayes, the penalized Paasch, and the lap-down Petersen. The next wrinkle came when a charging Petersen unlapped himself, inexplicably jumping to the front of the timesheets and somehow in the battle for the win.
Amidst all the chaos and confusion – both on and off the track – it was Hayes who exited the chicane on the final lap leading from Herrin and Petersen, at one point looking far enough ahead to hold on for his first official Daytona 200 victory. However, the power and slipstream of Herrin was inevitable, as he charged across the line to score his second career Daytona win.
“When they added five laps I didn’t know if I had the legs in me to finish,” Herrin said. “And then I didn’t know what the deal was with Petersen and Paasch – I was super confused – but I just decided it didn’t matter as long as I finished first.”
As for the controversial incident with Escalante, the eventual winner maintained his innocence despite the grid penalty.
“As far as I’m concerned, I had the line. I got creative and he wasn’t expecting it,” Herrin protested.
When the dust settled, it was Hayes who finished second officially, while Petersen was awarded third despite being a lap down up until the final moments. Petersen himself did not even know of the decision, but that didn’t stop the criticism from coming.
“I love Cam Petersen to death, but he did not finish third,” Hayden Gillim said, who ultimately finished one spot back in fourth. “I quit racing in 2019 over stuff like this, and to be on the other side of it again sucks.”
Full results from the wild 81st running of the Daytona 200 can be found on the official MotoAmerica website.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Josh Herrin Wins The 2023 Daytona 200 For Ducati
Herrin puts the number one Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC in P1 at The World Center of Racing
Josh Herrin on the podium with the Daytona 200 winner’s trophy. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati.
Sunnyvale, Calif., March 11, 2023 – Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) pulled off a legendary victory in the 2023 Daytona 200, the 81st running of the iconic event. Herrin started from pole position and led for much of the encounter but a red flag while holding a lead of over 20 seconds with only a handful of laps remaining meant everything was back to square one and a 10-lap dash.
Herrin kept his cool during the melee, positioning himself perfectly for the slingshot to finish line on the last lap. He played that card to perfection, drafting past Yamaha’s Josh Hayes to record a historic Daytona 200 win for Ducati by just 0.070 seconds and the first for the Panigale V2.
Herrin’s teammate Xavi Forés American debut didn’t go to plan with a mechanical problem signaling the end of his race before the first round of pitstops.
2023 Daytona 200 Results
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati)
P2 – Josh Hayes (Yamaha)
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
P4 – Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)
P5 – PJ Jacobsen (Yamaha)
DNF – Xavi Forés (Ducati)
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #1):
“The race went amazing,” beamed Herrin from Victory Lane. “It seemed like everything was against us, but we worked as a team and got settled down and even Xavi’s guys from Germany came over at the end to help us. It was a very eventful race and I can’t believe we were able to pull it off. After how the race went in 2022, in my mind I needed to get the win for the team and for Ducati. It’s such a special moment and that I was able to do it on the V2 before we step up to the V4 R in Superbike this year. We’ve got a lot of confidence heading into the race season now and I’m thankful to be part of the Ducati family. Also, a huge thank you to Paolo and Gigi for believing in me and the team!”
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #12):
“Well, it was a very disappointing weekend for me. Today we had to deal with some issues that ended my race very early so I cannot hide my frustration. Hopefully, I can have another chance to ride properly here in Daytona in the future. A big thanks to the team who tried hard to build the best bike possible.”
More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:
Josh Herrin Battles Back To Win Second Career DAYTONA 200, Second for Ducati
Full slate of races at Daytona International Speedway cap off 82nd annual Bike Week
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2023) – With a thrilling dive to the inside apron as a pack of five bikes prepared to cross the finish line within a half-second of each other, Josh Herrin captured the second DAYTONA 200 championship of his career 13 years after first topping the podium.
The 13 years between wins is the longest gap between DAYTONA 200 victories in the history of the race. The previous longest number of years was seven for Eddie Lawson with wins in 1986 and 1993.
For Ducati, it was the make’s second win after last winning it with Jason DiSalvo in 2011.
Yamaha secured second and third place with Joshua Hayes riding the No. 4 Squid Hunter Racing bike, and Cameron Peterson rounding out the podium on this No. 45 Attack Performance Yamaha.
Herrin sat on pole for the 81st running of the DAYTONA 200, but the race wasn’t straightforward for the rider of the No. 2 Warhorse HSBK Ducati NYC.
With 24 laps to go, lead pack Celtic/Tytlers Cycle/TSE Racing rider PJ Jacobsen went down in the infield portion, and that was followed three laps later by Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim going down in the middle of the Le Mans Chicane on the oval backstretch. Both had been running in the top six at the time of their incidents. Gillim was able to get his bike back up and remained on the lead lap to return as a factor late in the race.
After the second set of pit stops, Herrin and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Richie Escalante separated themselves from the rest of the field – putting up an 18-second lead over third-place Hayes with 10 laps to go. The pair traded the lead back and forth – and at times from turn to turn.
But with eight laps to go, Escalante and Herrin went toe-to-toe coming out of Turn 1 as Herrin dove inside of Escalante for the pass, and only Herrin made it through. Escalante went down and that left Herrin alone out front.
“We were after the final pit stop, I had been seeing different spots that I could overtake if I needed to. His bike was a missile,” Herrin said post-race. “That was one of the spots where I thought would be a possibility and would kinda throw him off of his rhythm. With however many laps to go, I just saw an opening and wanted to try it, and as far as I was concerned, I was there, had the line.
“I’m just trying to figure out where I could win the race from. I was just trying to get creative and find spots, and I think he just wasn’t expecting it because it wasn’t the last lap.”
Following the incident, Herrin built up a 24- second lead on Hayes, but a red flag with five laps to go for an incident between fourth-place Teague Hobbs on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki and Edge Racing Yamaha rider Jason Waters, who was two laps down, in the infield. The field was brought down pit road and Hobbs was able to get his bike back to pit road and repaired for the restart.
During the red flag a pair of officiating decisions were announced by MotoAmerica. Herrin was penalized six grid positions on the restart for the incident with Escalante, which dropped him to seventh and put Hayes on the pole for the restart. Additionally, five laps were added to the remainder of the race, to make it a 10-lap dash for the finish.
The grid penalty didn’t hurt Herrin as he made his way back to the lead a lap after the restart. And a battle reminiscent of Herrin and Escalante earlier in the race developed between Herrin, Hayes, Gillim and Petersen.
Coming to the white flag, Herrin led a tightly packed together lead group of seven riders. He pulled a strategic move as they came out of the infield portion onto the high banks, swinging wide to allow a pair of riders to pass him.
“Before the first banking, I went in hot and tried to get at least a couple guys to go by me because I didn’t think I would be able to hold it off leading,” said Herrin. “That worked out good. That was huge risk number one. Huge risk number two was going into the chicane I chopped everybody up and rolled through the chicane really slow to give Josh about a five to 10 bike-length lead because I knew if I was on him I would pass him about halfway through the banking and it would be a double-wide draft of guys behind and they would get by us.”
Hayes carried that slight gap out of the Le Mans Chicane and up onto the banking. But it wasn’t enough of a lead as the pack caught him in the draft coming onto the front stretch and Herrin dove to the inside apron for the winning pass as the pack came to the finish line.
Two-time defending DAYTONA 200 champion and TOBC Racing rider Brandon Paasch was in the lead pack of six bikes that initially separated itself from the field, but a pit-road speeding penalty on the first pit stop landed him a 15-second time penalty that was assessed at the end of the race. He crossed the line with the lead pack of seven but was relegated to a 12th-place finish.
Roland Sands Design (RSD) Mission Super Hooligan Class
The second and final weekend of the 82nd Bike Week at DAYTONA Presented by Monster Energy got underway with the first event of MotoAmerica racing. Friday, March 10 saw the first round of the Roland Sands Super Hooligans Championship at The World Center of Racing. Tyler O’Hara, rider of the No. 1 Indian FTR, crossed the finish line first in an exciting last lap pass over Bobby Fong, rider of the No. 50 Indian Challenger, after the two battled it out for six intense laps. British rider Jeremy McWilliams rounded out the podium, finishing third place on his No. 99 Indian FTR.
The second round of the Super Hooligans class took place on Saturday, with another six laps of racing around the road course. Cory West came across the finish line first on his No. 13 Team Saddlemen bike but was later disqualified for a technical infraction. The final finishing order for Roland Sands Super Hooligans race two featured the two of the podium placers from race one, Tyler O’Hara finishing first and Jeremy McWilliams in second, with rider of the No. 665 Grey Area Racing KTM Mark Price moving up into third.
REV’IT! Twins Cup Class
The Rev’It Twins Cup kicked off Friday afternoon with an eventful nine laps of racing. Three laps after riders left the grid, the action intensified when the rider of the No. 25 Team ISO Yamaha, Dominic Doyle, crashed out, taking Ben Gloddy on his No. 72 Rodio Racing Aprilia. The crash caused a shift in the battle for third place, as both riders were in fourth and fifth when their races ended. Hayden Shultz finished third on his No. 49 Cycle Tech Yamaha, with Jackson Blackmon finishing second on his No. 18 Trackday Winner/Blackmon Racing Yamaha. Gus Rodio, the rider of the No. 96 Rodio Racing Aprilia, came out on top in race one.
Doyle’s bad luck continued in race two of the Rev’It Twins Cup on Saturday. The Rodio Racing rider crashed out again on lap three of the nine lap race, bringing out the red flag. Racing resumed about 20 minutes later in a five-lap sprint, with the Stefano Mesa, the native Floridian, standing in for Kayla Yaakov following a leg injury, finishing first on the No. 137 MP13 Racing Yamaha. Gus Rodio finished second and Jackson Blackmon finished third, both riders securing a couple more points on the weekend.
Mission King Of The Baggers Class
The Mission King of the Baggers Championship returned to Daytona for the second year, with Baggers racing on the high banks of the superspeedway. Race one got underway on Friday afternoon, with James Rispoli coming in first on his No. 43 Vance & Hines Harley Davidson after a great save coming out of turn six. His teammate Hayden Gillim finished second on his No. 79 Vance & Hines Harley Davidson, with Tyler O’Hara picking up another podium this weekend after scoring points in the Super Hooligans Class.
The second race in the Mission King of the Baggers class finished early Saturday evening, closing out an epic weekend of MotoAmerica racing with a Harley-Davidson podium lockout. American Kyle Wyman crossed the finish line in first place on his No. 33 Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle, with Vance & Hines riders James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim finishing second and third, securing podiums in Baggers both races.
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