MotoAmerica Says “Daytona Here We Come”

It’s Go Time With The Daytona 200 Set To Kick Off The 2022 Auto Parts 4 Less MotoAmerica Championship At Daytona International Speedway
 

IRVINE, CA (March 9, 2022) – MotoAmerica will begin its eighth year as the home of the AMA Superbike Championship this weekend and it will do so for the first time at one of the most iconic racing facilities in the world – Daytona International Speedway.

The 2022 Auto Parts 4 Less MotoAmerica Championship will also begin for the first time without the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike class as the Supersport class takes top billing in the 80th running of the Daytona 200. The Superbikes will begin their season in a month’s time at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, with two races set to run in conjunction with the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas.

In addition to the Daytona 200, MotoAmerica will play host to three of its other classes at the “World Center of Speed” with Mission King Of The Baggers, MotoAmerica Twins Cup and Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan National Championship joining the 200 in three-days of action-packed racing taking place during the final weekend of Bike Week at the iconic Speedway, which is located just a few miles inland from the resort town of Daytona Beach.

Daytona 200

While the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship will begin in Texas in April, several of the stars of that series will make their 2022 racing debuts in the Daytona 200 – including defending champion Jake Gagne. Gagne will be joined by his new Attack Performance Yamaha teammate Cameron Petersen with those two rolling on track on Thursday as definite pre-race favorites to win the 200.

Gagne returns to the Daytona 200 after an eight-year absence and hot on the heels of a 2021 season that saw him win a record 17 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike races en route to the title. Gagne has finished on the podium twice in the Daytona 200 while South African Petersen will be making his debut in the race.

While those two are a stout team, there will be 48 other racers attempting to qualify who aren’t ready to concede victory.

Leading the charge will likely be Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion making his debut on the team’s Panigale V2. Herrin, the 2010 Daytona 200 winner and lap-record holder with his 1:48.331, will be trying to become just the second Ducati-mounted rider to win the 200 and the first since Jason DiSalvo in 2011.

Suzuki is also bringing the heat with the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team featuring three riders for the 200. The team will be led by with 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Richie Escalante in his only Supersport appearance of the year as he switches to the Medallia Superbike class in 2022. Escalante will be joined by South African Sam Lochoff and veteran Geoff May on the team’s GSX-R600s for Daytona. Hayden Gillim will also make his return to full-time racing in 2022 and he will start his season in the 200 on a Disrupt Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 along with teammate Carl Soltisz.

Four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick and defending Daytona 200 champion Brandon Paasch will race Triumph Street Triple RSs in this year’s 200 for TOBC Racing, a team that has a lot of history and success in the race. Eslick has won four of the last seven Daytona 200s and his 2014 victory marked Triumph’s fourth and last victory in the 200. Two of Eslick’s four wins came on Yamahas with his other victory coming on a Suzuki.

Another rider who can’t be counted out in the 200 is Josh Hayes, the four-time AMA Superbike Champion doing a one-off ride on a Squid Hunter Yamaha YZF-R6. As hard as it is to believe, Hayes has yet to win a Daytona 200. In 2008, Hayes crossed the line in victory in the 200, but was later stripped of the win when his bike failed to pass post-race tech inspection. It’s been stuck in his craw ever since.

Mission King Of The Baggers

It goes without saying that the 2022 Mission King Of The Baggers Championship is going to be a heated battle between two bitter rivals – Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles – and it’s an age-old fight that dates back 100 years.

The 2022 fight between the two American motorcycle manufacturers begins on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway with two races (plus the Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge) slated for Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12, when 18 riders take to the grid.

The protagonists are clearly defined: the two factory Harley riders vs. the two factory Indian riders with plenty of back up from the rest of the field.

Harley’s factory effort has the Wyman brothers, defending MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Champion Kyle and his brother, Travis. Indian’s S&S-run team features 2022 series runner-up Tyler O’Hara and former MotoGP racer Jeremy McWilliams.

Vance & Hines Racing is running two of the Harley-Davidson Road Glides for road racer/flat tracker James Rispoli and his teammate former Superbike racer Taylor Knapp. Roland Sands Design, meanwhile, is fielding Frankie Garcia and three-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Bobby Fong on its Indian Challengers.

This year’s Mission King Of The Baggers series will also see top-notch woman racer Patricia Fernandez and her fiancée Cory West riding Saddlemen/Lloyd’z Garage Indian Challengers while two-time MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee goes to battle on a Big Bear Performance Harley-Davidson.

MotoAmerica Twins Cup

Forty-six riders will take to the grid in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup race at Daytona as the division continues to show incredible growth as it starts its fifth season as a class.

On paper, the pack of swarming twins will likely be led by 2021 class champion Kaleb De Keyrel, who defends his title on a Veloce Racing Aprilia RS 660 a season after taking the title on a Robem Engineering Aprilia.

The Robem team might just be the biggest thorn in De Keyrel’s side in 2022 as they bring a strong three-rider Aprilia team to the races, beginning with the doubleheader round at Daytona. Italian Tommaso Marcon leads the charge in his Daytona debut, and he’s joined by Twins Cup veteran Teagg Hobbs, who is switching from a Suzuki to an Aprilia for 2022, and fellow New Hampshirite Ben Gloddy, who moves up to Twins Cup after finishing as runner-up in last’s year’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Championship.

Race winners from last year who are hungry for more include Anthony Mazziotto on his Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing Aprilia RS 660; Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha YZF-R7-mounted Jackson Blackmon; Veloce Racing Aprilia’s Jody Barry; and MP13 Racing’s Cory Ventura, who is making the switch from Aprilia to Yamaha for 2022.

The Pure Attitude Racing team will again feature Trevor Standish and Liam MacDonald while Hayden Schultz will go it alone on his Cycle Tech – Speed Weaponry Yamaha YZF-R7.

BARTCON Racing’s Dominic Doyle makes the move to the Twins Cup class after a season in Supersport and the 2020 Junior Cup Championship runner-up will likely be at or very near the front as he gets accustomed to his Yamaha YZF-R7.

Among the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup racers making the jump to the Twins Cup this year are youngsters Blake Davis, on his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha YZF-R7, and Gus Rodio, who will join fellow New Jerseyan Mazziotto on the Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing team.

RSD Super Hooligan

The Roland Sands Design Super Hooligan class will be 25 riders strong at Daytona with Roland Sands Design-sponsored, Indian FTR1200-mounted Tyler O’Hara likely to be at the front. He will be joined on the three-rider team by Frankie Garcia and Cycle News Road Test Editor Rennie Scaysbrook.

The challengers should be plentiful and will likely include Andy DiBrino on the KTM/DiBrino Racing KTM 890 Duke R. Others expected to fare well will be Saddlemen/Lloyd’z Garage’s Cory West on another Indian FTR1200 and he will be joined on that team by his fiancée Patricia Fernandez.

Fernandez won’t be the only woman on the Super Hooligan grid as Nowaskey Performance/She’z Racing’s Shelina Moreda will compete on a Ducati Hypermotard 950 SP.

Five different manufacturers will strut their goods in the Super Hooligan races at Daytona with Harley-Davidson leading the way with 11 riders opting to ride a variety of models from the Motor Company. Seven riders will throw their legs over Indians; four will race KTMs; and two will compete on Ducatis. The lone BMW R nine T will be ridden by Soul Fuel BMW Motorrad’s Nate Kern.

Daytona Pre-Race Notes…

Yamaha is the winningest brand by far in the Daytona 200 with 27 trips to the top step in Victory Lane since the first-ever Daytona 200 was held in January of 1937 on the old beach circuit. The winner of that first Daytona 200 was Ed Kretz, who was riding an Indian. Harley-Davidson sits second on the-all time manufacturer win list in the 200 with 16 victories, the last of which was Cal Rayborn’s victory in 1969. The third highest win total goes to Honda with 11 victories in the 200 with Jake Zemke the last rider to win the race on a Honda in 2006.

The first Daytona 200 to be run at Daytona International Speedway was in 1961 with Roger Reiman taking victory on his Harley-Davidson.

The Daytona 200 switched to Superbikes in 1985 with Freddie Spencer winning his one and only Daytona 200 on a Honda. Superbikes were featured in the 200 until 2005 when 600cc Formula Xtreme bikes took over. The FX class ran in the 200 until 600cc Daytona SportBikes were used beginning in 2009 with Ben Bostrom’s victory on a Yamaha YZF-R6.

MotoAmerica will feature its Supersport class in the 80th running of the Daytona 200 using the FIM’s “Supersport New Generation” rules, which will see the class made up of everything from Yamaha’s YZF-R6 to Ducati’s Panigale V2 to Triumph’s Speed Triple RS and everything in between.

If there’s such a thing as strength in numbers in the Daytona 200 then Yamaha should fare well as 29 of the 50 entries are YZF-R6s. The manufacturer with the second most entries is Suzuki with nine, followed by Kawasaki with five, Ducati with four and Triumph with three.

Three former winners of the Daytona 200 will line up on for this year’s race with four-time victor Danny Eslick leading the win list over one-time winners Josh Herrin and Brandon Paasch, the defending Daytona 200 Champion. A victory by Eslick in this year’s race would give him five Daytona 200 wins and that would tie him with Scott “Mr. Daytona” Russell and Miguel Duhamel.

All five of Russell’s wins (1992, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998) in the Daytona 200 came when the class featured Superbikes; Miguel Duhamel won four 200s on Superbikes (’91, ‘96, ’99, 2003) and one on a 600cc Formula Xtreme bike (2005). Eslick’s four wins all came in the 600cc Daytona SportBike/Supersport era.

Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes will race in the Daytona 200 on a Squid Hunter Yamaha YZF-R6. Hayes has never won a 200, though he did cross the finish line first in 2008. Hayes’ Honda CBR600RR, however, didn’t pass its post-race technical inspection and the race instead went to Chaz Davies.

This year’s Daytona 200 will feature 2021 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion Jake Gagne with Gagne being the first defending AMA Superbike Champion since Mat Mladin in 2004 to take part in the 200. Gagne last rode in the Daytona 200 in 2014 when he finished second to Danny Eslick. Prior to that, Gagne was fourth in the 200 in 2013.

Forty-six riders have entered the Twins Cup races for Daytona with three manufacturers represented. Yamaha leads the way with 22 entries; Aprilia is next with 15 entries and there are nine of Suzuki’s old but gold SV650s entered.

About MotoAmerica

MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:

Josh Herrin Ready to Race as Daytona 200 Enters MotoAmerica Era This Weekend

2022 Daytona 200 Sees Debut of the Ducati Panigale V2 in America’s Great Race

 

 

Sunnyvale, Calif., March 9, 2022 – One of the world’s iconic motorcycle racing events, the Daytona 200, will be held this weekend over March 10-12 and will see the debut of American Josh Herrin and the Ducati Panigale V2 against some of America’s finest tarmac protagonists.

Herrin has been hard at work in recent weeks, putting in the miles on the street and at a variety of track days across Southern California as he gets used to the characteristics of the Ducati L-twin. The former MotoAmerica Superbike Champion has gelled perfectly with the new-generation Supersport Panigale V2 and will be looking for nothing less than Ducati’s second 200 victory on the high Floridian banks to go with his win from 2010.

The 2022 Daytona 200 will be the first edition run under the management of the AMA and MotoAmerica, and will herald a new era for America’s Great Race with many of the sport’s leading stars in North America in attendance.

Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York): “Since I started racing the Daytona 200 in 2009, it’s always been one of my favorite tracks and riding for Ducati is huge for me. It’s a completely different bike and I’m gelling with it well. I love it on track and it is equally fun on the street. Working with Bobby (Shek, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York, Team Principal) the Denaples family, and everyone involved in the team has been fantastic. Everyone from Ducati Corse in Italy, and the CEO of Ducati North America Jason Chinnock, has been very hands-on, and we’re all really excited about the year ahead. “ Herrin continued. “Going into the 200, we have a beautiful, brand new bike, and I’m so pumped to be back at Daytona. We’ll be up there fighting for the win and hopefully we can come home with the win and Rolex. I can’t wait to get out there and race.”

The 2022 Daytona 200 starts with official practice on Thursday, March 10, with the 80th running of the race scheduled for Saturday, March 12 at 1:00 p.m. EST.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:

Ducati North America, Nowaskey Extreme Performance and Shelina Moreda Partner to Contest the 2022 Super Hooligan National Championship

The Ducati Hypermotard 950 SP Debuts in Super Hooligan Racing During Round One at Daytona International Speedway

 

 

Sunnyvale, Calif., March 9, 2022 – Ducati North America will team with Wisconsin-based Nowaskey Extreme Performance and renowned international road racer and Covergirl model, Shelina Moreda, for the 2022 Super Hooligan National Championship.

Beginning with round one March 10-12 at the world-famous Daytona International Speedway,      through to round two April 22-24 at Road Atlanta and concluding with round three July 8-10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Ducati, Nowaskey and Moreda will add a touch of glamor to a series that has exploded in popularity.

The Ducati Hypermotard 950 SP’s credentials are undoubted, the model having achieved an AMA Supermoto Championship victory in the Amateur Asphalt category at Tucson, Ariz., in 2021.

Boasting 114 horsepower and 71 lb-ft of torque, the light and agile Ducati Hypermotard 950 SP is supremely suited to Super Hooligan competition, with the team eyeing a podium position at Daytona against some extremely talented competition.

Shelina Moreda – International Road Racer: “I’m really looking forward to learning the Ducati Hypermotard’s riding secrets leading up to the event at Daytona,” said Moreda. “This class has a plethora of bikes and lots of fast riders, but I know the Hypermotard will be competitive and—as a Ducati—it’s certainly going to be the best looking bike in the field. I would like to thank Ducati North America for making this happen, and Hawk Mazzotta MotoCamps for the introduction to the Nowaskey Performance Team.”

Pete Nowaskey, Owner, Nowaskey Extreme Performance: “Shelina is a very competent rider and a great ambassador for the sport, and I am a big proponent of more women getting involved in the motorcycle industry,” said Nowaskey. “Shelina will work with female technician Dailyn Mortenson at Daytona, which is something I’m really pleased about. This is a new venture for Nowaskey Extreme Performance and me, and we had tested the Hypermotard 950 SP at the Jennings GP track this past weekend to get ready for Daytona. It’s a beautiful bike and I’m sure it will be very competitive in the Super Hooligan class. I’m extremely happy to be working with Ducati. I love the brand.”

Jason Chinnock, CEO, Ducati North America: “We really like Shelina,” said Chinnock. “We’ve worked with her on a couple of projects in 2021 including The Matrix film premiere in San Francisco and agreed that working together provides a great opportunity to bring more attention and awareness to the sport. Shelina’s approachable, authentic, and certainly has the skills on a motorcycle. These elements make her someone we want to work with. We’re an inclusive brand at Ducati. We want to reach the broadest possible audience yet remain true to our brand blues. Our relationship with Shelina offers us a chance to bring new riders into the Ducati family, and that’s a win for everyone.”

Round one of the 2022 Super Hooligan National Championship is set for March 10-12 at Daytona International Speedway.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by 3D Motorsports:

3D Motorsports riders Power, Shakespeare, Boyce set to compete this weekend’s Daytona 200, MotoAmerica Twins Cup races at Daytona International Speedway

Oklahoma-based team to feature four riders competing in five MotoAmerica classes in 2022

 

BLANCHARD, Okla. — 3D Motorsports LLC riders Luke Power, Steven Shakespeare and Mike Boyce are ready to kick off their team’s inaugural season competing in MotoAmerica this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Power will pilot a Suzuki GSX-R600 on Saturday in the first Daytona 200 operated by MotoAmerica, and Shakespeare and Boyce will contest the weekend’s Twins Cup races aboard Aprilia RS 660s

The 80th running of the Daytona 200 gets underway Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern, and the Twins Cup races are scheduled for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. All competition takes place on Daytona’s 3.56-mile road racing layout.

The team’s fourth rider, Joe Mariniello, will start his 2022 MotoAmerica campaign in Junior Cup at the Road Atlanta round on April 22-24.

The Daytona races are to be Shakespeare’s only appearance in Twins Cup in 2022, as the Scottsdale, Ariz., resident will return to competing in Superbike Cup and Stock 1000 aboard a Yamaha YZF-R1 for the remainder of the season.

“I am very happy to be with 3D Motorsports for the 2022 season,” Shakespeare said. “The team has some of the best coaches and mechanics in the industry, which gives us riders a chance to perform at our best. I plan to work on improving my personal best lap times at each track and improving my qualifying performance.”

Boyce, from The Woodlands, Texas, is set contest the full 2022 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season aboard the Aprilia. Power, who hails from Lysterfield, Victoria, Australia, will race a GSX-R750 for the remainder of the season in Supersport. Mariniello, from Vermont, Victoria, Australia, will ride a Kawasaki Ninja 400.

The team was founded in 2021 by MotoAmerica veteran Dustin Dominguez, who is looking forward to his team’s debut at one of racing’s most historic venues.

“It’s been great to see my team grow from just concept last year to having a rider in the vast majority of MotoAmerica’s starting grids in 2022,” Dominguez said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what our riders can accomplish in our very first professional racing season.”

Coverage of this weekend’s races at Daytona International Speedway is available through MotoAmerica’s proprietary steaming service, MotoAmerica Live+. For more information, visit http://motoamericaliveplus.com.

3D Motorsports LLC’s sponsors for the 2022 MotoAmerica season include Orient Express, K-Tech, BTEC Turbines, 4SR USA, Blud Lubricants, CG Law, Evol Technologies, AF1 Racing, Southern Adrenaline, M4 Exhaust, Valor Farms, Second Hand Motorsports, LS2, Motorcycle Dealer Services and DrippinWet.

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Triumph:

TRIUMPH & FREEDOMROAD FINANCIAL PARTNER WITH TOBC RACING FOR RETURN TO DAYTONA 200

 

 

In 2022, Triumph Motorcycles, celebrating 120 years of performance, returns to the paddock for the 80^th running of the Daytona 200 with a factory supported racing effort in collaboration with TOBC racing.

The TOBC – Triumph racing team will be the result of a partnership between the British brand, with support from FreedomRoad Financial, and the racing team led by Michelle Lindsay, which has won three of the past six runnings of the legendary race, and is the only women owned team with a Daytona 200 win.

Triumph Motorcycles will be officially supporting TOBC by supplying race bikes derived directly from the Street Triple RS, along with insights gained from the Dynavolt Triumph team which ran those motorcycles in the 2021 British Supersport Championship. The bikes will be powered by the Triumph 765 Triple engine, which has proven outstanding performance and reliability in the last three seasons of the Moto2™ World Championship and are now approved under the sanctioning of the American Motorcyclist Association and MotoAmerica, as they’ve closely replicated the rules set by World Supersport Championship for 2022, allowing for a wider range of motorcycles to compete.

Helming the TOBC Triumph motorcycles at the Daytona International Speedway is a pair of veteran riders Danny Eslick and Brandon Paasch. Together, Eslick and Paasch have won five of the last seven Daytona 200 events. Paasch is the defending Daytona 200 champion following his win in 2021 and has spent a full 2021 season riding a similar Triumph Street Triple RS derived race bike in the British Supersport Championship for PTR racing’s Dynavolt Triumph team. Eslick is a four-time winner, including a win on a Triumph Daytona 675 in 2014, taking his most recent win in 2018. Together, Eslick and Paasch present a strong lineup for the highspeed demands of the Daytona 200.

Jeremy Appleton – Global Racing Manager, Triumph Motorcycles: “It is a significant step to have two Triumph Street Triple RS motorcycles bringing our technology back to the Daytona 200. This is a legendary race, followed by racing enthusiasts from around the world, and it’s only fitting that as Triumph celebrates 120 years of motorcycle performance, that we compete in the milestone 80^th outing of the iconic race. With the support of FreedomRoad Financial, we’ve partnered with a race team and riders that are proven winners and together with the Street Triple RS, could very well be the recipe for a potent challenge from Triumph at this year’s Daytona 200.”

Michelle Lindsay – TOBC racing owner: “It is a tremendous opportunity for the TOBC team, and we are grateful for the support and partnership of Triumph on both sides of the pond. We appreciate the enthusiasm and excitement of Triumph and FreedomRoad Financial, and the willingness of the PTR team to share the experience gained in 2021. We’re also thankful for Boulder Motorsports for building the bikes, and for the support from our key sponsors Politus & Matovina P.A. Attorneys, Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation, Jay Geeker Studios, Pirelli, and K-Tech, to help make this all happen. TOBC looks forward to building on the 2021 success and putting two riders on the box for the 2022 Daytona 200!”

Danny Eslick – Rider & 4-time Daytona 200 Winner: “I’m always excited to take on the full field of riders for 200 miles at the World Center of Racing, but this year feels special. I won my first Daytona 200 on a Triumph and this year I’ll be riding to win a record setting fifth win on one.”

Brandon Paasch – Rider & 2021 Daytona 200 Winner: “I’m incredibly excited to return to the Daytona 200 with this team, and with the continued personal support from the Classic Car Club of Manhattan, Evolve GT, and Luxe Star. I feel very comfortable with this bike already after the full season riding it for PTR in British Supersport. I can’t believe I’ll now be riding a Triumph at Daytona, like the legend Gary Nixon, as a defending champ on a team with a 4-time winner. It all feels so unreal, but I couldn’t be more confident in this bike and this team.”

Tom Collins – Managing Director, FreedomRoad Financial: “When Triumph asked us if we wanted to go racing with them at the Daytona 200, it was an easy decision. We are proud to have Triumph as our longest tenured OEM relationship as we’ve been their retail finance partner since 2008, and we’re honored to help them make it back to the top of the podium at the 80^th Daytona 200.”