2010 Daytona 200 Results

Friday, March 05, 2010

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Graves Yamaha's Josh Herrin claimed his first career Daytona 200 victory, with the young R6 pilot dominating the latter stages of the race. Project 1 Yamaha's Dane Westby took second on the 200 podium, with Team Latus Ducati rider Steve Rapp finishing third. Defending Daytona SportBike champion Danny Eslick was fourth, with another Yamaha, Kevin Coughlin, rounding out the top five.

Josh Herrin and Dane Westby duke it out for the lead of the Daytona 200, with Herrin eventually getting the better of his fellow R6 pilot.

The 57-lap race got off to a shaky start, with pole-setter Martin Cardenas just one of a handful of riders to go down on the first lap and force a red-flag restart. Cardenas went down in Turn 3 from the lead, while at the same time seven additional bikes tangled in the fast Turn 2 kink.

When the race got underway the second time, Yamaha's Herrin bolted out to the lead after the first lap of the Daytona circuit. Eslick appeared to possibly have jumped the restart, but it was determined he did not gain anything and thus was not penalized.

The lead group of seven then emerged, with Yamaha riders Herrin, Tommy Aquino, Westby and Kevin Coughlin, against Suzuki riders Eslick and Brett McCormick, and Ducati's Steve Rapp.

The front seven remained close, at times riding well within a second of each other. The first round of pit stops began at Lap 18, with Aquino the first of the leaders in the pits, followed a lap later by Herrin and McCormick. Aquino's quick-fill gas cap stuck open, covering him and his bike with fuel, preventing him the ability to restart. The rest trickled in, with Eslick losing several seconds changing tires as well as Rapp. Coughlin was the last of the leaders to pit on Lap 20.

After the first round of stops were sorted out, Herrin and Westby emerged battling for the lead. Eslick and Rapp settled into a fight over third, about seven seconds behind the leaders. McCormick and Coughlin lingered in fifth and sixth, with Aquino out of the running after his first pit.

Steve Rapp chasing Danny Eslick in the Daytona 200.

At the halfway point around Lap 28, Westby and Herrin continued to fight for the lead, with Eslick and Rapp dueling over third. Of the 44 starters, only 29 riders continued to race, as the Daytona 200 attrition mounted, with McCormick one of those hitting the ground and falling out.

The second round of pits started on Lap 41, refueling for the final dash to the line. Herrin and Westby pitted side-by-side and a pit-stop war ensued. The Graves Yamaha boys pulled through and gave Herrin a two second lead exiting the pits for the final time.

"He (Herrin) went out of the pits, and I saw him when I was hopping on,” said Westby of the second stop. “I was like, ‘Well there he goes.’ I knew it was going to be a tough job. It just wasn't quite do-able. I didn't want to throw anything away."

And that was all she wrote for the 69th running of the Daytona 200. Herrin pulled out nearly eight seconds over Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha rider Westby at the line to take his first-ever Daytona 200 win.

"It was awesome. I don't know how to describe it. It was just peaceful; I didn't have to worry about anything. All I had to concentrate on was my downshifts," said Herrin. "I found myself in a weird rhythm. I was expecting Dane (Westby) to catch me because I was stressing so bad about dropping the bike. When I saw my pit-board giving me more of a gap each lap it was kind of a relief to just relax and ride my own pace; just concentrate on getting to the checkered flag safe"

Danny Eslick running near the front during the Daytona 200.

A slow pair of pit stops held Eslick back to fourth at the finish.

It was a breakout performance for the former dirt tracker in second spot as well, Westby taking the first podium of his professional road racing career. Rapp came home in third, 24 seconds behind the leader, though still an impressive finish for the truly privateer Latus Motors Racing team.

“It was a long race and it was cold but the team did a great job and I think everything we (the series) have gone through in the past year is for this, to show a new team can come in and be competitive,” said Rapp. “And we accomplished that here; with a good team and an experienced rider and you still be successful here. I love riding this Ducati as well. I’ve ridden them in the past and that feeling never goes away – it’s so smooth and it’s a great platform to start a racebike from.”

Eslick was even further off the pace, more than a half-minute behind. Coughlin rounded out the top-five, the first rider to go a lap down.

2010 Daytona 200 Results:
1. J. Herrin Team Graves Yamaha
2. D. Westby 7.964 Project 1 Atlanta
3. S. Rapp 24.496 Team Latus Motors Racing
4. D. Eslick 40.973 GEICO Powersports, RMR, Suzuki
5. K. Coghlan 1 lap Aussie Dave Racing
6. C. West 39.919 Vesrah Suzuki
7. G. May 1:50.590 GMR Racing
8. S. Higbee 1:54.030 Higbee-Racing.com
9. T. Knapp 2 laps Ducshop Racing
10. E. Wood 15.626 Team Heyser
11. E. Haugo 50.989 Viking Moto
12. R. Patterson 1:16.795 D and R Racing
13. B. Fong 1:17.343 Crozier Roberson Motorsports
14. R. Orlando 1:40.129 Ricky Orlando Racing
15. S. Villa 1:40.244 RoadRacingWorld.com
16. P. James 3 laps James Gang Hoban Bros. Racing
17. A. Padovani 18.553 CR2 Corse
18. A. Lazo 31.987 Alex Lazo Racing
19. D. Marchetti 1:09.585 Ducshop Racing
20. W. Sipp 1:09.855 Walt Sipp Racing
21. J. Ashmead 4 laps Brady Racing
22. R. Vargas 49.807 Vargas Racing
23. K. Keesee 7 laps Brevard Superbike Racing
24. C. Martinez 3.965 Mid Cities Motorsports
25. D. Dumain 8 laps Moto Journal-Crit
26. M. Paris 10 laps MPH Racing, Inc.
27. B. McCormick 26 laps Picotte Racing
28. K. Turner 27 laps 29 D.
29. McPherson 28 laps McNology Racing
30. B. Long 33 laps LEVEL 10 Racing
31. M. Barnes 36 laps VRC Racing
33. R. Wacker 42 laps Wacker Racing LLC
34. J. Wood 5:03.726 Vesrah Suzuki
35. C. Moodie 47 laps Bulldog Racing
36. A. Fania 49 laps KSW Racing
37. F. Amantini 56 laps Team Amantini
38. M. Cardenas 57 laps Monster Energy/M4 Suzuki
39. C. Seller Project 1 Atlanta
40. J. Day Four Feathers Racing
41. P. Jacobsen Celtic Racing
42. B. Skubic Inotherm Yamaha Racing Team Slovenia
43. R. Wikle Wikle Racing
44. M. Crozier Crozier Roberson Motorsports

2010 AMA Superbike Gallery

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AMA Superbike Rider Bios

Ben Bostrom

Ben Bostrom has truly rode his way to international stardom. After winning the hearts of American race fans, Ben took his show overseas.

Larry Pegram Bio

Larry Pegram was born in Columbus Ohio and has been racing as a professional since 1988.

Jake Zemke Bio

All the hard work paid off in 2008 when Jake won his first AMA Superbike series championship by claiming the Formula Xtreme title that has eluded him for all these years.

Mat Mladin Bio

During the past decade, Mat Mladin was the most dominant rider in the modern era of AMA Superbike racing.

Jamie Hacking Bio

Jamie Hacking is known for his aggressive on the edge riding and that gives him an edge when the opposition has to think twice about trying to pass him.

Neil Hodgson Bio

Neil Hodgson worked his way through the ranks of the European club racing series before winning the British Superbike Championship in 2000 and 2003 World Superbike Championships.

Chris Ulrich Bio

Chris Ulrich began his career competing in the AMA 250 GP class in '98 and won a WERA National Endurance Championship in 2001.

Josh Herrin Bio

One of the brightest young stars in the AMA paddock, Herrin's name will be one to watch in the years to come.

Josh Hayes Bio

Josh Hayes is a dedicated road racer who started in 1994 on a F2 that he tuned himself while driving from race to race. Sound familar?

Chaz Davies Bio

Having started making a name for himself in the 125 MotoGP series, Chaz Davies has become a fixture in the AMA Formula Xtreme championship.

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View all articles by Bart Madson
View all articles in AMA Pro Road Racing 2010 News

Comments

Dave - UK -Bored March 14, 2010 02:25 PM
Well I was on holiday in Orlando & decided to take a trip up to watch the bike racing as I love it in the UK & regularly attend BSB, WSB & Moto GP events here. What a shame in the lack of effort from the AMA organisers. Why have 2 races in he afternoon & then a BIG gap to the main event? Great for all the fans that turned up with a house on wheels but as I was on foot I spent most of my time walking around the track. Also why only 3 races in 9 hours, where where all the support races (or did I miss some)? No wonder AMA is crumbling as I would not make the effort to attend again in the future. I'd rather wait for the WSB or Moto GP to arrive in the Country. Not all a bad experience though as the 200 was a great spectacle to watch & the pit lane access was great. Further more the small number of attending fans were very friendly & chatty.

VPM -An Observation after attending the Dayona opening events March 12, 2010 05:07 PM
As a long time producer and photojournalist for one of the major TV network affiliates, I have actively worked to promote the sport of AMA Pro Road Racing by doing my best to get them air time. This includes bringing a couple of the well known riders to one of our live shows for an interview segment. Aside from that I have made my way to the track on numerous occasions to shoot and produce segments to air to our viewers (More than a half a million homes according to Nielsen Rankings). Free Airtime for the AMA, right? Yeah, try to put a dollar value on that amount of advertising.
I bring this up on the heels of my recent work trip to Daytona to the opening AMA racing events March 4th and 5th. I still work for that TV network, but in the interim have formed my own company. My immediate project is to shoot a documentary on motorcycle road racing…one of my passions. Most of the members of the Communications and Media Relations arm of AMA Pro Racing have been great. I have worked with some of them before, and they have expressed their excitement about the possibilities…all except for their relatively new boss, John Szymanski. I had not met John until the morning of the 4th at the infield Media Center at Daytona International Raceway to iron out a few details of my “mission” for this documentary. Much to my disappointment (and amazement), I was greeted with a less than enthusiastic welcome. I was quickly dismissed by John as he handed me a piece of paper with a phone number to Rick Miner (Speed TV). By the way, before Mr. Szymanski’s abrupt closing of the door between him and me, he managed to slip in a comparison of AMA to NASCAR and Indy Car. I’ll clarify that in a moment.
Now, why Rick Miner? First mistake by AMA was they gave full TV exclusivity to Speed. Which means Speed can supposedly tell me what I can and cannot shoot (they control the deployment of the appropriate “photographers” passes). In this case I could shoot nothing on the track...NOTHING, even though I had full media credentials from the AMA. Mr. Miner was incredibly rude and very short with me. This after I explained to him my many emails and voicemails to SPEED TV had gone unanswered in the weeks and months leading up to Daytona. Also AMA had been trying (unsuccessfully) to contact them with regards to this venture. Let me quickly say that I have covered live NASCAR and IRL for years, and have never once been told what I can and cannot shoot. (I know there are rules in place with NASCAR broadcasting, and my network affiliate is aware of those parameters) With that said, Mr. Szymanski made it a point to tell me how NASCAR and IRL have that “same exclusivity” as the AMA does. As true as it may be, the AMA is neither of those. When you put 100,000 (or a lot more) fans in the seats at every race, and draw the kind of TV viewership that they do, and then perhaps we can start to draw such comparisons. Until such numbers are obtained, maybe it would be a good idea to allow those media outlets that are willing to devote some free publicity to a sport that could use the “shot in the arm”, a platform with which to work.
This first event of the 2010 season is a prime example. Point; how can the AMA be at arguably America’s most famous race track in the middle of Bike Week, with hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists within miles of the track, and not get 100,000 people in to watch this amazing display? Seriously? Speed has done nothing to promote the sport…though I saw lots of motocross promotion during the 24Hours of Daytona. I’ve seen nothing promoting the high speed, on the edge action of motorcycle road racing. With all due fairness, I don’t watch the network 24 hours a day. Perhaps I missed something.
There are reasons this sport has seen little success here in America. It’s not the racers, or the manufacturers, or even the tracks. It’s not a lack of interest, or efforts on behalf of the media. I saw “first hand” last week why the AMA is destined to never reach its’ full potential. Huge ego with no imagination, no gratitude, and no understanding of their fan base…And moreover, their potential fan base.

WyoTech -Yamaha killed it! March 11, 2010 01:30 PM
Great recap, guys. Check out ours at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_lEbCo8gnA

Dusty Roads -200 Friday night,are they crazy! March 10, 2010 04:06 PM
Speed Vision clearly shows Eslick's(He is no doubt one very good rider) front tire OUT-OF-THE-BOX on the start.It IS a violation of rules.
Why did they change the rules by limiting the JAP bikes to 600cc.
Who's insane idea was it to race the 200 Friday night!!!

On a side note-why are SuzuKi,BMW,etc No-Shows at the speedway vendors??????
What is happening folks?

Samxrl -Who really cares? March 10, 2010 05:57 AM
This just in: The AMA/DMG series sucks! "If a bike fell over in a forest of backmarkers and nobody's, would anyone hear or care"? WSB's first race of the season ended with a finish line gap of 4/1000 of a sec. between first and second place. Oh, and there are names in that series you'll actually recognize and care about. If you watch this pathetic series, pay attention to how little they pan to the grandstands with the tv camera. That's because they don't want to spook the 2-dozen fans in the stands that actually paid money for this crap of a series!

Mark -Daytona? March 8, 2010 02:17 PM
Daytona is the most prestigious race in America? The track sucks. Daytona & California Speedway ought to be removed from the schedule.

Michelle -Jump start March 8, 2010 08:11 AM
I find it interesting that Eslick wasn't meatballed. It was an obvious jump. Who cares if he didn't gain an advantage? Are the rules only for riders that could gain advantage on a jump start? Bad way to start the season.

Lunar -Josh Davis March 7, 2010 02:59 PM
“to all the Buell haters and complainers out there, what do you think of Danny Eslick now”? Considering the fact that the only three guy’s names that most fans would recognize finished AHEAD of Eslick and all the riders behind him are a bunch of newbies or nobodies, I’m not the least bit impressed. Yates had pole in SBK but did not finish on the podium in either race just like Eslick. Pole positions are largely based on luck once you get it down between the top five guys. The pole is decided off one single fast lap. Race wins however show who is really fast and consistent with their speed. Eslick had a good bike, great pit stops and had pole position but could not even finish on the podium while running with a bunch of nobodies. The Spanish guy in fifth position behind Eslick never saw this track before this weekend and is in only his second year of 600ss racing. Eslick finishing 4th in a field of riders this inexperienced is nothing to be proud of. I bet if Eslick finished 9th you would be bragging about that too. If Eslick wins the championship again then I will owe him respect until then a 4th place finish in the first race of the season is not going to shut up his critics.

DMG -Rule Enforcement? March 6, 2010 04:54 PM
I find it interesting that DMG didn't give Eslick a penalty on the re-start, not only did he move - he was clearly out of the box. Granted he was stopped again.

Jayson -LOL March 6, 2010 12:18 PM
BOO HOO ...... its a shame that Eslick didn't have his 500cc advantage over the 600cc bikes, or else he wouldv'e won the race.....

Schimmel -Suzuki? March 6, 2010 09:48 AM
Wasn't eslick on a Suzuki?

Josh Davis -Slick still going March 6, 2010 05:33 AM
I just want to say, to all the Buell haters and complainers out there, what do you think of Danny Eslick now? He put it on pole, took 4th in the race, and has been fast all weekend. And guess what, he's not on a Buell! I can't say I am an Eslick fan, but I think this season is going to prove that he deserves to run that #1 plate this year.