The following is from Ducati…
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.
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.”
