The following is from Suzuki…
Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer saw the 2024 otoAmerica AMA/ FIM North American Road Racing Championship opener end in bittersweet fashion, highlighted by a runner-up finish in Saturday’s 82nd Daytona 200 to go along with the lap record and pole position the team secured earlier in the week. Suzuki GSX-Rs dominated the top ten, earning six of the top ten results in this year’s 200-mile contest.
Former Twins Cup class champion Rocco Landers (97) came out on top in an intense drafting battle in Daytona’s Twins Cup race 2, riding the new Suzuki GSX-8R parallel twin. Landers guided the RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki GSX-8R to this exciting new bike’s first-ever MotoAmerica podium in a sterling racing debut.
Scott, who had separated his shoulder in a crash earlier in the weekend, said, “I’ve got to thank the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki squad and my mom and dad and everyone for getting me here. The crew was amazing, and the pit stops went really smoothly. I had good pace and just kept putting laps down. It was unfortunate to see Richie run out of gas, but I’m happy with P2 even though I really wanted the win.”
Former MotoAmerica Twins Cup class champion Rocco Landers (97) came out on top of a four-rider drafting battle for second that also included Team Hammer’s Rossi Moor.
“I told the team last night, I think we have a podium on our hands,” Landers said. “The bike is brand new, obviously, and I first saw it on Wednesday. The team and Suzuki have been working hard, and we’ve been making consistent improvements. It’s incredible to put the GSX-8R on the podium in just the bike’s second race. This is a really good debut, and once the RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines team gets some more development, this will no doubt be a consistent, race-winning bike.”
Rounding out the Suzuki GSX-8R’s spectacular racing debut, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (92) battled to a strong fourth place finish in Daytona’s Twin’s Cup Race 2, giving the impressive new GSX-8R 40% of the top five places in the contest.
In the Daytona 200, Team Hammer’s Richie Escalante (54) led early aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 and spent the majority of the contest applying pressure on the leader from second, showcasing the speed that earned him the new Daytona track record during qualifying. However, while he was robbed of a near-certain runner-up finish after running short of fuel, he managed to coast the machine across the line and took fourth.
An early-race incident damaged Escalante’s windscreen. He felt the reduced aerodynamics, in combination with pushing the pace to close the gap to the leader most of the race, caused the issue.
“For sure, I really wanted to win today,” Escalante said. “I felt really good. I just tried my best, lap-by-lap, pushing, pushing, pushing. I could see the leader right there and was pushing so hard to try to close the gap and fight for the victory. But I ran out of fuel. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose – it’s just a part of racing. I tried my best and want to thank my team. The Suzuki was great all week long.”
Superbike regular Brandon Paasch (96) registered a steady ride, running with the front pack early before putting his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 in the top ten by claiming seventh.
“It was great other than some pit stop drama,” said Paasch. “It was a long race and out by myself for most of the time. It would have been good to get back on top again having won the race before, but it is what it is.”
Despite starting from the eighth row, Teagg Hobbs (79) clawed his way up from 22nd on the grid to earn tenth place after 200 high-speed miles.
“It wasn’t the greatest weekend for us,” said Hobbs. “We had some issues out of our control come up. I didn’t get up to speed and we didn’t get a lot of time to improve the bike. For the race, I did what I could to finish. I’m glad to get a top-ten result but we’re looking to be at the front. After the weekend we had, I’m happy to finish and ready to focus on the season.”
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor (92) continued his quick acclimation to the MotoAmerica Twins Cup series, battling for the podium and finishing fourth in his second race aboard the brand-new, Suzuki GSX-8R.
“In one regard, it was good to battle for the podium,” said Moor. “We didn’t have the pace yesterday to do it, but the team worked hard and made the bike even better for me today. I made a small mistake on the last lap when I wheelied coming out of The Chicane and that cost me a shot at the podium. The team did a great job here of closing the gap. We will keep working hard and see what we can do from here.”
The following is from Rodio Racing – Powered By Robem Engineering…
At the end of the 2023 season, Gus Rodio had proven himself to be one of the frontrunners in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup despite it being his first year racing in the class. At the 2024 season-opening Twins Cup round at Daytona International Speedway, Rodio looked like he was in a class all his own.
The Hammonton, N.J., resident and 2023 Twins Cup runner-up put in two dominating performances on Friday and Saturday to take victory by more than 11 seconds in both contests after being the fastest rider in all three practice and qualifying sessions at the March 7-9 round.
Rodio wasn’t the only rider of the team’s three-athlete lineup to find success at the Daytona round, as Twins Cup rookie Alessandro Di Mario scored a podium finish in his second MotoAmerica race aboard an Aprilia RS 660. And MotoAmerica veteran Ben Gloddy scored a top-five finish after not having ridden his Aprilia since the season-ending round at New Jersey Motorsports Park last year.
The event started off well for all three Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering riders, with Rodio pacing the field in practice on Thursday morning by more than 1.5 seconds and Gloddy and Di Mario finishing the session third-fastest and eighth-fastest, respectively. Rodio continued his impressive form later Thursday in Qualifying 1, taking provisional pole by 0.342 seconds. Gloddy finished that session in sixth place and Di Mario in seventh.
Twins Cup Qualifying 2 on Friday morning saw Rodio cement his grip on pole position while improving his best lap time on his Aprilia RS 660 by more than a second. Gloddy ended up qualifying fifth and Di Mario seventh.
Friday afternoon’s Race 1 proved Rodio was able to maintain the blistering pace he’d shown in qualifying over the course of a nine-lap race. Though he missed out on grabbing the holeshot, Rodio moved up to the race lead later on Lap 1 and never relinquished it, gradually building a large gap to the rest of the field and taking the win by 11.493 seconds. Gloddy and Di Mario were part of a multi-rider battle that was to determine the other two podium places. Di Mario came oh-so-close to getting a podium finish in his first Twins Cup race, but the draft on the long run to the finish line allowed another rider to best him for third place by a mere 0.087 seconds. Gloddy missed out on a top-five finish in similar fashion. He finished sixth — 0.343 seconds behind the rider ahead of him.
Race 2 took place Saturday morning and was the scene of another commanding effort from Rodio. Though he battled with another rider for the first lap, Rodio regained the lead on Lap 2 and began building another large gap – eventually finishing the race more than 11 second ahead of the scrap for the last two podium places. Gloddy and Di Mario were again in the mix for a podium finish, and Di Mario finished third after being edged out for second place by 0.044 seconds. Gloddy scored a fifth-place result and came within 0.041 seconds from taking fourth place.
Rodio’s blistering one-lap pace also was on display at Daytona. He lowered the all-time MotoAmerica Twins Cup lap record to a 1:55.193 in Friday morning’s Qualifying 2 session, then bested that the next day in the morning warm-up session with a lap time of 1:55.119. He also lowered the race lap record during Saturday’s Race 2 to a 1:55.413 — 0.132 seconds faster than the previous record.
The Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team will be back in action next month at the next MotoAmerica Twins Cup round, which takes place April 21-23 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga.
Gus Rodio / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“I’m super happy with a perfect weekend in Daytona. We couldn’t ask for anymore, and I’m excited to keep this momentum going into the next round.”
Alessandro Di Mario / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“I’m really happy with how my first time at Daytona turned out. It was a challenging weekend for sure, but we were able to get some solid points for the championship. I want to thank the team for all the work they did behind the scenes, and I am really looking forward to the next rounds. Bring on Atlanta!”
Ben Gloddy / Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering
“I had a great weekend being back on the Aprilia RS 660 and had some solid finishes for not riding since New Jersey last year! I am hoping I can continue riding with the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team for the rest of 2024.”
Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s technical partners for the 2024 season include Spellcaster Productions, Luxestar VIP, Geoscape Solar, MAR Contractors, Blud Lubricants, Spiegler Performance, Woodcraft Technologies, Dymag Performance Wheels, Millennium Technologies, Sprint Filter, Dunlop, SC Project, MVR Endeavor, GRG Designs, REB Graphics, NGK Spark Plugs, EvolveGT and N2 Racing.
The following is from Dunlop…
Josh Herrin and Ducati conquered the 82nd running of the Daytona 200 once again, followed by three racers on Dunlop tires!
This year’s Daytona 200 marked the 82nd anniversary of the event, renowned for its unmatched racing action. With the immense talent pool from over thirteen countries, the 2024 race was no exception. Josh Herrin, supported by Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC, started on the second row and followed up his 2023 win on his Dunlop-supported Ducati Panigale V2.
Forty-five seconds behind Herrin were fellow Dunlop racers Tyler Scott on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, Hayden Gillim backed by Vesrah Racing, and pole sitter Richie Escalante on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rounded out the top 4, all on Dunlop tires!
Thanks to the efforts of MotoAmerica, the Daytona 200 continues to flourish, attracting premier competitors like Pirelli and Bridgestone, all vying for the win at one of the most arduous and celebrated events of the year. Dunlop’s unwavering commitment to excellence and winning is evident, making victory a predictable outcome. We honor and support control tire programs, yet eagerly anticipate the next opportunity to demonstrate Dunlop’s unmatched quality. This year, Dunlop has once again proven that their technology and performance are unparalleled, particularly with the introduction of the new Sportmax Slick line of race slicks.
Dunlop’s profound passion for victory, coupled with an unyielding commitment to technological innovation and rigorous testing, has solidified their status in the industry. As the exclusive tire provider for the MotoAmerica Championship, we’ve harnessed our extensive racing knowledge and engineering prowess to craft tires capable of clinching championships. Our unique position as the sole tire manufacturer with complete design, development, testing, and production facilities in the United States is our pride. This domestic excellence allows us to say with certainty that Dunlop tires are conceived by our engineers in Buffalo, refined by specialists in Huntsville, and produced by our dedicated workforce right here in the United States.
The following is from Ducati…
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin rode into the history books at The World Center of Racing, Daytona International Speedway, by taking a dominant third career Daytona 200 victory and the second in a row as a Ducati rider.
After qualifying fifth on the Ducati Panigale V2, Herrin immediately established himself in the lead group, taking the lead at the International Horseshoe corner ahead of pole-sitter Tyler Scott.
Herrin was thus embroiled in an intense 12-rider battle for the lead in the first third of the race, but a flawless performance from the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team in the first pitstop round marked a turning point.
Led by team manager Bobby Shek, the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team got Herrin out of the pitlane and into a 10.7-second lead by lap 22 ahead of Richie Escalante. From there, it was a matter of keeping the mind focused and the laps ticking over for Herrin. Consistent 1:49 lap times and a couple of 1:48 lap times had Herrin in the box seat for the win.
However, it almost didn’t happen, as Herrin ran out of fuel coming into the pits for the second stop. The number 2 had enough momentum to get back to his pit and a waiting tank of gas, and once again, the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati did everything perfectly to get him back on track in the lead and on his way to the checkered flag.
Thus, Herrin took the win by a massive 45.660s ahead of Tyler Scott and Hayden Gillim. He joins legends like Kenny Roberts, Mat Mladin, Scott Russell, and Miguel Duhamel as three-time Daytona 200 champions.
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati – #2)
“I cannot thank my team enough for this win,” Herrin enthused. “I was riding as hard as ever, but the team put together two perfect pit stops, which made such a difference for us today.
“This is my third year on the Ducati Panigale V2. The bike is amazing; I think many people have been sleeping on it for the past few years. This year, there were many more on the grid, which is awesome. It’s a great motorcycle, and I’m just so happy to be here riding for this team and making a little history with them by taking two Daytona Ducati wins in a row. Next year, we’ll go for three in a row. I love this place!”
The following is from Rahal Ducati Moto…
The first race of the 2024 MotoAmerica Supersport season, and Rahal Ducati Moto’s inaugural event concluded today under the sunny skies at Daytona International Speedway. The 82nd Running of the Daytona 200 crowned its newest winner with Josh Herrin and Ducati taking the title.
With the challenges faced during the initial stages of the weekend, Rahal Ducati Moto saw all three Ducatis cross the finish line for the 57-lap race. While the weekend served as a learning experience for the whole teams, the welcome of Rahal Ducati Moto into the Moto America paddock was overwhelming.
KAYLA YAAKOV
No. 19 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2STARTED: 18
FINISHED: 12
NOTES: Led the Rahal Ducati Moto team to the finish line // Drove a solid race, her first Daytona 200, showing speed and skill // Made 3 pit stops, taking only fuel on the final stop WHAT SHE’S SAYING: “My first ever Daytona 200 was definitely a bit intense. It was a really tough race, but I had a lot of fun. It was a pretty big group but we separated pretty quickly because of a bike blowing up in front of us pretty early on. Overall, we know what we need to improve on now which is a bihelp and we honestly took this weekend as a test run. We accomplished everything we needed to, and now we go on to more testing at Road Atlanta and delivering
PJ JACOBSEN
No. 15 XPEL DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 31
FINISHED: 14
NOTES: Suffered through electronically issues throughout the weekend, however, those problems were solved ahead of the race and was racing at speeds comparable to the leaders // Was served a 15 second penalty for a pit lane speeding violation // Climbed 17 spots from the start to claim a 14th finishing position // Came in for three pits stops, taking only one tire and fuel for the final stop
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a pretty rough race for us, to be honest. As a team, we learned a lot and will have to move forward and use what we’ve learned from this first experience entering into MotoAmerica. It was good that Kayla, Corey, and I got laps around here on the bikes. I think it’s time to go back to the drawing board now and figure everything out to be prepared for this MotoAmerica season, where points matter and the championship matters.”
COREY ALEXANDER
No. 23 ROLLER DIE + FORMING DUCATI PANIGALE V2
STARTED: 19
FINISHED: 16
NOTES: Drove a solid, competitive race despite encountering two engine failures ahead of him which sprayed oil on his machine and helmet early in the race // Entered pit lane for service three times, taking only fuel and one tire on his final stop
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “We were very happy to finish our first Daytona 200 with all three bikes – definitely not the result we hoped for but to be able to finish without any major mechanical issues and get a decent result was positive. We learned a lot heading into the season and we are excited for Atlanta and continuing to build up from where we finished at the end of this race.”
BEN SPIES
RAHAL DUCATI MOTO TEAM PRINCIPAL
WHAT HE’S SAYING: “It was a pretty decent day. We came in here, which was a big feat to get the results that we wanted, and we know that. With all things considered, it went pretty well. PJ lost two days and had one real practice session this morning. He showed a lot of potential in the race with some good lap times. We couldn’t hold the pace that we wanted but they showed some promise with it. Kayla, riding in her first Daytona 200, being 16 years old, and with the field she was against, did exactly what we talked about. She executed her race perfectly. Corey had a really good race too. It was really unfortunate for him because two engines got blown right in front of him, so he had oil on his windscreen and pretty much ran off the track, which cost him lots of time. With all things considered, from what we faced and what we had to work through during the weekend, both bikes finished the race, pit stops were solid, we just needed more time at the end of the day. This was a big test session for us and we got the data we needed to lead with and will keep taking steps forward.”
Next, the Series enters its official points-earning races, and the team’s campaign to claim the series championship begins. The first stop will be a double header weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Rounds 1 & 2 of points competition will be held Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, respectively.
Keep up to speed with all things Rahal Ducati Moto by following our social channels (@rahalducatimoto) and visiting our website (www.rahalducatimoto.com).
The following is from Bridgestone…
The 82nd running of the historic Daytona 200 concluded with five Canadians taking the chequered flag on Saturday, as three-time Bridgestone Canadian Superbike champion Ben Young led the group with a ninth-place finish at Daytona International Speedway.
After qualifying tops amongst CSBK riders in 20th on Friday, Young returned to DIS for the 57-lap feature race on Saturday and quickly settled in at the front, climbing to 16th after the first two laps with four Canadians inside the early top-30.
The group of nine CSBK entries would rapidly shrink to five, however, as both Sebastien Tremblay and Brad Macrae got tangled up with four other riders in a chaotic lap-one crash at the chicane, as Tremblay was collected by another rider and Macrae crashed while taking avoiding action. Both were thankfully uninjured.
Shortly after, a pair of mechanical issues would bring the event to an early end for both Trevor Dion and Sam Guerin, who were each running firmly inside the top-30.
It was an especially crushing result for Dion, who had put his Warhorse HSBK Ducati into 19th in the opening battle and began to catch the lead group when he suddenly ran into front brake issues. The Ducati team tried to fix the problem, but were unable to manage it and Dion was forced to retire on only lap four.
Guerin would continue through most of the first stint and climb as high as 27th, but a Friday night engine swap proved to be unsuccessful as he bowed out with a motor failure on lap 13.
That left the Team BATTLAX Suzuki duo of Young and Trevor Daley, Matt Simpson, Alex Michel, and Mavrick Cyr on-track approaching the end of the first stint, with the first round of pit stops projected between lap 17 to 21.
Both Daley and Young would manage to extend their first shift on the Bridgestone tires toward the later end of that period, making up valuable time on the midfield behind a pair of excellent pit stops.
Young would really make his gains in the second stint, however, again squeezing the most out of his tires to stay out later than majority of the field and pit for a final time on lap 40, avoiding a three-stop strategy that proved to be disastrous for a handful of other riders.
With fresher BATTLAX rubber in the final phase, Young managed to string together a batch of strong laps to climb into the top-ten, nearly catching Stefano Mesa for ninth after exiting the pits down more than 20 seconds to the Ducati rider.
Ultimately he would fall just six seconds shy of Mesa at the line, but managed to bring home a spectacular tenth-place finish in what was considered one of the strongest fields in Daytona 200 history, scoring higher than names like PJ Jacobsen and four-time Daytona winner Danny Eslick.
The tenth-place finish would later become ninth, however, as provisional fourth-place runner Bobby Fong was disqualified for a fuel infraction, moving each of the Canadian riders up one spot in the end results.
As for Young’s teammate, Daley was working inside the top-20 himself when he was forced into a longer second stop than usual due to a loose tail-section, coming back out in 25th position.
Daley would fight his way back through a handful of riders during the pit window to claim 21st on-track and later 20th overall, an impressive finish that would put him second amongst the CSBK entries and secure an excellent result for the Team BATTLAX Suzuki program.
Making up the most ground on Saturday was Evans Racing Yamaha rider Matt Simpson, who avoiding the early chaos and settled into a strong middle stint to climb from 46th on the grid to 25th in the final table.
The following is from Vesrah Racing…
Vesrah Racing Podiums On Return To United States Professional Motorcycle Racing At The 2024 Daytona 200
In the 2024 Daytona 200 held at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach Florida on March 9, Hayden Gillim rounded out the podium with a third-place finish. Fan reaction to the return of the iconic yellow Suzuki was overwhelmingly positive both at the track and online.
After an early mishap heading into the chicane dropped the Vesrah Racing Suzuki GSX-R750 out of the top 10, Hayden persevered and, with the help of quick pit stops by the Vesrah Racing crew combined with his inspired riding, he was able to make his way back towards the front of the field. It looked like a repeat of last year’s 4th-place finish but a competitor’s misfortune on the final lap enabled Hayden to stand on the podium in victory lane.
This effort was proudly supported by Steel Commander Corp., Comstock Energy LLC, Maxima Racing Oils, Fast Line Track Days, KTech suspension, Skip at Orient Express, Dunlop, GB Racing, REB Graphics, and Amanda Plumbing Sewer & Drain.
Hayden Gillim – Rider #95: “It was an honor to fly the Vesrah colors on the high banks for the 2024 Daytona 200. I made a few mistakes early on in the race, but luckily, the whole team picked up my slack in the pit stops. I feel like we accomplished a lot, and I cannot thank everyone enough for helping me get my first Daytona 200 podium!”
Akihito Tamura – CEO Vesrah Co.: “I am so happy with this podium result in third place with Hayden on Vesrah’s return after a dozen years to American professional motorcycle road racing with MotoAmerica. The performance of the Vesrah Racing Pad XX against the unique demands of braking into turn 1 at Daytona was a highlight of the race. It is my 80th birthday this year, and I cannot thank the team enough for the early birthday present!”
Mark Junge – Team Principal: “Hayden made a step forward from his fourth-place finish last year to be on the podium in third place, but we will not be satisfied until the top step is earned, and we will be back to try again. I am extremely proud and thankful to the crew who helped to make this result possible with great pit stops.”
