Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Ben Young Finish Top 10 at the 2024 Daytona 200 on Bridgestone Motorcycle Tires

• Three riders finished in the top 10 at the 82^nd running of the Daytona 200 on Bridgestone BATTLAX race tires: Karel Hanika (fifth place), Marvin Fritz (sixth place) and Ben Young (ninth place).
• Bridgestone marked its largest presence to date at the Daytona 200, providing full engineering support, sponsorship and BATTLAX race tires to 15 riders from seven different countries.
• All finishing Bridgestone-shod riders advanced significantly from their starting grid position.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 10, 2024) – Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) today announced that three Bridgestone-backed riders secured top 10 finishes at the historic 82^nd running of the Daytona 200. Karel Hanika rode his YART-ProKASRO Yamaha R6 to a fifth place finish, followed by YART teammate Marvin Fritz in sixth place and Ben Young of Team BATTLAX in ninth. This was a record showing for Bridgestone BATTLAX race tires at the Daytona 200.

In addition to three of the top 10 riders being on Bridgestone BATTLAX tires, Hanika completed the second overall fastest lap time at 1:48.628, only 0.003 seconds behind the fastest lap of the race. This was the first Daytona 200 for YART Yamaha teammates Hanika and Fritz, who are the reigning champs of the FIM Endurance World Championship series. Canadian Superbike Champion Ben Young was able to advance through the grid on his Team BATTLAX Suzuki Canada GSX-R750 for a ninth place finish.

Bridgestone marked its largest presence to date at this year’s Daytona 200, providing full engineering support, sponsorship and BATTLAX race tires to 15 riders from seven different countries:

• Karel Hanika, YART Yamaha (Czech Republic)
• Marvin Fritz, YART Yamaha (Austria)
• Ben Young, Team BATTLAX (Canada)
• Matt Truelove (England)
• Diego Perez Zuasti (Spain)
• Trevor Daley, Team BATTLAX (Canada)
• Matt Simpson (Canada)
• Alexandre Michel (Canada)
• Maverick Cyr (Canada)
• Niccolo Canepa, YART Yamaha (Italy)
• Harry Truelove (England)
• Alex Coelho (Portugal)
• Sébastien Tremblay (Canada)
• Brad MacRae (Canada)
• Samuel Guérin (Canada)

An incredible effort was put in by all teams, although racing incidents and mechanical issues caused a few riders to miss the start or DNF.  But notably, all Bridgestone riders that finished the race advanced significantly from their starting grid position.

“We’re thrilled that three riders finished in the top 10 on Bridgestone BATTLAX tires at the Daytona 200 this year, marking a first for Bridgestone,” said Jared Williams, General Manager Bridgestone Motorcycle Tire business in the United States and Canada. “These outstanding results, and the fact that each of the riders who finished advanced significantly through the grid from their starting positions, underscores the incredible grip, performance, and reliability of Bridgestone BATTLAX tires. Congratulations to all riders and teams on an incredible race weekend.”

“The Bridgestone tires performed unbelievably well,” said Young. “During the last stint in particular, the tires provided the extra edge and advantage needed to push past and gap the other riders to get the job done and end in the right position.”

Bridgestone’s top 10 finish at the Daytona 200 aligns with the “Emotion” and “Ease” values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment. The Bridgestone E8 Commitment, encompassing eight values all beginning with the letter “E,” solidifies Bridgestone’s dedication to fostering a more sustainable world.

For more company news, visit BridgestoneAmericas.com.

About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.: 

Bridgestone Americas, Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tires and rubber, building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Bridgestone Americas employs more than 45,000 people across its worldwide operations. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.

More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FACTORY RIDER KYLE WYMAN SNAGS DOUBLE DAYTONA VICTORIES TO OPEN 2024 KING OF THE BAGGERS RACE SEASON

Cory West Tops All-Harley Podium in Saturday’s Super Hooligan Race

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider Kyle Wyman scored a Daytona double by winning the first two MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers races of the 2024 season at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing rider James Rispoli finished in third place in both races. Wyman and Rispoli were aboard the team’s new race-prepared 2024 Road Glide® motorcycles.

Team Saddlemen rider Cory West rode a race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Pan America® 1250 Special motorcycle to victory and topped an all-Harley podium in the Mission Super Hooligan race on Saturday. Team Saddlemen rider Jake Lewis finished second, and Gator Harley/KWR rider Cody Wyman was third completing the sweep. West also finished in third place in the Super Hooligan race on Friday and leads the series points after two of 10 scheduled rounds.

The first King of the Baggers race on Friday saw a thundering pack of 17 bagger race motorcycles topping 185 mph on the high-banked oval portion of the 3.52-mile Daytona International Speedway road course. Wyman and Rispoli were part of a four-bike group that battled for the lead for the entire race and started the last of six laps separated by less than one second. Wyman had been quick through the backstraight chicane all race and on the last lap got a strong drive out of the final corner to pass Factory Indian rider Troy Herfoss for the lead heading onto the last section of the oval. Wyman had enough momentum to hold off Herfoss and Rispoli across the finish line with a 0.018 second advantage over Herfoss and 0.137 second over Rispoli. Defending King of the Baggers series champion Hayden Gillim finished fourth on the RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Road Glide, 0.837 seconds behind Wyman.

“On that last lap we were just about parked, but I refused to pass to lead the race until the moment it counted,” said Wyman. “I saw a window coming out of the chicane and was just able to hold them off for the win.”

The second King of the Baggers race on Saturday saw Wyman, Rispoli, Herfoss, Gillim, and Factory Indian rider Tyler O’Hara break away from the pack early in the race and swap positions on each lap. On the final lap, Herfoss gapped Wyman on the back stretch but braked late and over-shot the entry to the chicane, giving Wyman an opportunity to pounce. Wyman again got a strong drive onto the last section of the high-bank oval and was able to out-run Herfoss to the finish by 0.137 seconds. Rispoli finished 1.518 seconds back in third place.

“I was in survival mode on the last lap,” said Wyman. “I lost my quick-shifter and I was going to be happy to finish second, but Herfoss gave me a chance and we made it work. Hats off to my entire Harley-Davidson crew for all their hard work this weekend.”

“What an unreal weekend,” said Rispoli. “There was so much nervousness before the races. So, it was a massive relief to get two podiums in my first weekend with the Factory Harley-Davidson team. I am so stoked for the entire team, and I know we will be a force for the future rounds.” 

After 2 of 18 rounds in the 2024 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series Kyle Wyman leads with 50 points. Herfoss is second with 40 points, followed by Rispoli with 32 points and Gillim with 24 points.

Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing returns to action at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, April 12-13 at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.

Harley-Davidson® Factory Racing is sponsored by Mission® Foods, Rockford Fosgate®, Brembo®, Öhlins®, Protolabs®, SYN3® lubricants, and Screamin’ Eagle® Performance Parts and Accessories.

MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Daytona International Speedway Race 1

1. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
2. Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
3. James Rispoli (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
4. Hayden Gillim (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
5. Rocco Landers (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
6. Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) RydFast Racing
7. Bobby Fong (Ind) SDI/Roland Sands Racing
8. Travis Wyman (H-D) Saddleman/Harley-Davidson
9. Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
10. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle

MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Daytona International Speedway Race 2

1. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
2. Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
3. James Rispoli (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
4. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
5. Hayden Gillim (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
6. Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) RydFast Racing
7. Jake Lewis (H-D) Saddleman/Harley-Davidson
8. Cory West (H-D) Saddleman/Harley-Davidson
9. Travis Wyman (H-D) Saddleman/Harley-Davidson
10. Rocco Landers (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
11. Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
12. Jesse Janisch (H-D) Suburban Motors H-D/Slyfox/Trask Performance
13. Zachary Schumacher (H-D) Nowaskey Extreme Performance
14. Gunnar Ouellette (H-D) Trask Performance
15. Ruben Xaus (H-D) Feuling Parts

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

GUS RODIO RIDES APRILIA RS 660 TO TWO COMMANDING VICTORIES IN MOTOAMERICA TWINS CUP SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

APRILIA RIDERS CLAIM FOUR OF THE SIX PODIUM PLACES AVAILABLE IN RACES HELD FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – 10 MARCH 2024 – Aprilia rider Gus Rodio’s campaign to clinch the MotoAmerica Twins Cup title he narrowly missed out on in 2023 could not have started in a better way. The Hammonton, N.J., resident piloted his Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering Aprilia RS 660 to two victories by impressive margins at the season-opening round of MotoAmerica’s 2024 Twins
Cup at Daytona International Speedway.

Rodio’s two wins were just a couple of the successes Aprilia RS 660 riders had on Friday and Saturday on the iconic facility’s 3.51-mile motorcycle road course layout. Rodio’s teammates – Twins Cup rookie Alessandro Di Mario and veteran Ben Gloddy – and TopPro Racing’s Avery Dreher scored two podium finishes and three additional top-five finishes between them. In total, Aprilia riders claimed 11 of the 20 total Top-10 finishes on the double race weekend.

Rodio’s eye-popping pace was evident from the first on-track session of the round, as his best lap in the Thursday practice session was more than 1.5 seconds faster than the rest of the field. Dreher posted the second-best time, followed by Gloddy in third, Di Mario in eighth, Dreher’s TopPro Racing teammate, Romeo Chiavini, in ninth and Righteous Racing’s Ray Hofman in 10th.

The first of two qualifying sessions took place later Thursday, and Rodio was again at the top of the time sheets with a lap time that more than a second faster than his best time in practice. Dreher was third-fastest in the session, with Gloddy sixth-fastest, Di Mario seventh-fastest, Chiavini ninth-fastest and Hofman 10th.

Qualifying concluded on Friday morning with Rodio having secured the first pole position of the 2024 MotoAmerica Twins Cup season by 0.822 seconds. Dreher qualified third, giving Aprilia two machines on the front row of the grid. Gloddy ended up qualifying fifth, Di Mario seventh, and Chiavini 10th.

Friday afternoon’s Race 1 saw Rodio gradually pull away at the front while Dreher, Gloddy and Di Mario battled it out with two other riders for the last two steps on the podium. Rodio narrowly missed out on taking the holeshot but had assumed the race lead by the end of Lap 1 and led every lap thereafter – taking victory by a margin of more than 11 seconds. Gloddy, Dreher and Di Mario found themselves in
a four-way – and in the closing laps five-way – fight for the podium, as the group took turns drafting and re-drafting each other during the nine-lap race. On the run to the finish line, Dreher edged out Di Mario for the last step on the podium by 0.087 seconds. Gloddy finished sixth, missing out on a top-five finish by 0.343 seconds.

Other Aprilia riders who finished in the Top-10 include Chiavini in eighth and Hofman in 10th.

In Saturday morning’s Race 2, it took Rodio a little longer to break away from the field – but the result was the same. Like in Race 1, Rodio slotted into second place as the field reached Turn 1 for the first time and moved into the lead later on the first lap. Though another front runner drafted by Rodio to lead at the end of Lap 1, Rodio reassumed the lead on Lap 2 and led the remainder of the race.

Unfortunately for Dreher, an incident on Lap 1, Turn 1, caused him to crash heavily, and he was unable to rejoin the race. When the rider running in second place retired from the race on Lap 4, it allowed Gloddy, Di Mario and two other riders to have a four-way go at the last two podium places. Like in Race 1, riders in the group took turns drafting and re-drafting each other. Di Mario finished in third place – 0.044 seconds behind the second-place rider – and Gloddy clinched a top-five finish.

The other Aprilia riders who scored top-10 finishes include Hofman in eighth and Chiavini in ninth. After two races, Rodio has amassed a 19-point lead in the points standings. Di Mario sits in third place in the standings, Gloddy fifth, Dreher eighth, Chiavini ninth and Hofman in 10th.

Of the 26 riders registered for MotoAmerica Twins Cup at the Daytona round, 12 were slated to compete with Aprilia RS 660s.

The next MotoAmerica Twins Cup race takes place April 21-23 at the Road Atlanta circuit 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!”

More, from a press release issued by Rodio Racing:

Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Gus Rodio scores pair of wins in season-opening MotoAmerica Twins Cup races at Daytona International Speedway

Di Mario claims podium finish in Twins Cup debut weekend, Gloddy scores top-five at March 7-9 event

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – 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.