Bruce Rossmeyers Daytona Racing’s Danny Eslick gave the Buell 1125R a dramatic debut in AMA Pro Racing competition as he topped the first-ever AMA Daytona SportBike practice Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. “It’s awesome,” said Eslick, who turned a best lap time of 1:49.491. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been fastest in an AMA session before. I didn’t really know it until I came into the pits and there was a bunch of people standings around wanting to talk to me. “We got some time on the bike here last weekend [during the CCS/ASRA race event], but I hadn’t ridden that bike until today. The Buell 1125R is working awesome. It really gets through the infield well.” The Daytona SportBike practice session included two red flag stoppages. The second stoppage was brought on by two separate crashes one involving Team ESP/Venemotos Yamaha’s Robertino Pietri and one involving Ridesmart Riding School’s Ty Howard. Pietri was said to have hit his head hard and to have hurt his wrist, according to Team Owner Even Steel, but Pietri continued riding in the session on his back-up bike. Howard’s condition was not know at post time, but his crash was believed to have been caused by his front Dunlop tire expanding at speed and knocking the front fender off his Aprilia, according to AMA Pro Racing officials speaking at the riders meeting. AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike Presented by AMSOIL Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida March 4, 2009 Provisional Practice Times (3.51-mile course, all on Dunlop tires): 1. Danny Eslick (Buell 1125R), 1:49.491 2. Jason DiSalvo (Suz GSX-R600), 1:49.718 3. Martin Cardenas (Suz GSX-R600), 1:49.978 4. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R6), 1:50.117 5. Josh Hayes (Yam YZF-R6), 1:50.429 6. Damian Cudlin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:51.353 7. Robertino Pietri (Yam YZF-R6), 1:51.635, crash 8. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), 1:51.664 9. Tommy Aquino (Yam YZF-R6), 1:51.710 10. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:51.791 11. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:51.939 12. Dane Westby (Yam YZF-R6), 1:51.956 13. Miguel Duhamel (Suz GSX-R600), 1:52.076 14. Chris Peris (Hon CBR600RR), 1:52.182 15. Michael Barnes (Buell 1125R), 1:52.252 16. Ty Howard (Apr RSV1000), 1:52.429, crash 17. Kris Turner (Suz GSX-R600), 1:52.916 18. Eric Wood (Hon CBR600RR), 1:52.956 19. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), 1:52.987 20. Bostjan Pintar (Yam YZF-R6), 1:53.125 21. Chas Davies (Apr RSV1000), 1:53.324 22. Russell Wikle (Suz GSX-R600), 1:53.348 23. Garrett Carter, 1:53.357 24. Bostjan Skubic (Yam YZF-R6), 1:53.534 25. Ryan Patterson (Yam YZF-R6), 1:53.717 26. Tyler Odom (Hon CBR600RR), 1:53.808 27. Leandro Mercado (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:53.845 28. Andres Londono (Yam YZF-R6), 1:53.968 29. Eric Haugo (Yam YZF-R6), 1:54.026 30. Justin Filice (Tri Daytona 675), 1:54.152 31. Armando Ferrer (Suz GSX-R600), 1:54.197 32. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:54.426 33. Ben Thompson (Apr RSV1000), 1:54.475 34. Jeff Tigert (Hon CBR600RR), 1:54.559 35. Melissa Paris (Yam YZF-R6), 1:54.581 36. Matt McBride (Suz GSX-R600), 1:54.629 36. David Anthony (Suz GSX-R600), 1:54.687 38. Shawn Higbee (Buell 1125R), 1:54.974 39. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R600), 1:55.084 40. Shane Narbonne (Apr RSV1000), 1:55.115 41. Michael Beck (Yam YZF-R6), 1:55.290 42. Nicky Moore (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:55.347 43. Josh Bryan (Buell 1125R), 1:55.399 44. Walt Sipp (Yam YZF-R6), 1:55.938 45. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-6R0, 1:55.965 46. Marcos Reichert (Yam YZF-R6), 1:56.156 47. Bryan Bemisderfer (Buell 1125R), 1:56.244 48. Mark McCormick (Yam YZF-R6), 1:56.704 49. David Sadowksi, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), 1:56.763 50. John Ashmead (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:56.772 51. Jason Quillman (Yam YZF-R6), 1:56.824 52. Kyle Keesee (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:56.843 53. Jean Paul Tache (Yam YZF-R6), 1:56.946 54. Lloyd Bayley (Yam YZF-R6), 1:57.108 55. David McPherson (Yam YZF-R6), 1:57.144 56. Ray Hofman (Hon CBR600RR), 1:57.235 57. Anthony Fania (Suz GSX-R600), 1:57.416 58. Meghan Stiles (Yam YZF-R6), 1:58.058 59. Daniel Parkerson (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:58.067 60. Larry Myers (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:58.184 61. Thomas Digiandomenico (Yam YZF-R6), 1:58.258 62. James Digiandomenico (Yam YZF-R6), 1:58.338 63. Dean Mizdal (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:58.805 64. Clinton Gibson (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:59.871 65. Craig Moodie (Yam YZF-R6), 1:59.899 66. Alistair Douglas (Suz GSX-R600), 2:00.082 67. Troy Vincent (Suz GSX-R600), 2:00.235 68. Rodney Vest (Suz GSX-R600), 2:01.065 69. Steve Rapp (Apr RSV1000), 2:03.066 70. Kevin Boisvert (Suz GSX-R600), 2:03.532 71. Gene Burcham (Duc 848), 2:04.216 72. Calvin Martinez (Duc 848), 2:04.219 73. Richard Keesee (Yam YZF-R6), 2:06.494