From a press release issued by American Honda: Torrance, CA: Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes had what appeared to be a picture-perfect day on March 8, winning his first Daytona 200 Formula Xtreme race on his CBR600RR with a whopping 32.762 win margin after racing for 69 laps. Hayes and teammate Jake Zemke showed dominating speed in the morning warm-up, and Hayes carried that momentum into the biggest victory of his career. While Hayes experienced the perfect race, the same could not be said for his Honda stable mates. Zemke, the 2006 Daytona 200 winner, led 10 of the first 11 laps across the finish line. For the first 24 laps, Zemke traded the lead with Hayes across the stripe, but disaster struck Zemke on his first pit stop on lap 23. During the routine fuel/tire change pit stop, a fitment issue with the rear wheel on Zemke’s bike delayed him in the pits for nearly two laps, knocking him out of contention for his second Daytona 200 victory. He would claw his way back from dead last to finish a credible 13th at the finish. With Zemke experiencing problems, Honda Racing’s Neil Hodgson, who won the Daytona 200 pole position on his CBR600RR – as well as the Daytona Rolex that goes with the accomplishment – stepped into the front-running fray. The 2008 Daytona 200 was the first time Hodgson had ever raced a 600, and he was impressed with the CBR. After grabbing the pole two days earlier, Hodgson explained his experience on the CBR600RR since arriving at Daytona. “Honestly, I’ve not changed the 600 once, not one click – nothing. It’s weird. Every time I jump on the CBR600RR, it’s the most beautiful bike I’ve ever ridden. It’s incredibly fast. It’s very agile, and gives me a lot of feeling.” Hodgson was a constant threat to win the Daytona 200, leading a lap and hovering within striking distance for most of the event. He closed to within four seconds of Hayes at one point before running off in the chicane, and was so far ahead of third he didn’t even lose a position to the miscue. On lap 59, he turned up the heat, recording a 1:39:604, the fastest lap of the race while in pursuit of leader Hayes. But fate stepped in to prevent Hodgson from becoming the first Brit to win the Daytona 200; Hodgson rolled to a stop on the east banking with a mechanical issue just five laps from the end and was unable to continue. Hodgson’s Honda Racing teammate, Miguel Duhamel, had by far the most eventful race. As a five-time Daytona 200 winner – the winningest AMA racer in the field – Duhamel was considered the man to beat. And he wasted no time stamping his authority on the race, leading into the first turn and setting the pace for much of the first lap. But before he could finish a single lap, Duhamel was into the pits with clutch problems, and this triggered a series of events that would lead to a controversial finish for the legendary Canadian. Duhamel jumped back into the race on his back-up bike after the crew received permission from an AMA official to do so. On lap five, the pace car was called onto the track to allow crash debris to be cleared, and Duhamel – who was always on the lead lap – was able to catch back up to the tail end of the field. From that point on, the fans were treated to a classic Duhamel charge through the pack as he passed dozens of riders in successive laps, dispatching two or sometimes three riders in a single turn. By lap 16, Duhamel had moved into ninth place, and his remarkable charge brought him all the way up to fifth on lap 57. But much to everyone¹s surprise, Duhamel was black-flagged on the following lap. The AMA initially allowed him to ride his back-up bike but after further review of the rules decided he was ineligible to continue. Consequently, Duhamel was disqualified from the race after an amazing 56-lap come-from-behind ride. All the drama of the race was lost on two-time Formula Xtreme champion Hayes, who led a remarkable 53 laps of the 69-lap race to carve his rightful place in the annals of Daytona 200 history. Unfortunately, Hayes too would later suffer disqualification for a claimed technical infraction, and no official results have been posted. Regardless, nothing could take away from the brilliance of Hayes’ remarkably calculated ride; he kept his head down, made no mistakes, had flawless pit stops thanks to his Erion crew, rode smart and fast and spent the entire race methodically building an insurmountable lead. That’s what should be remembered about the 2008 Daytona 200.