75th Running of the Daytona 200 Scheduled for March 12, 2016
~ American SportBike Racing Association to Sanction America’s Most Historic Motorcycle Race for Second Straight Year ~
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – America’s most historic motorcycle race, the DAYTONA 200, will celebrate a significant milestone in 2016 with its 75th running on Saturday, March 12, 2016, Daytona International Speedway track officials announced. Tickets for the race went on sale today.
The 57-lap, 200-mile race on the 3.51-mile road course will showcase 600cc sportbikes sanctioned by the American SportBike Racing Association (ASRA) for the second straight year.
“We are thrilled to continue to work with American SportBike Racing Association as the sanctioning body for the Daytona 200,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood said. “It’s an important anniversary for the Daytona 200 in 2016 and we look forward to celebrating this event’s rich history with an exciting event featuring riders battling for a competitive purse and a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona.”
In 2015, Oklahoma native Danny Eslick became a two-time Daytona 200 champion by pulling off a last-lap pass of Josh Herrin to secure a .086-second margin of victory.
In addition to the Daytona 200, ASRA and the Championship Cup Series (CCS) will have a full complement of road races Thursday, March 10 through Sunday, March 12. Daytona 200 qualifying will take place on Friday, March 11 with the race going green the following day at 1 p.m.
“The 75th running of the Daytona 200 will be a milestone event for motorcycle road racing in America and we are ecstatic to serve as the sanctioning body for the event,” said Kevin Elliott, President of ARSA. “The sheer magnitude of what the Daytona 200 means to our sport cannot be understated. With its history, this unique event has continually turned good racers into stars and then stars into superstars as they fought to win this prestigious race.”
Similar to its four-wheeled brethren, the Daytona 200’s roots go back to the sands of Daytona Beach where they began racing on a 4.2-mile shoreline course in 1937 before moving the event to Daytona International Speedway in 1961 and incorporating the high banks of the “World Center of Racing.”
In addition to the full road racing calendar and the Daytona 200, Daytona International Speedway will continue to be the driving force behind Bike Week hosting a wide range of activities.
On Saturday night, March 5, Daytona International Speedway will host the only Monster Energy AMA Supercross event in Florida – the prestigious Daytona Supercross By Honda.
Daytona International Speedway will also feature the AMA Pro Flat Track doubleheader on March 10-11 on the Daytona Flat Track, which is located outside Turns 1 and 2.
Tickets for all motorcycle racing events are available by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest news all season long. Fans can follow the latest on DAYTONA Rising, the $400 million frontstretch renovation at the “World Center of Racing” by using #DAYTONARising on Twitter or visiting www.daytonarising.com.