Copyright 2005, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The three-day AMA team test January 3-5 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), in Daytona Beach, Florida, is extremely crucial to teams and tire manufacturers due to changes to the legendary track’s infield road course.

At the test, riders and crews for American Honda, Erion Honda, Yoshimura Suzuki, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki, Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki, Kawasaki, Attack Kawasaki, Yamaha, Graves Yamaha and Hal’s Performance Advantage Buell will be sorting out their 2005 machines and equipment, some for the first time.

More importantly, the teams and tire manufacturers Bridgestone, Dunlop, Michelin and Pirelli will be getting their first – and only – look at DIS’s recently revised infield road course prior to the all-important AMA season opener in March.

In the summer of 2004, DIS began a multi-million dollar infield renovation project, which, among many other things, shortened its 3.56-mile infield road course to approximately 3.00 miles. The course revision eliminates the west banking, NASCAR Turns One and Two, and changes the unique demands the World Center of Speed places on motorcycles.

Tire manufacturers will use this week’s test to gather data necessary to redesign their Daytona-specific tires for the best possible performance and safety on the significantly altered course.

Tire engineers will also have to gather information to accommodate the change in the format of the Daytona 200 by Arai.

Instead of 200-plus-horsepower, 370-pound Superbikes, the Daytona 200-miler will feature 140-plus-horsepower, 350-pound Formula Xtreme bikes. The AMA Superbike race at Daytona will be reduced to as few as 12-to-15 laps.

Likewise, teams will have to do long-distance runs (testing engine reliability, fuel mileage and tire wear) on their new Formula Xtreme machines and develop sprint set-ups for their Superbikes on the new course.

Weather forecasts call for relatively good conditions during the period of the test, but conditions can change dramatically and with little warning in Florida.