Birmingham, AL – July 13, 2015 – The winning motorcycle, as raced by Danny Eslick in the 74th running of the Daytona 200, has been acquired by the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and is now on display as part of the Museum’s world-renowned motorcycle collection.
The 2015 Suzuki GSX-R600, resplendent in TOBC team livery and Eslick’s #69 competition number, was acquired by the Museum from TOBC racing and team owner Michelle Lindsay. “TOBC racing is proud and incredibly honored that the 2015 Daytona-200-winning bike piloted by two-time and defending race champion Danny Eslick has found a new home in the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum,” Lindsay said. “It was such an emotional victory for our whole team. It was the first time we raced together as a team since our previous owner’s (Jon Couch’s) passing.
“When Barber agreed to display our bike in their museum, I was overjoyed. I cried. To have a bike in the TOBC racing colors, and with our TOBC crest on it, displayed for thousands of people to see…and to have something that we did together memorialized like this is nothing short of incredible.”
Brian Slark, Technical Director for the Museum commented, “We’re delighted to have this iconic machine as part of the Barber collection. The bike is now in its rightful place among our growing collection of historically relevant, Daytona-winning motorcycles.”
Scott Harwell, who is team manager for TOBC racing, added, “Everyone on the team put their heart and soul into making that race happen. I’m so pleased that we now have the opportunity to take our friends and family to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum to see the bike, and to relive the great memories of the 74th Daytona 200 and what we accomplished as a team that weekend.”
The bike joins the Museum’s collection of more than 1,400 pristine motorcycles and automobiles, and it will be displayed alongside the racebikes of world-renowned motorcycle racers like Jarno Saarinen, Yvon DuHamel, Colin Edwards, and many more.
ABOUT THE BARBER VINTAGE MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM
George Barber’s zeal for speed ignited his vision for today’s museum. Having raced Porsches in the 1960s, Barber held an impressive record of 63 wins. A thriving business executive, Barber rediscovered his motorsports passion in 1988 and began collecting and restoring classic cars. But, since the world’s best and largest car collections had already been established, Barber heeded some advice from longtime friend Dave Hooper, a motorcycle enthusiast, who suggested Barber shift his focus from cars to motorcycles. Barber seized the opportunity to build the world’s “best and largest” motorcycle collection.
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit Foundation located at the 830-acre Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, AL. Over the course of the past decade, the Barber Museum has brought people from around the world to Alabama, and it was named the #1 tourist attraction in Birmingham in 2014.
The museum is the home of the world’s largest motorcycle collection. Each year, it hosts vintage motorcycle and racecar events, including the Barber Vintage Festival and Barber Historics.
For more information, visit www.barbermuseum.org.