American Honda riders Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke go into Saturday’s Daytona 200 race aiming to give Honda a third consecutive victory in America’s most prestigious road race, a record as the first manufacturer to win three 200s on the bounce. The two riders will be equipped with the latest version of the CBR600RR that carried Zemke to victory last year and Duhamel the win in 2005. Duhamel 38, from LaSalle – Quebec, Canada is chasing a record breaking sixth win in the event. Currently tied on five wins with fellow American Scott Russell, Duhamel is a strong favourite of many to use the CBR600RR power to dominate the race but Zemke has tasted victory at in the 200 and will push him all the way in the 68 lap race. Should Duhamel score a sixth record breaking win he will be the oldest rider ever to win the race, the legendary Dick Mann is the current holder of that honour winning the 200 when just short of his 37th birthday. “All the Honda boys will be on the same bike so they’ll be really fast,” Duhamel explained. “And then you’ll have the riders from Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Ducati who should be really strong as well. They might pop their head in there and surprise some people. But that’s the nature of the Daytona 200, you can always expect surprises from that race.” “The Daytona 200, as anyone can tell you if you grew up racing, you knew all about it,” Zemke said after winning last year. “It doesn’t matter (even) if you’re a motocrosser. Motocrossers know about the Daytona 200. Everybody knows about the Daytona 200. So it’s something, as a kid that you look at the names on the list of the winners of the 200, and it’s a who’s who list, and I’m proud to put my name up there.” The Daytona race will be the only time the American Honda riders campaign the CBR600RR their main target for 2007 will be the AMA Superbike Championship. In the premier class of US road racing the two will contest the 11 event 19 race schedule aboard CBR1000RR Hondas in a bid to regain the title last won by reigning MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, in 2002. The first Superbike race action of the season will be the curtain raiser on 200-race day and Duhamel and Zemke will chase maximum Superbike points to get the season off to a perfect start. Fitted with traction control for the first time the CBR1000RRs have been running consistently fast times in winter testing and both men are confident of finishing higher this time round than the third place finish overall by Duhamel last season. Zemke ended 2006 in eighth place. The Superbike race will serve a double purpose on Saturday. The race is crucial to the early season fortunes of the American Honda team but also caries the additional benefit of data gathering on track conditions, tyre wear and pit crew refuelling practice in preparation for the Daytona 200 later in the day.