ASRA Endurance/Team Challenge 60-lapper at Daytona
New York City concrete worker Joseph Limandri Jr., 19, won the ASRA 60-lap Endurance/Team Challenge race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, riding a Bartcon Bauce Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 on Pirelli Tires. He actually did 61 laps because he was shown the white flag twice instead of being shown the checkered flag at the end of lap 60!
Richie Escalante finished second, 23.8 seconds behind Limandri; Escalante took the lead early and was well ahead when he pitted his Dunlop-equipped Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 for the first of three stops. But he lost 2+ laps when the threaded end of a defective, aftermarket rear axle broke off in the nut while the axle was being reinstalled.
Moto Mutt International finished third with riders Israel Gillette, Gary Johnson, and Michael Mace aboard a Ducati V2 on Pirelli tires.
The race was entered by 42 teams; 35 teams started, with 33 classified as finishers while one, Sebastian Tremblay, was disqualified out of third place, according to officials, “for rejoining the race from the hot pit in an unsafe manner; he entered directly into Turn 1, and did not take the entry road to enter at the exit of Turn 3.”
Non-finishers included 2024 Daytona 200 second-place finisher Tyler Scott, due to his Suzuki GSX-R750’s aftermarket lithium-ion battery failing internally. Floridian Julian Correa, who frequently competes in British Talent Cup events held in England and Spain, DNF when a loose bolt kicked up off the track by another bike punched a hole in his stock Honda CBR600R’s radiator. Gus Rodio ran at the front but retired with a suspected clutch or transmission problem.
