KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
It’s Back-to-Back Pole Positions For Josh Herrin at The Daytona 200
Herrin banks an early flyer to take P1 in the 2023 Daytona 200 Time Attack
Sunnyvale, Calif., March 10, 2023 – Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York) put his number one Ducati Panigale V2 in P1 for the 2023 Daytona 200, his second pole position in a row in the great race.
Herrin and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York team missed the day’s first session due to an electrical gremlin. Still, they turned the tide when it mattered. Herrin had to lay it on the line with the second of only two timed laps in the Time Attack session enough to put him on pole position. Herrin was the only rider into the 1:48-second bracket in the session as he headed Yamaha’s PJ Jacobsen and Suzuki’s Tyler Scott.
Teammate and Daytona rookie Xavi Forés continued to learn the Daytona high banking with his 1:51.538 in Qualifying 2 placing him 14th on the grid for the 81st running of the Daytona 200.
2023 Daytona 200 Time Attack Results – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 1:48.741
P2 – PJ Jacobsen (Yamaha) 1:49.005
P3 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 1:49.027
P4 – Danny Eslick (Triumph) 1:49.186
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 1:49.219
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #12):
“P14 will be a bit tough but this is a very long race and anything can happen. There will be time to make up and get into the lead pack. But I am very much looking forward to starting the race. We have some work to do to get the bike sorted for me and we will get this done to be ready for tomorrow.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #1):
“It was a pretty crazy session,” Herrin said. “I thought everybody was going to split up into their own little qualifying groups, but they went out together. I didn’t think we’d be able to go that fast in the group. The oil dry slowed us down a little in turn one just because the field was a bit worried about the track conditions, but for the most part, I wasn’t sure I was going to get into the ’48’s because I made a little mistake early in the lap. The draft was so powerful with the other bikes and we were able to pull it off. Hats off to the team because we missed the first session with a couple of issues so we had to go into the session with a super-fast pace and we got P1 for the second year in a row.”
The 81st running of the Daytona 200 from the Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for 1:10 pm EST.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
SCOTT EARNS FRONT ROW, ESCALANTE SETS FASTEST SUPERSPORT LAP FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI AT DAYTONA
BREA, CA – March 11, 2023 – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s triple threat victory for the 81st Daytona 200 posted a new lap record on Friday and will start from the first, second, and fourth row when the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport season officially kicks off Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.
Sophomore Supersport ace Tyler Scott led the way for the squad in Friday’s Time Attack for pole position, posting the session’s third best time at 1:49.005 aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.
Scott was the revelation of the 2022 season as a rookie, posting a maiden race win among multiple podiums and figures to be an even bigger factor in this year’s title fight. He said, “I thought qualifying went well for my first Daytona 200. I started out around tenth in the first session, but we kept getting a little faster and at the end of the Time Attack, we ended up on the front row. That was the goal and where I wanted to be. The Suzuki GSX-R750 feels great, and I think our team is really working well. The plan now is to give it our best shot and win the race.”
Former class champ and Superbike regular Richie Escalante immediately took to the team’s GSX-R750, earning a slot in the middle of Row 2 with the fifth fastest time at 1:49.186. The Mexican star was even more impressive in the preceding qualifying session, clocking the fastest ever lap for a Supersport machine at Daytona International Speedway at 1:48.133.
Escalante said, “Yesterday in Q1, I was down the time sheets a little, but the bike felt really good. For today, the team did an amazing job and gave me a great bike for Q2. I was super happy to do a 1:48, but throughout I was happy with our pace and how the bike felt. My goal was to do well in Sector 1, the corners, and then to see what happened in the draft. In the 15-minute Time Attack, I didn’t have a good draft after we came in for the tire change, but I felt great about how well the Suzuki GSX-R750 performed. The bike is amazing. We have been working on our pit stops as well as race strategy. The goal is to get a good start, perform our pit stops, and see what happens. It has been exciting so far.”
Team newcomer Teagg Hobbs has shown considerable promise in his team debut as well. Hobbs was 11th best in the Time Attack at 1:50.138 and will thus start from the center of Row 4.
After qualifying, the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew earned $7,500 and $1,000 worth of VP Racing fuel for winning the Pit Stop challenge contest.
For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 345 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
