Josh Herrin won his fourth Daytona 200 and his third in a row on the strength of his speed in the infield. Time after time during the event, Herrin on the Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati Panigale V2 would light up the timing screen with a red Sector One, setting the fastest time and building a gap back to the chasing pack. Herrin’s top measured speed of 176.0 mph through the speed traps was slower than the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750s of Richie Escalante and Tyler Scott, who were clocked at 181.4 mph and 179.4 mph. Several of the Triumph 765s in the field were measured at 181 mph or faster, with the TOBC machine of Danny Eslick fastest at 182.6 mph.
Herrin was sanguine about his team losing the Pit Stop Challenge the day prior to the 200. “Three years ago, we won it and ran out of fuel in the race,” Herrin said. “The last two years, we got disqualified and won. I’m hoping it keeps going that way.”
The Truelove brothers Matt and Harry came from the U.K. and finished seventh and eighth on their Truelove Brothers Racing Suzuki GSX-R750s.
Kyle Wyman on the Harley-Davidson/Dynojet factory Road Glide won his fifth straight win at Daytona, and said afterward that he was trying to manage his tires and rely on his experience at the unique circuit. “It’s how you get around the banking, how you place yourself, how you use the banking to your advantage to get a better run when the track flattens out,” Wyman said after winning the second Mission King of The Baggers race. “There’s a lot of things that I’ve learned over the course of 16 years coming here. It’s definitely my element.” On the other end of the experience spectrum, Baggers newcomer Loris Baz, who collided with James Rispoli and crashed out in the first race on Friday, finished third on the S&S Indian Challenger, 0.884 seconds back.
The Mission Super Hooligan and the SC-Project Twins Cup races on Saturday ended with dramatic drafting battles. Jake Lewis came from sixth leaving the final chicane to snatch the Hooligan victory on his Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson Pan America ST. Three riders on naked bikes and tubular handlebars ran side-by-side in front of him, blasting a huge hole in the air, and his top speed on the final lap was more than eight miles an hour faster than anyone else in the pack of six fighting for the win. Matthew Chapin sat patiently and struck at exactly the right time to seize his second SC-Project Twins Cup win of the event. “I let those guys fight it out at the front. I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. I knew I had the bike,” Chapin said.
The cool kids hung out at the Mobil station on Peninsula Drive and Main Street during the evenings at Bike Week. The customized cruiser de jour featured massively oversized front wheels, swoopy luggage at the rear that grazed the pavement and stereo systems that put out a decent amount of horsepower all on their own.
