Journeyman racer Michael Barnes came out of retirement and took an emotional victory in Saturday’s 75th Daytona 200 by Victory ASRA Sport Bike race at Daytona International Speedway.
Riding his Pirelli-shod Palm Beach Police Foundation/Prieto Performance Yamaha YZF-R6, Barnes turned the fastest lap of the race (1:50.791), led 46 of the 57 laps and won by over 10 seconds. And doing so at age 47 made Barnes the oldest rider to ever win America’s greatest motorcycle road race, surpassing Dick Mann, who won in 1971 at age 36, according to Daytona International Speedway.
The race Saturday was Barnes’ 13th entry in the Daytona 200, covering a span of 20 years.
“I’m kind of speechless and fumbling for words,” Barnes said in the winner’s circle. “All of the people who helped me … you know who you are. I just can’t thank everybody enough. This one is for quite a few people.”
Project Mayday/Sportbike Track Time’s Geoff May, age 35, raced closely with Barnes up until the final round of pit stops. May ran into trouble getting into and out of pit lane on his final pit stop, causing him to lose contact with Barnes.
Trackside Suspension & Engineering/MD Racing’s Wyatt Farris, age 22, also was competitive with May and Barnes until the end of the race when illness and mechanical problems with his Yamaha YZF-R6 caused him to slow. Farris held on to place third in his first-ever Daytona 200.
A total of 51 riders started the race.
The race was stopped once by a red flag on lap 19 when a crashed motorcycle caught on fire and had to be dealt with by safety crews.
75th Daytona 200 by Victory/ASRA Sportbike Sanctioned by AMA
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 12, 2016
Final Race Results:
1. Michael Barnes (Yam YZF-R6), 57 laps, Total Race Time 2:09:59.686, Best Race Lap Time 1:50.791
2. Geoff May (Yam YZF-R6), -10.084 seconds, 1:50.808
3. Wyatt Farris (Yam YZF-R6), -45.132, 1:50.825
4. Shane Narbonne (Yam YZF-R6), -64.563, 1:51.402
5. Bostjan Skubic (Yam YZF-R6), -81.948, 1:52.148
6. Stefano Mesa (Yam YZF-R6), -87.578, 1:52.096
7. Bruno Silva (Yam YZF-R6), -100.780, 1:52.436
8. Mark Heckles (Yam YZF-R6), -105.013, 1:51.968
9. Ryan Jones (Kaw ZX-6R), -1 lap, 1:52.716
10. Darren James (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:54.921
11. Kris Skellenger (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:55.677
12. Mark Rhoades (Kaw ZX-6R), -1 lap, 1:55.822
13. Patricia Fernandez (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 1:56.328
14. Anthony Fania (Yam YZF-R6), -2 laps, 1:56.071
15. Joseph Giannotto (Yam YZF-R6), -2 laps, 1:56.095
16. Michael Henao (Duc 848), -3 laps, 1:55.830
17. Joel Lenk (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 1:57.457
18. Arthur Aznavuryan (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 1:56.392
19. John Ashmead (Kaw ZX-6R), -3 laps, 1:57.057
20. CJ LaRoche (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 1:56.859
21. Timothy Wilson (Kaw ZX-6R), -3 laps, 1:56.885
22. Alexander Guilbeault (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 1:59.365
23. Eric Helmbach (Yam YZF-R6), -4 laps, 1:58.964
24. Joseph Resta (Yam YZF-R6), -4 laps, 1:56.095
25. Roosevelt Wright, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), -4 laps, 2:00.251
26. Norman Pomerleau (Yam YZF-R6), -4 laps, 2:01.064
27. David McPherson (Yam YZF-R6), -4 laps, 1:58.391
28. Andrew Abel (Suz GSX-R600), -5 laps, 2:02.062
29. Kat Zimpel (Yam YZF-R6), -5 laps, 2:01.554
30. Stuart Harper (Hon CBR600RR), -5 laps, 2:01.121
31. Mark Dickerson (Tri Daytona 675), -5 laps, 2:00.439
32. Daniel Spaulding (Kaw ZX-6R), -6 laps, 1:55.401
33. Russ Intravartolo (Yam YZF-R6), -6 laps, 1:59.906
34. Charlie Mavros (Yam YZF-R6), -7 laps, 1:59.601
35. Carl Cohen (Yam YZF-R6), -7 laps, 2:03.983
36. Christian Reynolds (Suz GSX-600), -7 laps, 2:01.430
37. Alvaro Plazas (Yam YZF-R6), -7 laps, 1:57.883
38. Michel Amalric (Hon CBR600RR), -9 laps, 1:58.892
39. Wade Boyd (Yam YZF-R6), -10 laps, 2:04.830
40. Arthur Kowitz (Yam YZF-R6), -16 laps, 2:02.124
41. Cedric Tangre (Suz GSX-R600), -19 laps, 1:54.987, crash
42. Jason Gibbens (Kaw ZX-6R), -22 laps, 2:00.945
43. Justin Holderman (Yam YZF-R6), -31 laps, 1:55.726
44. James Fotinopoulos (Yam YZF-R6), -31 laps, 1:56.592
45. Gino Angella (Duc 848), -31 laps, 1:59.998
46. Jason Farrell (Kaw ZX-6R), -32 laps, 1:51.300, DNF, mechanical
47. Brett Molnar (Yam YZF-R6), -42 laps, 2:02.478, DNF, crash
48. Brett Ray (Suz GSX-R600), -51 laps, 2:04.449, DNF
49. Cory West (Hon CBR600RR), -55 laps, 1:53.423, DNF, mechanical
50. Kristofer Knopf (Yam YZF-R6), -56 laps, no lap time recorded, DNF, crash
51. Tony Storniolo (Kaw ZX-6R), DNS
52. Matthew Gendron (Yam YZF-R6), DNS
DQ. Barrett Long (Duc 848 EVO), -108.285 seconds, 1:52.679, failed fuel test
More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:
Michael Barnes Comes Out Of Retirement To Win DAYTONA 200 By Victory
* Dominating Ride Results In MOV Of 10.084 Seconds
* John Ashmead Sets New All-Time Mileage Record
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 12, 2016) – Coming out of retirement to make his 13th start in the DAYTONA 200 By Victory over a 20-year span, Michael Barnes of Boca Raton, Florida won the 75th running of the prestigious motorcycle road race at Daytona International Speedway, riding a Yamaha 600. At the age of 47, he becomes the oldest winner of the event.
Barnes, who had retired after the 2014 season, started second in the 53-rider field. In a dominating performance, he finished 10.084 seconds ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Geoff May, who started on the pole. Wyatt Farris finished third, also on a Yamaha. Barnes was presented with the speedway’s signature champion award – a steel-and-gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch.
“I’m kind of speechless and fumbling for words,” said a tearful Barnes during Gatorade Victory Lane ceremonies. “All of the people who helped me … you know who you are. I just can’t thank everybody enough. This one is for quite a few people.”
“It’s awesome for him to come out of retirement and put a whuppin’ on all of us,” May said. “‘Barney’ had the pace today; he was getting after it.”
John Ashmead of Palm City, Florida set a DAYTONA 200 By Victory record for career miles completed. Ashmead finished 20th in the event on a Kawasaki, running 53 laps, in the process breaking the record previously held by Ricky Orlando. Prior to the race, Ashmead participated in a well-received fan autograph session with two all-time greats: five-time DAYTONA 200 By Victory champion Scott Russell and three-time champion Dick Klamfoth.
“I took it real easy in the beginning of the race, didn’t want to take any chances and fall off or get hit by somebody,” Ashmead said. “[Later] I got on the gas. I had a great ride.”
Arthur Kowitz of Ormond Beach, at the age of 66 believed to be the oldest rider in the event’s history, finished 41st on a Yamaha, completing 41 laps.
“I did pretty well [although] we had an electrical problem in the middle of the race that stranded me on the backstretch,” Kowitz said. “I had to push the bike back from the chicane to the pickup spot, and that put me back a bit. But when I got back on the bike it didn’t take long to get back in the groove.”
NASCAR will return to Daytona International Speedway on June 30-July 2 with another XFINITY Series/Sprint Cup Series weekend doubleheader. On Friday night, July 1, the 15th annual Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola will be held, followed on Saturday night, July 2 by the 58th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola.
Tickets for all 2016 Daytona International Speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, and by downloading the new version of Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest speedway news throughout the season.