Steve Rapp led a 1-2 finish for Attack Kawasaki and a sweep of the podium by Pirelli in winning the 66th Daytona 200 by Honda AMA Formula Xtreme race Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Rapp’s teammate Ben Attard finished second, while Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Michael Barnes placed third.

Rapp was part of a multi-rider battle at the beginning involving his teammate Attard, Barnes, Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes, American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo and Celtic Racing’s Chaz Davies.

As Rapp took the lead for the first time on lap 20, behind him Duhamel and Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke both suffered mechanical problems at exactly the same instant.

After the first round of pit stops, Rapp returned to the lead, only to relinquish the front spot again during the second round of pit stops to Davies and Attard. Hayes, Duhamel and Barnes also led at early points of the race.

Once Rapp regained the lead in the final stint he never let it go and took his first Daytona 200 victory. In spite of slightly quicker pit stops, Attard could not match his teammate on the track. Barnes fought off Davies in the final laps to hold on to third, the best-ever finish for the Floridian in the spring classic. Davies lost touch with Barnes through lapped traffic but was ecstatic with fourth place in his first Daytona 200.

DiSalvo lost ground when his second pit stop ran long and when his injured shoulder weakened in the late-going. After the other Hondas (including his teammate Aaron Gobert) apparently ran out of fuel, Hayes was forced to shorten his stints and make a costly third pit stop for a splash-and-go. Two laps behind Hayes, visiting Canadian star Pascal Picotte finished seventh on his Blackfoot/Picotte Performance Suzuki GSX-R600. Blown Away Racing’s 17-year-old Josh Day finished eighth on his Yamaha YZF-R6, 11 seconds ahead of Bostjan Pintar, of Slovenia, and Australian privateer David Anthony.

A total of 58 riders started the 68-lap race.

66th Daytona 200 by Honda Lockhart Phillips USA AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida March 10, 2007 Provisional Race Results:

1. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 68 laps 2. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, -21.951 seconds 3. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, -28.817 seconds 4. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, -31.725 seconds 5. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, -41.935 seconds 6. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -59.782 seconds 7. Pascal Picotte (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, -2 laps 8. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -3 laps, crash 9. Josh Day (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 5.489 seconds 10. Bostjan Pintar (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 17.228 seconds 11. David Anthony (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 20.936 seconds 12. Bobby Fong (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, -3 laps, 23.050 seconds 13. Keith Marshall (Kaw ZX-6R), -3 laps, 44.435 seconds 14. Bostjan Skubic (Yam YZF-R6), -3 laps, 44.700 seconds 15. Jeff Tigert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -4 laps 16. David Sadowksi, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), -4 laps, 33.968 seconds 17. Ricky Orlando (Kaw ZX-6R), -4 laps, 48.644 seconds 18. Mark Crozier (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, -4 laps, 56.425 seconds 19. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, -4 laps, 61.678 seconds 20. Michael Murphy (Suz GSX-R600), -4 laps, 73.658 seconds 21. Jean Paul Tache (Yam YZF-R6), -5 laps 22. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R6), -5 laps, 16.049 seconds 23. Robert McLendon (Tri Daytona 675), -5 laps, 26.252 seconds 24. Michael Pearson (Yam YZF-R6), -5 laps, 52.150 seconds 25. Barrett Long (Duc 749), -5 laps, 57.546 seconds 26. Dean Mizdal (Yam YZF-R6), -5 laps, 60.642 seconds 27. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R600), -5 laps, 72.562 seconds 28. Santiago Villa (Yam YZF-R6), -6 laps 29. Skip Salenius (Suz GSX-R600), -6 laps, 2.289 seconds 30. Larry Pegram (Duc 749/848), -6 laps, 2.739 seconds 31. David McPherson (Yam YZF-R6), -6 laps, 18.307 seconds 32. John Ashmead (Suz GSX-R600), -6 laps, 28.549 seconds 33. Scotty Van Hawk (Hon CBR600RR), -6 laps, 59.937 seconds 34. Craig Montgomery (Yam YZF-R6), -6 laps, 65.131 seconds 35. Chad Herrmann (Suz GSX-R600), -6 laps, 86.605 seconds, crash 36. Anthony Fania (Yam YZF-R6), -6 laps, 92.103 seconds 37. Spencer Stuart (Yam YZF-R6), -7 laps 38. Dirk Sanchez (Suz GSX-R600), -7 laps, 30.984 seconds 39. Mark Schnettler (Yam YZF-R6), -7 laps, 62.774 seconds 40. Matt Layt (Yam YZF-R6), -8 laps 41. Stephen Breckenridge (Tri Daytona 675), -8 laps, 75.205 seconds 42. Scott Ryan (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, -9 laps 43. Eric Pinson (Yam YZF-R6), -9 laps, 102.018 seconds 44. Scott Ackerman (Yam YZF-R6), -9 laps, 114.738 seconds 45. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), -11 laps 46. Walt Sipp (Buell XB-RR), -12 laps 47. Will Gruy (Yam YZF-R6), -16 laps 48. Jason Temme (Yam YZF-R6), -17 laps 49. Tony Meiring (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, -27 laps, DNF, mechanical 50. Dr. Jeffrey Purk, DDS (Yam YZF-R6), -29 laps 51. Tyler McDonald (Yam YZF-R6), -43 laps 52. Marty Craggill (Duc 749R), -45 laps 53. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -46 laps, DNF, mechanical 54. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -47 laps, DNF, mechanical 55. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -47 laps, 16.388 seconds, DNF, mechanical 56. Eric Wood (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, -49 laps, DNF, mechanical

More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Rapp Surprise Winner Of The Daytona 200 By Honda

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Steve Rapp scored one of the biggest upset wins in the history of the Daytona 200 By Honda on Saturday. The 35-year-old rider from Manhattan Beach, Calif., rode the No.15 Attack Kawasaki ZX-6R to victory over his teammate Ben Attard of Australia.

Floridian Michael Barnes, of Boca Raton, Fla., was third on a Team M4 EMGO Suzuki.

“It’s unbelievable,” said a jubilant Rapp, whose previous best result in the 200 was fifth in 1999. “I backed off so much on the last few laps. I would have never forgiven myself had I run out of gas. On the last lap I was so nervous. I feel like a different person. This is the biggest day of my life.”

Rapp first took the lead on Lap 20, and with the exception of pit sequences, held onto the point for the rest of the 68-lap event and took the checkered flag with a 21.951-second margin of victory.

It marked the first victory for Kawasaki in the prestigious race since 1995 and it’s also the first time a non-factory rider has won the Daytona 200 By Honda since John Ashmead in the 1989 motorcycle classic.

The favored factory Hondas of pole winner and five-time Daytona 200 By Honda winner Miguel Duhamel and last year’s winner Jake Zemke had fuel problems on Lap 21 before the first pit stop.

Josh Hayes, aboard the No. 1 Erion Honda and defending Formula Xtreme champion, also experienced fuel issues and finished sixth.

“It’s one of those things that we have to go back and figure out,” said Honda Road Race Manager Ron Heben. “It’s a big disappointment for us because of Honda’s success in the 200.”

Rounding out the top five were Chaz Davies aboard the Celtic Racing Yamaha and Jason DiSalvo aboard the factory Yamaha.

Daytona 200 Week By Honda has concluded. Ticket information for October’s Fall Cycle Scene, including the 8 Hours At Daytona SunTrust MOTO-ST Series race, are available at www.racetickets.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

More, from a press release issued on behalf of Dunlop:

Final: Dunlop Motorcycle Tires race report: 2007 AMA Superbike Series, round one, Daytona International Speedway

Daytona, Fl. — March 10, 2007 — The opening round of the 2007 AMA Superbike Series concluded at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) today after three days of exciting action in all four classes. On Thursday, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies took his first-ever win at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on a Superstock-spec GSX-R1000 and Kawasaki Road Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden nabbed his second consecutive Supersport win at DIS on a ZX-6R. After taking a break on Friday for the AMA Supercross Series, Saturday’s exploits saw Spies successfully begin the defense of his 2006 Superbike crown with a convincing win and his first-ever Superbike victory at Daytona. In the Formula Xtreme Daytona 200, unspecified fuel problems sidelined the favored Honda Racing team and opened the door for a victory by Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp.

Superbike Race

In Superbike action, Spies put his Dunlop N-Tec™ shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the pole with a time of 1:37.546 on Thursday. “It’s good,” said Spies. “Just having the number one plate and coming back to the first race, and I didn’t get pole here last year, I got it this year. We’re hoping to prove that we’re not just there for a season.” Saturday’s race started in dramatic fashion as Factory Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom raced to the front while Kawasaki Road Racing’s Jamie Hacking went down in the International Horseshoe, taking Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Aaron Yates with him. Spies’ teammate, six-time Superbike champ Mat Mladin, slotted into second and Spies settled into third. Mladin took the lead on lap three but low-sided two laps later, leaving Spies with the lead after his overtaking move on Bostrom earlier. Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel, who started fourth, worked his way into second on lap seven and, though he pursued Spies for the remainder of the race, Spies managed his lead effectively and took the win by 3.021 seconds. Duhamel was second and his teammate Jake Zemke took third. “I just got out there and saw I got about a second and a half, and tried to go as fast as I could with keeping that gap and saving the tire,” said Spies of his 12th career Superbike win and Suzuki’s fourth in a row at DIS. “The race played out as good as it could, I just tried to stay out of all the trouble.” Dunlop dominated the top-10 finishing positions with nine overall, including the first four.

Superbike Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10

1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 3. Jake Zemke (Honda) 4. Akira Yanagawa (Kawasaki)

6. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 7. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 8. Tommy Hayden (Suzuki) 9. James Ellison (Honda) 10. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)

Formula Xtreme Race (Daytona 200)

Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel won the Daytona 200 pole position on his CBR600RR Thursday with a climactic last-minute performance that resulted in a time of 1:41.095. “I went out there and just put a good lap, the CBR600RR was awesome,” said Duhamel. “We came over with a new setup for that last little qualifier there, and it obviously worked pretty good.” Lining up on the grid for Saturday’s race, Dunlop riders filled the front row. Alongside Duhamel were Factory Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo, Erion Racing Honda’s Josh Hayes (the 2006 class champion) and Honda Racing’s Zemke. Dunlop riders took seven of the top 10 qualifying slots as Celtic Racing Yamaha’s Chaz Davies was sixth, Pegram Racing Ducati’s Larry Pegram was seventh and Erion Racing Honda’s Aaron Gobert was eighth. The race unfolded with an exciting battle between the top qualifiers. Running at the front of the pack were Duhamel and Hayes when, on lap 21, their Hondas (along with those of teammates Zemke and Gobert) suffered fuel problems. With only Hayes able to continue, the lead went to Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp, who was running with the leaders at the time on his ZX-6R. In his effort to rejoin the leaders, Hayes ran the fastest lap of the race on his Dunlop N-Tec tire””a 1:42.201 on lap 36″”but Rapp ran a well-paced race and would go on to win by a margin of 21.951 seconds over teammate Ben Attard, giving Kawasaki its first Daytona victory since 1995. M4 Emgo Suzuki’s Michael Barnes was third.

Formula Xtreme Results: Dunlop finishers in the Top 10

4. Chaz Davies (Yamaha) 5. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 6. Josh Hayes (Honda)

8. Ryan Elleby (Honda) 9. Bostjan Pintar (Yamaha)

Next stop for Dunlop and the 2007 AMA Superbike road racing tour is Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama, April 20-22. Round two features a doubleheader for the Superbike series.

About Dunlop Tires

Dunlop Tires is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Dunlop has been making and selling high-quality tires in the U.S. since 1923. For more information, please visit www.dunlopmotorcycle.com.