For motorcycle fans in the grandstands, the adrenaline rushes as riders in the XDL Championship Series push the limit with acrobatics, wheelies, stoppies and burnouts in their season kick-off event at historic Daytona International Speedway during Daytona 200 Week.
The XDL Championship, a new event to Daytona 200 Week, concludes on Sunday and pits competitors against each other on 600cc sport bikes in an attempt to impress audiences with the most extreme and risky tricks.
"Everybody loves a wheelie," said rider Brian Bubash, who is in his second full season with the series. "You see a wheelie on the street, you’re going to look. If you want to see people take that to a new level, this is it. It’s fast and exciting."
The addition of the freestyle stunt show to Daytona 200 Week marks the series’ first visit to the state of Florida and riders are excited to experience the atmosphere of the legendary "World Center of Racing."
"The Speedway just has that – I don’t even know the right word -just that feeling, that spark of being great," Bubash said.
"It’s definitely the proper way to kick off the season," said 2006 XDL National Champion Aaron Colton. "You have events here throughout the year that have a lot of prestige, so being here to kick off our season is a really cool thing."
Veteran rider Dan Jackson, who has been involved with the sport since the beginning, agrees that having the XDL Championship Series event at Daytona is huge for the series that is one of America’s fastest growing action sports.
"Being at Daytona makes this a really big event," Jackson said. "I mean this is the largest NASCAR event, the Daytona 500. I feel honored to come down here and start bike week off with the XDL Freestyle Stunt Show. Right here is probably the best venue we’ve had."
All the action can be seen on a custom course behind the Keech and Lockhart Grandstands with tickets available for $20 at the gate.
Amateur Flat Track: Due to inclement weather, today’s AMA Racing Winter National Short Track Championship event has been rescheduled for Monday.
Sunday’s Vintage and Amateur races will run as scheduled with Vintage practice starting at 9 a.m. Registration will open at 7 a.m. on Monday, with practice beginning at 9 a.m. for the rescheduled Saturday program. Monday’s regular program will follow.
Tickets, which are $15 for each day, are available at the gate. For tickets to all the Daytona 200 Week events, call 1-800-PITSHOP.
