AMA SportBike Sunday Race Results Atlanta

SportBike Road Atlanta

As the afternoon sun shone on the beautiful Road Atlanta road course, the second of two AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL took to the track to see if they could improve on what was a spectacular show on Saturday.

For the many fans in attendance, the field of 31 Daytona SportBikes did not disappoint. And at the end of another spellbinding race it was yesterday’s winner, Martin Cardenas, who took the win on his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki.

At the start, it was Steve Rapp on his Team Latus Motorsports Ducati that shot into the lead, but it was hard to tell as the pack behind scrambled for any opening they could find on the opening lap. In a blink of an eye, Cardenas was by Rapp into first but Rapp repaid the favor on lap two. Behind Rapp and Cardenas was a complete line of 10 to 15 motorcycles, literally on a string running up and down the hills of the 2.56-mile natural road course.

Over the next ten laps, Cardenas and Rapp traded the lead with any number of riders behind them, poised to make a move as well. Team Graves Yamaha teammates Josh Herrin and Tommy Aquino took up station behind the first two and Danny Eslick riding his GEICO Powersports Suzuki, Vesrah Suzuki rider Cory West, again showing excellent form, and Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha teammates Clinton Seller and Dane Westby were all part of the action.

A number of riders took turns leading, Herrin was up front for a lap, and then, in the move of the race, Cory West made a dive through the pack as they flared out for the turn ten complex and went from sixth to the lead.

Prior to that incredible move, lap after lap, the riders would go three and four wide down into the first part of turn ten, how they all made it work is a testament to the skill of the riders one and all. Things really started to heat up as the perennial charger Eslick now put himself in contention for the win by moving up from running outside of the top five to fourth position with three laps to go. In a big move up to second with one lap to go, it looked like Eslick could challenge for the win, but it wasn’t to be and he slipped to fourth at the flag.

A big shuffle occurred as the group came down to the wire and Herrin was forced wide in turn twelve with three laps to go but he fought back to take another well deserved second place to keep his lead in the overall points standings. West slipped back to third but he wasn’t disappointed with his second podium finish of the weekend and Eslick was fourth.

Pole position winner Aquino on his Team Graves Yamaha was fifth ahead of the early leader Rapp on his Team Latus Motorsports Ducati with Seller seventh on the Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha. Chris Fillmore took eighth on the other Vesrah Suzuki, Jake Holden was ninth on the Ducshop Racing Ducati and rounding out the top ten was Bobby Fong, who was the victim Saturday of a freak mishap when he actually fell after riding over a wayward hat on the track, which caused considerable damage to his DNA Energy Drink CNR Motorsports Ducati.

It is hard to pick which of the three AMA Pro Road Racing series provides the most excitement, but this talented, interesting and fun group of riders are doing their best to win the award!

Flag-to-flag coverage of today’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL racing action can be seen tonight at midnight ET (9 p.m. PT) on SPEED.