AMA Supersport
The second AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport was halted within seconds of the start, then-second-place runner RoadracingWorld.com’s Benny Solis the first of two highsides, with the Yamaha-mounted Travis Ohge being spit off the opposite side of the track a split-second later.
At the back of the pack, Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci rider Brad Graham fell off his bike after making contact with another rider, his bike continuing on without him across the exit of the International Horseshoe and giving race leaders a scare.
Following the restart, yesterday’s top-three finishers, LTD Racing teammates David Gaviria and Tomas Puerta, plus Rata Racing’s Stefano Mesa-all of whom had stayed clear of the opening laps’ chaos, though Puerta had a close call with the rider-less bike-coalesced as a pack and before mid-race had moved well into the lead. In fourth, Rispoli watching the trio (constantly rippling with lead changes and at times running three-wide) from a few tenths behind.
The blazing pace of the lead pack soon put them well ahead of then-fifth-place runner Markbilt’s Eric Stump, leader of the chase pack that included Dustin Dominguez (House of Kawasaki), Elena Myers (SuzukiScoopFans Racing), and Sam Nash on the Y.E.S.-supported Yamaha. Just past the halfway mark, Myers began to pick off the riders ahead, putting first Dominguez then Stump behind her, though her position would not hold long.
Ahead, Rispoli’s studied assault faltered soon after, a big slide in Turn 1 dropping him way off the leaders’ pace into a no-man’s land between third-place Mesa and fifth-place Myers. At the front, LTD Racing teammates Gaviria and Puerta continued to dice for the lead, regularly swapping positions and often running next to each other, with Mesa in third making periodic overtures at splitting the two.
The last lap delivered heartbreak for Mesa, however, the young rider going down in the chicane’s Turn 9 as Gaviria and Puerta blazed side-by-side to the finish, Gaviria the winner by .048 seconds. Rispoli, who’d continued to slide back after what provide a very costly mistake, took third a full 14 seconds behind the top rider.
The second pack’s reshuffling ended with DucShop’s Emerson Conner on top in fifth, followed by Dominguez, Nash, Myers, Corey Alexander (Vesrah Suzuki/Star School), the Yamaha-mounted Ricky Parker, and Sebastiao Ferreira (GP Bike Parts).
James Rispoli says: "It was a great battle; it was really tough. There was a lot of passing going on, a lot of moves that kind of helped me stayed in the group. I was pushing really hard-I’ve never gone as fast as I went this weekend-just had a little get-off in Turn 1. I looked back and saw we had plenty of time, and I was thinking a good fourth place is okay coming out of Daytona, then coming around the chicane I saw Stefano.
Thomas Puerta says: "I really don’t like it [finishing second]. I tried to do the same thing as yesterday, just get a holeshot and push hard. I knew I had to do something with one or two laps to go, so I passed David in the Horseshoe and tried really hard to make a little gap, but he got me on the banking.
David Gaviria says: "I’m very happy to win this race. I didn’t expect it, but I’m really, really excited and happy because this is a first race, and winning the first race in the championship is a good result, so I’m happy for today’s result.
"We were working together, and I tried my best on the middle field to gain some advantage, but I couldn’t do it. On the last lap he passed me, then on the banking I tried my best very hard, I reached him and then I passed him. I was a little bit lucky, and it is wonderful to be up front and win this race."
[Gaviria, on Colombian riders] "Colombians are very fast, we like a lot the motorcycle racing. We only have one track in our country, so it is very difficult to train there, very expensive, but most of the people, especially from our city, are very good on motorcycles."
[Puerta, on Colombian riders] "We have some tracks for motocross and supermoto in our city, but the only road race track is seven hour from our city. I don’t know why we are doing really good results, but we go 100 percent every place."
2011 AMA Supersport: Daytona Race 2 Results:
Pos | No. | Rider(s) | Bike | Interval | Gap | Best Lap | Points |
1. | 700 | David Gaviria | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 10 Laps | WINNER | 1:52.162 | 31 |
2. | 12 | Tomas Puerta | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 0.048 | 0.048 | 1:52.426 | 25 |
3. | 43 | James Rispoli | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 14.053 | 14.005 | 1:52.554 | 21 |
4. | 50 | Emerson Connor | Ducati 848 | 19.264 | 5.210 | 1:53.884 | 18 |
5. | 68 | Dustin Dominguez | Ducati 848 | 19.343 | 0.079 | 1:54.259 | 16 |
6. | 44 | Sam Nash | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 19.385 | 0.041 | 1:54.042 | 15 |
7. | 21 | Elena Myers | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 19.475 | 0.090 | 1:53.722 | 14 |
8. | 5 | Corey Alexander | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 26.941 | 7.466 | 1:54.694 | 13 |
9. | 96 | Ricky Parker | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 27.052 | 0.110 | 1:54.526 | 12 |
10. | 73 | Sebastiao Ferreira | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 34.200 | 7.148 | 1:54.812 | 11 |
11. | 91 | Brent Lyskawa | Ducati 848 | 51.834 | 17.633 | 1:56.585 | 10 |
12. | 63 | Jeff Wrobel | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 51.908 | 0.074 | 1:57.188 | 9 |
13. | 248 | Zared Leon | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:08.787 | 16.879 | 1:58.860 | 8 |
14. | 610 | Russell Proctor | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:10.329 | 1.541 | 1:58.891 | 7 |
15. | 115 | Jett Chandler | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:17.018 | 6.689 | 1:58.510 | 6 |
16. | 97 | Nicholas Hansen | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 1:32.396 | 15.377 | 2:00.838 | 5 |
17. | 164 | Cristian Olguin | Kawasaki ZX-6R | 1:33.304 | 0.908 | 2:01.262 | 4 |
18. | 546 | Roi Holster | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:33.337 | 0.033 | 2:01.292 | 3 |
19. | 30 | Nicholas Hayman | Ducati 848 | 1:41.917 | 8.580 | 2:02.192 | 2 |
20. | 23 | Jose Flores | Ducati 848 | 1:47.215 | 5.298 | 2:02.684 | 1 |
21. | 37 | Stefano Mesa | Ducati 848 | 9 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:52.341 | 0 |
22. | 77 | Eric Stump | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 6 Laps | 3 Laps | 1:53.836 | 0 |
23. | 72 | Miles Thornton | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1 Lap | 5 Laps | 2:52.650 | 0 |
24. | 314 | Charlie Long | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 2.339 | 2.339 | 2:50.310 | 0 |
25. | 35 | Benny Solis | Honda CBR600RR | DNF | DNF | -no times- | 0 |
26. | 40 | Travis Ohge | Yamaha YZF-R6 | DNF | DNF | -no times- | 0 |
27. | 81 | Brad Graham | Ducati 848 | DNF | DNF | -no times- | 0 |
28. | 86 | Ben Young | Yamaha YZF-R6 | DNF | DNF | -no times- | 0 |
29. | 69 | Hayden Gillim | Yamaha YZF-R6 | DNS | DNS | -no times- | 0 |
30. | 34 | Jacob Morman | Yamaha YZF-R6 | DNS | DNS | -no times- | 0 |
31. | 28 | Ryan Kerr | Kawasaki ZX-6R | DNS | DNS | -no times- | 0 |
32. | 25 | Morgan Murphy | Suzuki GSX-R600 | DNS | DNS | -no times- | 0. |