AMA Daytona SportBike
Geico AMA Daytona SportBike rider Danny Eslick loves California’s world renowned Wine Country, but not so much for the local product, that is unless he’s spraying it in the air after another victory at picturesque Infineon Raceway.
The 24-year-old world champion from central Oklahoma enters this weekend’s West Coast Moto Jam hoping to defend his 2010 title at the track and take another Sunday afternoon bath in the bubbly, a scenario he says could very well take place.
Danny Eslick (GEICO Suzuki GSX-R600) says: “I’ve done pretty well here in the past. I’ve earned podium finishes several times at this track and I won here last year, so it’s definitely a place I get around pretty well. That always lifts your confidence heading into a racetrack.”
Another one of the reasons Eslick loves trips to California is the rabid fan base of motorcycle enthusiasts that line the 2.3-mile natural road course tucked away in the Sonoma Valley.
Danny Eslick says: “It’s very cool to pull into the track and see all the fans and their bikes lined up around the facility. Californians love their motorcycles and they’ve always been great supporters of our team and our events. For a rider, it’s exciting to be around so many people that share their love of motorcycles and motorcycle racing.”
It’s been two months since Eslick has ridden competitively as the season-opening Daytona 200 took place back on March 12. That race was going extremely well for Eslick as he lead the pack at several points during the first 22 laps, but a suspect front tire resulted in him coming off his Richie Morris Racing Suzuki at 170 mph and by the time he was cleaned up and ready to re-enter the fray, organizers had red-flagged the race over tire safety concerns.
Danny Eslick says: “Daytona was definitely disappointing. Coming out of there with zero points was a bummer but it happens and I think as long as we put good races together in the next couple rounds we should be right back in the championship hunt. At least it happened early in the year so we’ve got time to make up the difference.
“We’re all ready to get back out there. Our team actually did some testing in Utah a few weeks ago and got some stuff figured out. We definitely made progress so I’m looking forward to this weekend and hopefully leaving town with a lot of points.”
The West Coast Moto Jam runs Friday-Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday with races on tap both Saturday and Sunday.