AMA Daytona SportBike
Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Herrin had something to prove – and points to regain – in Sunday’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Race 2, and when the light went green at Sunday’s Barber Motorsports Park contest, that’s exactly what he did.
After stalking GEICO Powersports/RMR Suzuki’s Danny Eslick through the majority of the hard-fought race, Herrin turned the misery of yesterday’s DNF into a very sweet .022-second margin of victory, then celebrated by scaling an enormous fence to cheers from fans.
Josh Herrin (Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) says: “I consider this my home race, and I was really excited. I did the Track Walk yesterday and told a couple fans I’d climb the fence, and they were pretty excited about it. So, I thought I would be nice to the fans,” added the rider who’d just taken a win in 96-degree heat, “to get them out of the shade up there.”
Saturday’s seized engine may come back to haunt Herrin in the overall points chase, but for today, the Yamaha rider – followed across the line by Eslick and GB Bike Parts Racing’s Cameron Beaubier – is back on top. Only on top of the Barber podium, however, as it’s Eslick who’s taken over the championship points lead now, becoming the fourth rider to do so this year.
For Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci’s PJ Jacobsen, Sunday’s event was eerily and unpleasantly similar to yesterday’s, in which he crashed out early in the race after leading briefly. In Sunday’s contest, he lost that lead to a string of other riders before sliding out, but he was far from the only front-runner to suffer sideline fate: M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby followed suit after running as high as third, with former points-leader Cory West (Vesrah Suzuki) ran off just minutes later while trying to move up from fourth. (West was able to reenter, ultimately finishing 20th.)
As Herrin put steadily increasing pressure on Eslick while clearly planning a last-minute attack, it was Y.E.S./Pat Clark/Grave Yamaha’s Tommy Aquino who grabbed the spotlight, putting on a performance unlike anything the 19-year-old’s shown the paddock this year. Though Beaubier ultimately got him at the last minute — “It was a little close,” said Beaubier, “but I had to do it” — Aquino demonstrated he’s still got what it takes to land on the box.
When the white flag flew and the last lap unspooled, Herrin’s attack, which he later labeled part of a “just I hope I can get it, and hope it’ll stick” strategy, let loose on the string of final corners, delivered Herrin to the finish-line less than three tenths ahead of Eslick.
Danny Eslick (GEICO Suzuki GSX-R 600) says: “I can say I got beat. There’s not much else to it. I led every lap down to the last corner pretty much, and he was definitely in a good position. After following me for 20 laps, he knew exactly where I was going on every lap. He definitely had options, and I didn’t know where [the attack] was going to come from, but at that point I knew it was coming pretty quick.”
When asked how the riders handled today’s heat, Eslick quipped, “The same as we do whenever it’s cold – we’re not the smartest people out here.”
Cameron Beaubier (GB Bikes Parts Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) later described his strategy as “just trying not to make any mistakes at the beginning. I knew if I didn’t charge hard enough at beginning, I wouldn’t be there at end,” he continued. “It was a really tough race. I had a couple hard moments trying to keep up, but it was an awesome race.”
Behind Beaubier, Aquino, Taylor Knapp (Vesrah Suzuki), Jason DiSalvo (Latus Motors Racing), Kris Turner (Turner’s Cycle Racing), Tyler O’Hara (GP Bike Parts Racing), Barrett Long (Longevity Racing), and Tyler Odom (Don Odom Racing) rounded out the top ten.
The AMA Pro Road Racing Championship heads to Lexington, Ohio’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the July 8-10 weekend, Round 6 on the series calendar. For tickets and information, visit midohio.com or call (419) 884-4000.
2011 AMA Daytona SportBike: Barber Motorsports Park Results
| Pos | No. | Rider(s) | Team | Bike | Interval | Gap | Best Lap | Points |
| 1. | 8 | Josh Herrin | Monster Energy Graves Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 21 Laps | WINNER | 1:31.046 | 0 |
| 2. | 69 | Danny Eslick | Richie Morris Racing | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 0.022 | 0.022 | 1:31.022 | 0 |
| 3. | 116 | Cameron Beaubier | GP Bike Parts Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 0.187 | 0.165 | 1:30.584 | 0 |
| 4. | 6 | Tommy Aquino | Yamaha Extended Service, Pat Clark Sports, Graves, Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 0.448 | 0.260 | 1:31.332 | 0 |
| 5. | 44 | Taylor Knapp | Vesrah Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 4.854 | 4.406 | 1:31.143 | 0 |
| 6. | 40 | Jason DiSalvo | Team Latus Motors Racing | Ducati 848 | 14.432 | 9.578 | 1:31.397 | 0 |
| 7. | 38 | Kris Turner | Turner`s Cycle Racing | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 14.707 | 0.274 | 1:31.035 | 0 |
| 8. | 129 | Tyler OHara | GP Bike Parts Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 38.605 | 23.897 | 1:32.610 | 0 |
| 9. | 29 | Barrett Long | Longevity Racing | Ducati 848 | 38.619 | 0.013 | 1:32.383 | 0 |
| 10. | 46 | Tyler Odom | Don Odom Racing | Honda CBR600RR | 45.133 | 6.514 | 1:33.010 | 0 |
| 11. | 32 | Santiago Villa | M4 Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 47.033 | 1.899 | 1:32.988 | 0 |
| 12. | 45 | David Sadowski, Jr. | Top Shelf Motorcycles Racing | Ducati 848 | 1:08.580 | 21.547 | 1:34.141 | 0 |
| 13. | 77 | Matthew Sadowski | Top Shelf Motorcycles Racing | Ducati 848 | 1:08.604 | 0.023 | 1:33.857 | 0 |
| 14. | 81 | Wes Humphryes | Humphryes Racing | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 1:20.560 | 11.956 | 1:34.156 | 0 |
| 15. | 11 | Michael Morgan | Autolite RIM Racing | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 1:22.306 | 1.745 | 1:34.464 | 0 |
| 16. | 159 | Matt Hall | CS Carey Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:24.688 | 2.382 | 1:34.784 | 0 |
| 17. | 42 | Kenny Riedmann | Kenny Riedmann | Triumph Daytona 675 | 1:28.291 | 3.602 | 1:35.187 | 0 |
| 18. | 50 | Dirk Sanchez | Sons Mexico | Ducati 848 | 20 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:36.225 | 0 |
| 19. | 175 | Sam Rozynski | Triple Crown Industries | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 28.791 | 28.791 | 1:36.776 | 0 |
| 20. | 57 | Cory West | Vesrah Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 49.599 | 20.808 | 1:31.197 | 0 |
| 21. | 5 | Dane Westby | M4 Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 8 Laps | 12 Laps | 1:30.721 | 0 |
| 22. | 9 | PJ Jacobsen | Celtic Racing | Ducati 848 | 3:42.981 | 3:42.981 | 1:31.364 | 0 |
| 23. | 20 | Paul Allison | Triple Crown Industries | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 7 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:32.244 | 0 |
| 24. | 75 | Huntley Nash | LTD Racing Y.E.S Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 6 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:32.466 | 0 |
| 25. | 76 | Ricky Corey | GP Bike Parts Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 2 Laps | 4 Laps | 1:33.003 | 0 |
| 26. | 13 | Melissa Paris | HT Moto Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 8.209 | 8.209 | 1:36.303 | 0 |
| 27. | 118 | Nahun Alvarez | NA Racing – MFM | Honda CBR600RR | 5:56.219 | 5:48.010 | 1:37.343 | 0 |
| 28. | 7 | Fernando Amantini | Team Amantini | Kawasaki ZX-6R | 1 Lap | 1 Lap | 1:36.029 | 0 |
