2012 AMA Daytona Sportbike
In only his third AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike start, 19 year-old Joey Pascarella took home the win at the 71st Daytona 200 Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
Pascarella, aboard the Project 1 Atlanta/March of Dimes Yamaha YZF-R6, was able to hold the lead despite having three riders (Jason DiSalvo of Latus Motors Racing Triumph, Cameron Beaubier of Graves Yamaha, and Martin Cardenas of GEICO Suzuki) on his tail at the conclusion of the 57-lap race.
Pascarella’s margin of victory was 0.048 over DiSalvo, with Beaubier edging out Martin Cardenas by photo finish.
Pascarella and Beaubier were the only two riders remaining in the lead pack after the second round of pit stops, but Cardenas and then DiSalvo managed to run down the fast teens from several seconds back to make a four-man battle in the final four laps.
Pascarella, who led 41 laps, ran in first as the riders entered the chicane on the final lap. The fast four moved past a lapped rider and made the charge to the stripe for the 57th time, where Pascarella encountered another backmarker. Pascarella did not test the bike or ride before Wednesday’s practice.
Joey Pascarella says: “I knew I could do it and I had faith in myself. I ran my own race. I thought if I led on the last lap and someone passed me, so be it. I felt most comfortable in the lead. Everyone was there the whole race. It ended up working out. I got a draft on a lapper and I was able to bring it home with a win. I don’t know what we’re doing for the rest of the season, but hopefully the team and I can keep going.”
Project 1 Atlanta won the pole for the 2011 race with rider Jake Zemke.
Runner-up DiSalvo charged hard after slowing before the first round of stops.
Jason DiSalvo says: “I thought I had an issue with the motorcycle and I backed off the pace considerably and we lost a good bit of time. We went through our pit stop and got back out there and everything looked okay and we kept going,” said last year’s Daytona 200 winner.
“Once I thoroughly chastised myself for making a silly move like that — you ride it until it stops, you don’t think you hear a noise and pull in — I just rode as hard as I could every lap. Every lap of that race was ten tenths, as hard as I could go. It ended up working out right that we were right there in the end. Through all the laps, and all the sliding around and slicing through lapped riders, it was just in the back of my mind that I was riding for Gary (Nixon) and riding for his memory, and for my crew and all the hard work they put in.”
Cameron Beubier says: “The race was awesome. I really didn’t get a good draft to the line, but I am happy with third.”
Behind the lead pack, another set of riders participated in an equally ferocious battle. M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki rider Dane Westby led that pack filled with veterans and young riders, breaking away at the line to close out the top five.
Ducshop Racing’s Zemke followed, with Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha’s Tommy Hayden, RoadRace Factory/Red Bull’s Jake Gagne, SGA Racing’s Tommy Aquino in tow. Cory West and the Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki Team rounded out the top 10.
2012 Daytona 200 Results
Pos | No. | Rider(s) | Team | Bike | Interval | Gap | Best Lap | Points |
1. | 52 | Joey Pascarella | Project 1 Atlanta | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 57 Laps | WINNER | 1:50.322 | 0 |
2. | 9 | Jason DiSalvo | Team Latus Motors Racing | Triumph Daytona 675 | 0.048 | 0.048 | 1:49.607 | 0 |
3. | 6 | Cameron Beaubier | Yamaha Extended Service, Graves, Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 0.112 | 0.063 | 1:49.780 | 0 |
4. | 36 | Martin Cardenas | Geico Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 0.112 | 0.000 | 1:49.867 | 0 |
5. | 5 | Dane Westby | M4 Broaster Chicken Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 44.354 | 44.241 | 1:50.167 | 0 |
6. | 98 | Jake Zemke | Ducshop Racing | Ducati 848 | 47.418 | 3.064 | 1:50.203 | 0 |
7. | 8 | Tommy Hayden | Yamaha Extended Service, Graves, Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 47.531 | 0.112 | 1:51.087 | 0 |
8. | 132 | Jake Gagne | Road Race Factory/Red Bull | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 47.547 | 0.016 | 1:50.336 | 0 |
9. | 827 | Tommy Aquino | SGA Racing/Yamaha Champions Riding School | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 47.643 | 0.095 | 1:50.414 | 0 |
10. | 57 | Cory West | Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki Team | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 58.335 | 10.691 | 1:50.908 | 0 |
11. | 95 | JD Beach | Road Race Factory/Red Bull | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:22.196 | 23.861 | 1:50.852 | 0 |
12. | 16 | Robertino Pietri | Katra/SGA Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:43.441 | 21.244 | 1:51.689 | 0 |
13. | 60 | Michael Beck | Full Tuck Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 56 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:52.389 | 0 |
14. | 50 | Bobby Fong | Meen Motorsports Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 23.704 | 23.704 | 1:51.399 | 0 |
15. | 700 | David Gaviria | LTD Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 35.474 | 11.770 | 1:51.448 | 0 |
16. | 29 | Barrett Long | Longevity Racing | Ducati 848 | 53.345 | 17.871 | 1:51.956 | 0 |
17. | 19 | Shawn Higbee | Higbee-Racing | Buell 1125R | 53.521 | 0.175 | 1:51.006 | 0 |
18. | 7 | Fernando Amantini | Team Amantini | Kawasaki ZX-6R | 1:12.226 | 18.705 | 1:51.718 | 0 |
19. | 100 | Bostjan Skubic | Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki Team | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 1:36.491 | 24.265 | 1:53.736 | 0 |
20. | 86 | Ben Young | BYR/Fogi Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 55 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:53.325 | 0 |
21. | 74 | Josh Galster | Josh Galster Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 0.084 | 0.084 | 1:53.402 | 0 |
22. | 43 | Reese Wacker | MOB Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 23.411 | 23.326 | 1:53.755 | 0 |
23. | 20 | Paul Allison | Kneedraggers.com/Triple Crown Industries | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:08.711 | 45.300 | 1:51.909 | 0 |
24. | 45 | David Sadowski, Jr. | Top Shelf Motorcycles Racing | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 1:28.995 | 20.284 | 1:53.188 | 0 |
25. | 71 | Nico Vivarelli | APEX/Mousebox Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 1:36.293 | 7.298 | 1:54.296 | 0 |
26. | 13 | Melissa Paris | Sea Miracle Yamaha Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 54 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:55.328 | 0 |
27. | 41 | Pat Mooney | Pat Mooney Racing | Buell 1125R | 8.380 | 8.380 | 1:54.808 | 0 |
28. | 46 | Shane Narbonne | MOB Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 13.631 | 5.251 | 1:53.958 | 0 |
29. | 84 | Anthony Fania | KSW Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 38.374 | 24.743 | 1:56.088 | 0 |
30. | 14 | Dalton Dimick | Gearzy Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 38.974 | 0.599 | 1:53.638 | 0 |
31. | 12 | Ricky Orlando | Ricky Orlando Racing | Kawasaki ZX-6R | 1:10.435 | 31.461 | 1:56.852 | 0 |
32. | 63 | Jeff Wrobel | Wrobel Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 53 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:55.956 | 0 |
33. | 175 | Sam Rozynski | Kneedraggers.com/Triple Crown Industries | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 51 Laps | 2 Laps | 1:57.565 | 0 |
34. | 24 | Scott Ryan | Stiles Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 50.595 | 50.595 | 1:53.711 | 0 |
35. | 72 | Bryce Prince | Rotobox/Nexx | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 43 Laps | 8 Laps | 1:53.938 | 0 |
36. | 240 | Frankie Garcia | Tuned Industries/Aussie Dave Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 32 Laps | 11 Laps | 1:55.982 | 0 |
37. | 37 | John Ashmead | Peter Brady Racing | Kawasaki ZX-6R | 29 Laps | 3 Laps | 1:56.540 | 0 |
38. | 77 | Matthew Sadowski | Top Shelf Motorcycles Racing | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 28 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:53.688 | 0 |
39. | 229 | Darren James | Ruthless Racing Inc. | Buell 1125R | 27 Laps | 1 Lap | 1:57.472 | 0 |
40. | 56 | Austin Dehaven | Kneedraggers.com/Triple Crown Industries | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 17 Laps | 10 Laps | 1:52.556 | 0 |
41. | 35 | Benny Solis | Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki Team | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 15 Laps | 2 Laps | 1:50.038 | 0 |
42. | 23 | Dario Marchetti | Ducshop Racing | Ducati 848 | 11 Laps | 4 Laps | 1:56.098 | 0 |
43. | 34 | Michael Barnes | Kneedraggers.com/Triple Crown Industries | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 9 Laps | 2 Laps | 1:52.703 | 0 |
44. | 75 | Huntley Nash | LTD Racing | Yamaha YZF-R6 | DNF | DNF | -no times- | 0 |
45. | 38 | Kris Turner | Turner`s Cycle Racing | Triumph Daytona 675 | DNS | DNS | -no times- | 0 |
46. | 10 | Eric Haugo | Viking Moto | Yamaha YZF-R6 | DNS | DNS | -no times- | 0 |