2016 Daytona 200 Date
Due to confusion regarding who would sanction the 2015 Daytona 200, the most famous endurance motorcycle race was not actually confirmed until December of 2014.
But it wasn’t North America’s new road-racing series MotoAmerica that sanctioned the race; rather, it was the American SportBike Racing Association (ASRA). And on Thursday, Daytona International Speedway (DIS) announced that ASRA will once again sanction the 2016 Daytona 200 for the 75th running of the historic race.
DIS also announced the date; the 2016 Daytona 200 date will be March 12, 2016. The 200-mile, 57-lap race will once again take place on the 3.51-mile road course, and use 600cc sportbikes.
“We are thrilled to continue to work with American SportBike Racing Association as the sanctioning body for the Daytona 200,” says Joie Chitwood, Daytona International Speedway President. “It’s an important anniversary for the Daytona 200 in 2016 and we look forward to celebrating this event’s rich history with an exciting event featuring riders battling for a competitive purse and a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona.”
Many were excited ahead of the 2015 Daytona 200 because the former sanctioning body, AMA Pro Racing, was supposed to return the race to superbikes. But when ASRA took over, the 600cc bikes remained – and the action was intense.
Oklahoma’s Danny Eslick earned the win by a mere 0.086 of a second over former Moto2 pilot Josh Herrin (Yamaha YZF-R6). Piloting the TOBC Racing Suzuki GSX-R600, Eslick became one of 12 repeat winners at the Daytona 200; in 2014, Eslick earned the win aboard a Triumph 675R, giving the British brand its first Daytona 200 win since Gary Nixon in 1967.
As in 2015, the 2016 Daytona 200 date also includes ASRA and Championship Cup Series (CCS) racing, and the schedule will be filled from Thursday, March 10, through Sunday, March 12.
Qualifying for the 2016 Daytona 200 takes place at 1 p.m. Friday, March 11.
“The 75th running of the Daytona 200 will be a milestone event for motorcycle road racing in America and we are ecstatic to serve as the sanctioning body for the event,” said Kevin Elliott, President of ARSA. “The sheer magnitude of what the Daytona 200 means to our sport cannot be understated. With its history, this unique event has continually turned good racers into stars and then stars into superstars as they fought to win this prestigious race.”
