Danny Eslick in 2014 Daytona 200The man who won the past two Daytona 200 races – Danny Eslick – will not race this weekend’s 75th Daytona 200.The 29-year-old of Broken Arrow, Okla., was arrested just before midnight Monday near the intersection of Main Street and Ocean Avenue, an area saturated with busy bars during Daytona Bike Week. Eslick was arrested on charges of battery on a law-enforcement officer, a third-degree felony, and posted $1500 bail Tuesday at the Volusia County court.
Due to his actions, the American Motorcyclist Association and the American Sportbike Racing Association, in consultation with Daytona International Speedway, have suspended Eslick from racing in the Daytona 200.The AMA reports: “Participating in professional motorcycle competition is a privilege, not a right, and there is zero tolerance for behavior that is detrimental to the promotion of motorcycling in all its forms. The AMA has extended Eslick’s suspension to all AMA-sanctioned activity. The suspension will be in effect until this case is resolved, at which time the AMA may lift the suspension or take further action.”Eslick was on a mission to earn three consecutive Daytona 200 races; he won in 2014 on a Triumph 675R, and earned the win last year on a Suzuki GSX-R600. This year he was slated to compete on the TOBC Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.The Daytona 200 by Victory will be aired live on FansChoice.tv on Saturday, March 12. The 57-lap lap race at the 3.51-mile Daytona road course goes green at 1 p.m. ET.
Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory + Steve ’Stavros’ Parrish
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast—Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
Our first segment features the new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory. Senior Editor Nic de Sena brings us his report on the flagship version of Aprilia’s upright middleweight machine. He gives us insight into whether it’s worth spending the extra money on the Factory version, and also of course, whether this sporting Aprilia is really the motorcycle for you.
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The next guest segment of Motos and Friends is brought to you by the faster and most technologically advanced, 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa—one of the most iconic sportbikes ever. Check it out in person at your local Suzuki dealer now, or visit suzukicycles.com to learn more.
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In this segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with (arguably) one of the most interesting Suzuki race riders of all time. the iconic RG500 alongside teammate double World Champion Barry Sheene. The two were almost as famous for their exploits off-track, as for their success on it. Those were the days! Steve also raced the Isle of Man TT for about ten years where he won 13 Silver Replicas, and got a podium finish. His insight into that particular brand of mayhem are fascinating.
But there’s waaay more to Steve Parrish than his motorcycle racing. He is also the most successful Semi-Truck racer ever, and, little known piece of useless trivia—he’s my birthday twin: 24th February. He is a natural entertainer and you can’t miss his recounting of the world’s most entertaining—and arguably terrifying—double-decker bus ride ever. If any of you were actually on that hell-ride then we’d love to hear from you!