daytona international raceway is larger than life
The 4.748km Motorcycle road course is like no other on the planet. With a huge "tri-oval" construction including an infield nicknamed 'the dog leg' it's no surprise it's a rider and fan favourite. From the grandstand you're able to see mostly the entire tri-oval but you are lacking visibility of the infield.
daytona 200 | March 9 2024
The Lean Angle Media team was lucky to reach Daytona Beach Florida for the 82nd running of the 200.
The sun was shining and the track was hot for practice on a balmy Thursday in Daytona Beach, Florida. The MotoAmerica SuperSport riders have prepped for the Daytona 200, and are buttoning up their bikes & putting on the finishing touches with what has been learned throughout practice. Some riders may need to make suspension or gearing changes to make the best possible setup to gain an edge for qualifying Friday. When speaking to some Canadian riders, the complaint was that there wasn't enough riders to draft out in practice. This could contribute to a slower laptime and less practice for the actual race ahead.
Pit Stops are a vital.
Riders teams must practice and perfect the pit stop. With multiple tire changes, and refuels during the race riders, and team must work together for the best possible result. 5 or more pit crew are typically required for a successful Daytona 200 pit stop.
daytona banking
The banks at Daytona are enourmous. At a staggering 31 degrees riders would experience a lean angle that would sit them near 90 degrees at top speed. In the Daytona 'tri-oval,' riders have their bikes flat out and need to have the proper gearing to be able to achieve the top speeds they're striving make. Into turn 1 the infield section is a great place for riders to pick up on their competition and make some much needed passes on the brakes.
Champ vs champ
Canadian vs American Champions
Josh Herrin #2 has been dominating the MotoAmerica circuit for the most recent history and the 2024 Daytona 200 is no exception. Piloting his Warhorse Ducati V2 SuperSport he looks quite at home. While it's a deviation from his Superbike, he is keeping smooth and is impressing. This is nothing he is unfamilar with winning on this bike in 2022, earning him a SuperBike ride.
Bridgestone rider Ben Young #86 pictured trailing Herrin finished with a very respectable 9th place overall in the 200 and was able to show the American fans what the Canadians can bring to the table.
Ben is expected to compete again in the CSBK Championship in 2024.
CSBK - round 5 - shannonville motorsport park - Sep 15 2023
Lean Angle Core team - Attends CSBK Round5
There was mixed emotions for the Lean Angle Motorsports core team to even attend the last Canadian Superbike (CSBK) race round at Shannonville Motorsports Part (SMP). Ultimately there was a decision to attend and compete and the results were great. Scott Szollos #10 was able to achieve personal best lap times, and also take home a 5th place on Saturday in Race 1. Doug Newman was able to secure personal best lap times and a 15th in Race 1.
Picture by Damian P
Changes at Kawasaki
With some recent team changes on the Kawasaki Canada Racing team there was a lot of eyes on both Jordan Szoke #101, and ex-teammate Trevor Dion #20, who migrated to riding a Ducati instead of the Kawasaki superbike. With Dion taking the last spot on the podium pushing out Szoke it turned into a great race and it was absolutely brilliant to witness. Dion’s replacement #814 Connor Campbell was able to fill the spot very nicely and competed well for only turned a few laps on the new to him ZX10. Also found in the wild is a Lean Angle paddock tee!
Pro Superbike
The other battles of the Pro Superbike class was Alex Dumas #23 and Ben Young #1. Dumas led into the weekends racing events with a crash in Turn 5 and limited his points collection for the championship. Before the weekend was over the CSBK Championship was decided and Young was crowned the 2023 Pro Superbike Champion once again.
Pro Sportbike
With our own rider Elliot Vieira #33(pictured right) completing in the Pro Sportbike class it was a very exciting racing to watch taking two podiums throughout the weekend. The overall points were extremely tight between David McKay #82 and Matt Simpson #91 , and every point counted for each rider when qualifying, and racing. There was some really tight passes, and heart racing moments for both racers, however McKay was able to take the championship after a some back and and hard racing.
Pro Sportbike
McKay (pictured left) did have a crash and was able to get the bike moving again, however the hand delivered parts from McKay’s sponsor Snow City Cycle his bike was able to get back up and running proper.
Pro Superbike
It was very nice to see #9 “The Wildchild” Trevor Daley (pictured right) back after a crash out at Atlantic Motorsport Park back in July. We did not expect to see him back after such a short recovery period. As a spectator it was very nice to see him back out there.
Team Award Winners - ACME Motorsports
Nice to see our friends over at ACME Motorsports & Paul Macdonell # 785 (pictured left) were able to secure the Team of the Year award for 2023, Trevor Dion was able to secure Pro Rookie of the Year Award and BMW took the Constructors Championship.
Next stop is the Daytona 200 - March 2024.
unless otherwise stated photos courtesy of Lean Angle Motorsports
Written by Doug Newman
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