For the 80th edition of the iconic Daytona 200 taking place on March 12, a total of 50 drivers will train, qualify and race for the opportunity to win the race and add their name to the list of legends who won America's most famous motorcycle race.
Among the riders registered for the Daytona 200, which will take place this year over 57 laps with three pit stops to change tires and refuel, we find three former AMA / MotoAmerica Superbike champions (Josh Hayes, Josh Herrin et Jake Gagne), three former winners of the Daytona 200 (Josh Herrin, winner in 2010, Danny Eslick, a four-time winner, and last year's winner, Brandon Pasch), five 2022 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike riders (Jake Gagne, Cameron Petersen, Richie Escalante, Hayden Gillim et Geoff May) and three riders from the British Superbike series (Harry Truelove, Matt Truelove et Brandon Pasch).
Obviously, this race no longer has the luster of the era when Japanese factories competed with great reinforcements of world champions and official teams sometimes comprising up to six 750cc two-stroke motorcycles, but the 2022 edition is nevertheless interesting because it is the first Supersport race meeting the new regulations for this category: basically, for the first time it will be the opportunity to see the Ducati Panigale V2 and other Triumph Street Triple RS compete against the traditional 600cc Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki.
The latter still make up most of the field, but 4 Ducati Panigale V2s will be there, including one in the hands of the very fast Californian Josh Herrin for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team in which he was racing Loris Baz last year.
At Triumph, which will have 2 Street Triple RS and a Daytona 675, we can count on Danny Eslick to defend the colors of the brand and TOBC Racing on the banking of the Daytona International Speedway.
Faced with these machines of respectively 955cc and 765cc, Yamaha still takes the lion's share of a field in which we will of course follow #303, a nod from Frenchman Timothée Monot to the illustrious Patrick Pons who won the Daytona 200 with this number in 1980.
See you on Thursday March 10 for the first tests!
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Cover photo: Last year's Daytona 200 with Sean Dylan Kelly, Michael Barnes, Kyle Wyman, Brandon Paasch, Tyler O'Hara and Danny Eslick leading the way. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
