Herrin’s third win overall in prestigious race caps action-packed
83rd annual Bike Week Presented by Monster Energy
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 9, 2024) – A nearly perfect race by Josh Herrin and his No. 2 Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati team gave him a dominant performance in winning his second straight and third overall DAYTONA 200 at Daytona International Speedway.
Herrin had to wait 13 years between his first two championships at The World Center of Racing, but less than a year later for his third. He became the sixth rider to capture three DAYTONA 200 victories.
As the first stint of the race wound down and pit stops loomed, Herrin, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Richie Escalante and Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong pulled away from the rest of the lead pack.
Herrin and Escalante were the first to break off for pit road coming to Lap 17, but a lightning fast stop by the Warhorse Ducati team allowed Herrin to head back out on track first and take a solo lead after pit stops cycled through.
Fuel strategy became the name of the game as contender and two-time DAYTONA 200 champion Brandon Paasch sputtered around for a lap before coming in for his first pit stop, and the eventual race winner Herrin faced a similar issue coming to pit road for his second stop coming to Lap 38.
But it was a non-issue for the now three-time champion as his lead was too great to overcome.
In the final laps, the question became who could make it to the finish on fuel. That question ended in heartbreak for Escalante, who held a 38-second lead on Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott heading into the infield portion to start the final lap of the 57-lap event.
Escalante’s bike started to sputter as he rounded the International Horseshoe and couldn’t stay up to speed while completing the 3.56-mile course. As he exited the final turn on the oval portion of the track, Scott blew past him to finish second after starting on pole. Shortly after, Vesrah Racing rider Hayden Gillim caught and passed Escalante to complete the podium.
Fong finished fourth and Esclante finally crossed the line in fifth.
Roland Sands Mission Super Hooligans Class
The second and final weekend of the 83rd Bike Week at DAYTONA Presented by Monster Energy kicked off Friday, March 8, with the first round of the Roland Sands Mission Super Hooligans Championship. Rookie and three-time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss of S&S/Indian Motorcycle edged out teammate Tyler O’Hara by 0.491 seconds to claim his first MotoAmerica road racing win of his career. Cory West with Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson rounded out the podium with his third-place finish.
The second round of the Mission Super Hooligans took place on Saturday, March 9. After being disqualified last year after a technical infraction, No. 13 Cory West redeemed himself and claimed the first spot on the podium and this served as the first Super Hooligan win for Harley-Davidson at Daytona. Harley-Davidson swept the podium with No. 85 Jake Lewis and No. 34 Cody Wyman finishing second and third, respectively.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup Class
The BellissiMoto Twins Cup kicked off on Friday afternoon and we saw a dominant performance from No. 96 Gus Rodio of Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering. Rodio would be victorious in the nine-lap race and was an astonishing 11.493 seconds ahead of No. 25 Dominic Doyle with Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing when he crossed the finish line. No. 99 Avery Dreher rounded out the podium with his third-place finish for the TopPro Racing Team. Rodio also won the first Twins Cup race at Daytona International Speedway last year.
Rodio’s dominance continued into race two of the BellissiMoto Twins Cup on Saturday. He was able to build up another massive lead in race two and never looked back. Rodio claimed another victory in the BellissiMoto Twins Cup Class. No. 97 Rocco Landers with RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson finished in second place, with Rodio’s teammate No. 27 Alessandro Di Mario taking third place in the podium.
Mission King of the Baggers Class
The Mission King of the Baggers Championship returned to Daytona International Speedway for more thrilling racing on the famous high banks. On Friday, No. 33 Kyle Wyman of Harley-Davidson Factory Racing made a late-lap pass in an intense battle with S&S Cycle/Indian Motorcycle’s No. 17 Troy Herfoss. Wyman barely bested Herfoss by .018 seconds in an epic showdown to the finish line. Wyman’s teammate No. 43 James Rispoli rounded out Friday’s podium.
The second race in the Mission King of the Baggers class wrapped up the weekend action early Saturday evening, capping off another great weekend of MotoAmerica racing. Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s No. 33 Kyle Wyman took advantage of No. 17 Troy Herfoss of S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s last-lap mistake as he looked over his shoulder on the backstretch chicane to see where Wyman was. Wyman’s Harley-Davidson teammate, No. 43 James Rispoli, finished third making Saturday’s podium a duplicate of the first race on Friday.
About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the World Center of Racing, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. Some of the exciting racing events include January’s Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and Roar Before The Rolex 24, February’s DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, March’s Bike Week At DAYTONA Presented By Monster Energy, featuring DAYTONA Supercross and the DAYTONA 200, the August Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend, and much more. The Speedway grounds are also used extensively for other events that include concerts (Welcome to Rockville, Heroes Honor Festival, etc.), sporting events (DAYTONA Soccer Fest, CLASH DAYTONA, etc.) civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit americanmotorcyclist.com.
