Daytona Beach Florida, home of many historical races of all kinds in the motorsports industry. Daytona Supercross is one of the most prestigious races of the year held during bike week and there are thousands of motorcycles roaming the streets. This week's track walk was the first this year that gave me the itch to ride again. The track looked really fun but I knew it was going to get rough and technical.
There was a sort of step up quad that was definitely going to be an obstacle to overcome and after the first couple practices many guys were getting over it, but not necessarily with ease. With concern that the section was too dangerous for the lites guys, the track crew decided to modify it to slow everyone down. It did just that but I'm not so sure it was any safer.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey came into this race with a substantial points lead in the 450 class but with full intentions to take it one race at a time. Rest assured he is going for the win every Saturday night and this one was no different. With one lap about to be in the books, the riders found the red flag waving as they crossed the finish line jump. In the modified quad section I spoke about earlier Grant Langston went over the bars in a very ugly crash. He was lucky to not get hit by anyone as the jump was blind as he lay unconscious on the track. The race was to be restarted and that is never a comfortable feeling for the riders forced to line back up. After the second gate drop Ryan did not get the holeshot but his rival Ryan Villopoto did. With the two Ryan's being the fastest on the track, Dungey had to make moves quick as Villopoto was pulling away out front. Dungey settled into 2nd and began reeling Villopoto in. I was getting nervous as it seemed like they started lapping other riders right away. It's never easy to watch that on any track let alone a rough, rutted one that a lapped rider can easily make a mistake and take down a championship contender. This almost happened to Dungey on the same quad section as another rider did make a mistake causing Ryan to nearly land on him. That gave me headache. Dungey made up a lot of ground on Villopoto but just ran out of time. However he still holds a 20 point lead for the premiere class title and continues to have consistent finishes on the podium nearly every week. Another bright point is after the toughest race of the series endurance wise he told me he didn't get tired at all which says a lot for "the rookie's" work ethic.
One of the most impressive rides of the night in the 450 class came from Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Tommy Hahn. Tommy was in 5th after the first lap......on the red flag start. Imagine his disappointment when he completed the first lap after the restart in 14th. Don't ever count Tommy out though, particularly on an outdoor style track where he really shines. Hahn worked his way through the pack eating sand all the way up to 6th place just out of the top 5. Although I'm sure he wishes he had that first start back, I was personally very impressed with his effort and can't wait to see him outdoors. Another good ride was put on by Ryan Morais. Ryan normally rides for Rockstar Energy Suzuki and was in the hunt for the west coast lites championship before he was taken completely out of the series by another rider's very poor decision. He is however getting a chance on a Rockstar Makita Suzuki in the 450 class to get some experience. Morais is a very nice guy so I wanted nothing more than to see him have a good night and he did just that. Coming off a serious injury and racing the 450 for the first time, Ryan claimed 10th place. A good start and definitely something to build on.
In the lites class so far it has been an exciting start to the East. With Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Austin Stroupe battling for wins and rookies like Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Blake Bagget knocking on the door. Austin has been consistently on the podium each week but has yet to claim his first win. It's coming though as Stroupe is hungry to pick it up and inch closer to the points lead. Bagget, another really nice kid riding for Bill Keefe's team is definitely making leaps and bounds every week. With a 5th place last week after even falling in a corner, Blake definitely has podium potential. He battled for 3rd place the entire lites main, falling just short in 4th place. With a 5th, then a 4th, Blake should grab that first career SX podium next week in Toronto. Rockstar rider Kyle Cunningham also put in a good top ten ride in 9th.
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