Daytona 200

Pirelli Announces 2022 #PirelliNation Road Race Community Program

Submit Your Application by April 15 for the Opportunity to Join Pirelli’s Road Racing Community Join racers like two-time defending Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch as a part of the #pirellination road racing community. ROME, Ga. (April 1, 2022) – Pirelli Tire North America is pleased to announce the launch of its new #pirellination road race community for the 2022 racing season. As the official tire of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, Pirelli and its DIABLO™ Superbike lineup is the go-to tire by racers around the world. Pirelli remains dedicated to the grassroots part of the sport, continuing with its motto “we sell what we race, we race what we sell”, and all riders may purchase the same race compound tires found on the bikes of their favorite professional riders and World Champions like Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu. The road race community program will ensure racers are the first to know about the latest brand news, be notified of Pirelli’s newest products, receive updates on national marketing opportunities within the brand, and be given access to technical advice and service at select races. Pirelli’s team will also be identifying and selecting several candidates who will have the opportunity to purchase race compound tires at preferred pricing and provided with Pirelli team-branded gear. Residents of the United States and Canada are eligible for the program. “Pirelli is extremely excited about building up its racer community with the all-new #PirelliNation program,” said Oscar Solis, road race manager, Pirelli. “Everything we do from the very top as a brand, including product development with World and National Championship racers, trickles down to the local, club level racer. Our goal remains to provide the everyday rider and racer with access to the latest technology and the very best products available on the market. […]

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Brief history of Daytona Beach’s Bike Week

A history of beer, bikes, cole slaw and ‘rowdyism’ by C. A. Bridges from www.news-journalonline.com Bike Week, now marking its 81st year, may not be your grandfather’s — or even your great-grandfather’s — bike rally. A gathering for motorcycle race fans, a drunken party, a biker brawl or a family vacation destination, Bike Week has been a lot of things over the years. It’s our Mardi Gras, our Fantasy Fest, our Carnival. It’s a portable, 10-day street party of motorcycles and biker lifestyle. CLICK HERE to read this article on Bikernet

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Pirelli Storms to Third Consecutive Daytona 200 Victory

Brandon Paasch, Cam Peterson, and Sheridan Morais Make it an all Pirelli Podium Sweep using DIABLO™ Superbike Slicks DAYTONA, Fla. (March 12, 2022) – Pirelli Tire North America stormed to victory and a one, two, three finish at the 80th running of the Daytona 200. The victory marked the second consecutive at Daytona for TOBC Racing rider Brandon Paasch who relied on the performance of the DIABLO™ Superbike range in each of his successes. Attack Performance Yamaha rider Cam Peterson came up 0.007 short to finish second, followed by fellow South African Sheridan Morais in third aboard his Syntainics / Penz13 racing machine, making it an all Pirelli podium sweep for the first time in the event’s history. “Man, what a race,” said Paasch. “I kind of hung back early to let everyone settle in before making my moves and we got going just in time. That was a close finish and the slingshot worked out perfectly. My team decided to not change tires on our last pit stop, which definitely was a gamble, but it showed how much traction was left in my Pirelli’s as we came to the final stretch. A huge thank you to Pirelli for their efforts that have played a big part in my Daytona 200 victories!” The 57-lap shootout proved to be an all-out battle as riders exchanged passes for the podium positions lap-after-lap. Paasch used patience for the majority of the race, running just inside the top-five with his sights locked in on the front-runners. As riders began to make their final pit stops, Paasch found himself out front before making a pit stop of his own, allowing Peterson to inherit the lead with 12-laps remaining. Paasch and the TOBC Racing team elected to pit for fuel only after seeing how well the

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Launch of Honda CB750 & Dick Mann at AMA Daytona 200-Mile Race

by Todd Halterman from https://www.autoevolution.com On Twitter by Honda Powersports: Monday’s passing of Dick “Bugsy” Mann, American Honda sends its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Mann’s 1970 Daytona 200 win aboard the CR750 (the racing version of the CB750 four-cylinder) was momentous in Honda’s history Thank you, Dick, and godspeed. The Honda CB750 Changed the Way Motorcycles Were Made, Raced and Sold Though now highly prized for their potential as re-imagined cafe racer machines, the venerable Honda CB750 was – back in its infancy – the bike that changed the game. So how did it happen that the Japanese took over the worldwide motorcycle manufacturing industry? To a large extent, it came down to the creation of a single model. With five consecutive championship titles under their belts, Honda decided to withdraw from the World GP circuit in 1967 with a plan to develop high-performance consumer motorcycles at the forefront of their vision. While Honda exported more than half of their output back in the mid-’60s, they didn’t make a large-displacement sport bike model which would appeal to the hardcore rider in the U.S. And it’s not like the honchos at Honda failed to notice that glaring deficiency. Sales of Honda motorcycles in America were flagging in 1966, and the company knew a brand-new worldview was in order. While the company had created the Dream CB450 in 1965, they were still being outgunned by big bikes from other makers. The CB450 sold well, but for the vast majority of American riders, it just didn’t have the requisite zing and bottom-end torque they craved. What really drove Yoshiro Harada, the head of Honda product development at the time, was hearing the news that Britain’s Triumph was deep in the development process of a high-performance, 3-cylinder 750 cc engine.

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Daytona 200 with Triumph & Ducati plus King of the Baggers

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com At the 80th Daytona 200 Race – King of the Baggers Goes Oval Racing Next Year, Daytona 200 to Allow Triumph and Ducati. When one hears the word Daytona, the first thing that comes to mind is the insane racing that goes on there, especially the Daytona 500 event dedicated to cars. But the same name can easily be associated with an equally grueling endurance race for motorcycles. They call it Daytona 200, and it has been around in some form or another ever since 1937. Next year in March, when the upcoming event is scheduled, people attending will be celebrating the 80th edition of the race. On their end, organizers will do so with new rules and bagger racing as a side dish for the first time ever. Bagger racing on sanctioned, iconic tracks has not been around for all that long. Or maybe it has, but it only got traction after back in 2020 Harley-Davidsons and Indians went at each other’s throats in a single high-adrenaline race, called King of the Baggers, at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Then, 2021 came with King of the Baggers as a three-race series (eventually won by Harley’s Kyle Wyman), and we also got the Bagger Racing League’s Drag Specialties Battle of the Baggers for the first time. Next year in Daytona, most of the bikes that were raced this year, and hopefully, even more, will line up on the starting grid once more. It is there where the next season of King of the Baggers kicks off, marking the first time ever when such motorcycles have been raced “on the high banks of a Superspeedway with speeds expected to exceed 160 mph.” So far, the organizers of the series, MotoAmerica, did not provide any info on

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American racing champion Dick Mann passes away

from https://www.roadracingworld.com Racing Legend Dick Mann passes away – from a press release issued By American Motorcyclist Association AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and Racing Legend Dick Mann Passes Mann, a two-time AMA Grand National Champion, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998 PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Dick “Bugsy” Mann, one of the most versatile racers to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle, passed away on April 26 at the age of 86. Mr. Mann, born June 13, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah, was a two-time AMA Grand National Champion (1963 and 1971), and became best known for being the first person to achieve a motorcycle racing Grand Slam, which involved winning across all five types of circuits included in the Grand National Championship: road racing, TT, short track, half-mile and mile. When he retired from racing in 1974, Mann had 24 national victories, which — at the time — placed him second in all-time wins within the AMA Grand National Series. While Mann got his racing start in scrambles, he soon got hooked on turning left on dirt ovals, and after some time learning his trade, headed to the professional racing circuit in 1954, turning expert in 1955. He achieved his first national win at the Peoria TT in 1959, quickly establishing himself as an elite racer in the series. Mann also helped pioneer the sport of motocross in the U.S., competing in several of the early AMA professional motocross races in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps Mann’s most fulfilling national win was his victory in the 1970 Daytona 200 aboard the then-new Honda CB750. He’d been racing the Daytona 200 for 15 years and finished second three times, and in 1970 finally got to the top step of the podium, holding off rising

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Pirelli and Brandon Paasch Emerge Triumphant in the Daytona 200

Tyler O’Hara Grabs Podium Position with DIABLO™ Superbike Slicks DAYTONA, Fla. (March 14, 2021) – Pirelli Tire North America returned to the winner’s circle once again at the 79th running of the Daytona 200, claiming three out of the top four positions in the 57-lap shootout. TSE Racing’s Brandon Paasch has come close to victory at the speedway previously, but 2021 marked the year that the 19-year old would get the job done, piloting his Yamaha YZF-R6 to victory by 0.031 of a second. Tyler O’Hara used an impressive late race charge to take the final step of the podium in third aboard his Floyd’s of Leadville Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-6R. “It feels so good to get the job done here in Daytona,” said Paasch. “This has been a goal of mine for a long time, and to finally check this off the list, just feels amazing! My Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike slicks worked incredible all day, especially towards the end of the race when it really counted, allowing me to chip away at the lead and make the pass for the win.” Both Paasch’s YZF-R6 and O’Hara’s ZX-6R relied on the performance of Pirelli’s DIABLO™ Superbike SC1 120/70-17 front tire and DIABLO™ Superbike Daytona 190/60-17 rear tire to handle the challenges of the high-banked 3.51-mile course. “I let the leaders get away from me a little bit there in the beginning laps,” said O’Hara. “I just never gave up though, and my Pirelli tires were working awesome. I’m so stoked to be up here on the podium, but to be honest, I really wanted to get that top step of the podium.” Paasch’s relentless efforts saw him make up a six-second gap in the final stages of the race, including using the traction of his Pirelli slicks to get a drive

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