DAYTONA BEACH — You think the Daytona 500 is a unique event within the racing world?
In certain aspects, it has nothing on its two-wheeled companion, the Daytona 200 motorcycle classic, which roars to life for the 83rd time Saturday afternoon at 1:10 — 57 laps around the 3.51-mile Daytona International Speedway road course.
Motorcycle racing in Daytona Beach — or on Daytona Beach, to be more accurate — goes back as far as stock-car racing here. Well, almost — the first beach-and-road auto race was in 1936, with the first Daytona 200 the next year.
NASCAR moved off the beach and to the big new Speedway in 1959, while the cycles followed two years later and, within the motorcycle-racing industry, the Daytona 200 matched the 500’s esteem. But over time, technological advances interfered — increases in horsepower and the loads put on the thin cycle tires weren’t compatible with the 31-degree Daytona banking.
DAYTONA CYCLE SCHEDULE Daytona cycle racing full throttle inside Speedway (and out). Also, what’s a Bagger?
The evolution took several turns and the Daytona 200 wound up an outlier in today’s cycle racing. It’s the only race long enough to mandate pit stops. And since engine-vs.-tire issues never went away, Daytona’s race doesn’t even feature the top bikes of the big American sanctioning body — MotoAmerica. Instead of the top-tier Superbikes, the Daytona field will be made up of the SuperSport division.
Instead of topping out at 210 to 220 miles per hour through the tri-oval, the top speeds are in the 180 range.
Daytona 200 maintains its status in cycle world
If all that sounds like a downer, don’t be fooled. It’s still Daytona, there’s still a Rolex for the winner’s wrist, and riders around the globe seem to be taking a renewed interest.
“I look at it like the NASCAR guys look at the 500,” says Josh Herrin. “It’s a super important race to me. Been around it since I was a kid. Been around it since 2006. All the guys in Europe used to really like coming and racing here, and it’s starting to become that again.”
Herrin is partial for a good reason. He first won the Daytona 200 in 2010, and 13 years later, he won it again. Then he won it again last year, and while several riders have enjoyed runs of Daytona dominance, Herrin is hoping to become the first back-to-back-to-back Daytona 200 champ.
“Daytona is just such a special place,” Herrin says. “I get goosebumps just talking about it. It really is the World Center of Racing.”
Herrin will have to earn a third straight Daytona win Saturday. The field includes riders from six countries upon five different makes of motorcycle. Among the entries are a pair of greats who built their legends in the famed Isle of Man races — Englishman Peter Hickman and North Ireland’s Michael Dunlop, the Isle of Man’s all-time race winner with 29.
“It seems like people from Europe, the Daytona 200 is what they know about American racing,” Herrin says. “It’s Daytona, you know.”
Herrin likens the name-associating aspect to the brand of motorcycle he currently mounts.
“Daytona is kind of like Ducati,” he says. “Since I’ve been with Ducati, it doesn’t matter who you’re talking to. If they ask, ‘What do you do?’ and I say ‘I race motorcycles,’ they ask what kind of bike. I’ll say Ducati and they’ll say, ‘I know that, that’s so cool.’ If you say any other brand, more than likely, they’re not that interested.
“Same with tracks. With race tracks, here in America, I think there are two tracks that are household names in motorcycle racing — Laguna Seca and Daytona. Those are the two tracks in our sport … you can say those two names to anybody and they know what you’re talking about.”
What time is it? Time to win a Rolex Daytona
There’s another brand out there becoming quite synonymous with Daytona: Rolex. It used to be, the famed Rolex Daytona watch was only given to winners of the Rolex 24. Makes sense. But in recent years, Rolex’s relationship with Daytona has increased and now all Daytona winners — on four wheels or two — get a watch.
Herrin wants a third.
Turns out, the tradition hadn’t yet started when he won his first Daytona 15 years ago. In 2010, Herrin’s winning share of the overall prize purse was less than $10,000, but contractual bonuses through his manufacturer and other sponsors brought him a payday of $150,000.
“Back then, you only got the Rolex if you won the pole, and I wasn’t very good at qualifying,” Herrin says. “But the last two times I won, I got the watch. It doesn’t matter how much money someone throws at you, the watch definitely means more to me than any amount of money I’ve been given to race.”
Daytona Cycle Racing Schedule for Friday
Inside Speedway
1:45 p.m.: Mission Super Hooligan Race 1
2:30: SC Project Twins Cup Race
3:05: King of the Baggers Race 1
Daytona Flat Track
7 p.m.: Opening Ceremonies
7:15: AFT Singles Heat 1
7:20: AFT Singles Heat 2
7:25: AFT SuperTwins Heat 1
7:30: AFT SuperTwins Heat 2
7:35: Royal Enfield BTR Heat
8: AFT Singles LCQ
8:05: AFT SuperTwins LCQ
8:10: AFT SuperTwins Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge
8:15: Royal Enfield BTR Main Event
8:45: AFT Singles Main Event
9:15: AFT SuperTwins Main Event
Daytona schedule for Saturday
Inside Speedway
10:20 a.m.: Mission Super Hooligan National Championship Race 2
11: SC-Project Twins Cup Race 2
1:10 p.m.: Daytona 200 (57 laps)
4:05: Mission King of the Baggers Race 2 (8 laps)
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Why Daytona 200 is not normal cycle race as Josh Herrin eyes 4th win
