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Can you imagine Marc Márquez flying over to Florida for a one-off attempt at the Daytona 200? Preposterous, right? Yet 40 to 50 years ago, top grand prix stars did just that. The Daytona 200 is nowhere near as prestigious as it once was — but this year might be a step in the right direction.
There are three reasons the Daytona 200 might be worth watching this year: new motorcycles in the race, better riders on the grid, and that 800-pound gorilla of motorcycle roadracing sideshows, in the form of 630-pound King of the Baggers race bikes.
Why to watch: The bikes
One of the most interesting things about the Daytona 200 this year, which is now under the management of MotoAmerica, is that it will provide the first preview of the revamped Supersport category. Since 2005, Supersports, not Superbikes, have raced in the Daytona 200, and since many years before that, the Supersport category has remained the same: 600 cc four-cylinders, 675 cc triples and 750 cc twins. The problem is that the 600s don't sell in big numbers any more and the other two formulas are virtually non-existent in street-legal sport bikes. Even the most successful Supersport bike on the track, the Yamaha YZF-R6, is no longer sold as a street-legal model. The racing class had ceased to have much relevance to the motorcycles people are actually buying and riding on the street.
So the FIM reconfigured the class for the World Supersport championship and MotoAmerica is following the same rules for its national Supersport series. And the separate Daytona 200.
The reality is that we'll still see mostly Japanese 600s on the grid, just because those those are the race bikes teams have been developing for years. But the entry list also shows a few other interesting entries. For one, 2013 AMA Superbike champion and 2010 Daytona 200 winner Josh Herrin is switching to the MotoAmerica Supersport class this year and he'll be racing a Ducati Panigale V2 for the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team in the 200 as a warmup to the regular season. Three other riders are also entered on Panigales. On paper, the 955 cc twin would seem to have an advantage over the 600 cc fours — but races aren't run on paper, so it will be interesting to see.
Three riders are also entered on variations of the Triumph Street Triple RS with its 765 cc three-cylinder engine, including defending Daytona 200 champ Brandon Paasch and four-time 200 winner Danny Eslick, both riding for TOBC Racing.
I admit I'm most disappointed that nobody entered a Suzuki GSX-R750. Back when the Daytona 200 was a Superbike race, that series was contested by 750 cc four-cylinders and 1,000 cc twins, and the GSX-R750 won more than its share of AMA Superbike titles, with riders like Mat Mladin and Ben Spies. It would be great to see this landmark model make its return to some high-profile racing.
Unfortunately, 43 of the 50 motorcycles on the entry list are still 600 cc Japanese inline fours and more than half the field will still be riding Yamaha R6s. Change is coming slowly, and that makes sense. There's a huge wealth of knowledge, developed over many years, about how to make those motorcycles go really fast.
Still, I'm interested in seeing how the Ducati and the Triumph fare against that onslaught of traditional Supersports. In the past Superbike era, there were fans who not only rooted for a certain rider or brand, but for one engine configuration over the other. This year marks the return of that element to Supersport racing and the Daytona 200 is our first preview.
Why to watch: The riders
With MotoAmerica running the show, more MotoAmerica regulars, both riders and teams, will be competing. Two of the riders on R6s will be 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike champ Jake Gagne and his new teammate at the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team, Cameron Petersen. Team principal Richard Stanboli has won the 200 before as a team owner, so the team-rider-bike combination looks strong.
Another former AMA Superbike champion in the race is fan favorite and semi-retiree Josh Hayes. Former MotoAmerica Supersport champion Richie Escalante, who is moving up to Superbike this year, will race the 200 on a Suzuki GSX-R600. There are the three former Daytona 200 winners mentioned above, Herrin, Eslick, and Paasch. And while there won't be any MotoGP stars, like in the past, British Superbike riders Harry and Matt Truelove are coming over from England for a Florida vacation. All told, the entry list includes riders from England, France, Canada, the Czech Republic, South Africa, Mexico, and El Salvador.
It's a stronger field than the Daytona 200 has seen in many years.
Why to watch: The Baggers
Every show needs a sideshow, and there are several at the Daytona 200. There will be two eight-lap Mission King of the Baggers races, plus a three-lap "dash for cash" that pays $5,000 to the winner. If you're not up to speed on what the King of the Baggers series is all about, get a great taste of it by reading Zack Courts' recent test ride on Kyle Wyman's championship-winning Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special race bike. And here's one more twist: In addition to former MotoAmerica Superbike riders Wyman and Bobby Fong, one rider competing on the Mission Foods/S&S Cycle/Indian Challenger Team will be none other than former MotoGP racer Jeremy McWilliams, at age 57, giving ought-to-be-retired riders everywhere someone to cheer for.
In case highly modified baggers on the high banks isn't strange enough for you, there are also two six-lap Super Hooligan National Championship races, a series that includes a wide range of motorcycles from Harley-Davidson XR1200s to Ducati Hypermotards.
How to watch the Daytona 200
The only way to watch the Daytona 200 live is via MotoAmerica Live+, the series' streaming service. A season pass costs $109.99 at the regular price or you can pay $12.99 for a single event. There will be three days of live coverage starting tomorrow.
You can also watch the 200 on same-day delay on cable TV Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern on MAVTV or on the MotoAmerica YouTube channel. MAVTV will show the Daytona 200 again on Sunday at noon Eastern time.
Even as it slid to its lowest level in the past decade, in terms of prestige and importance, the Daytona 200 has still provided some good racing, such as last year's win by Paasch over Sean Dylan Kelly by 0.031 seconds. But it never felt like must-see racing. It still isn't, but this year could be a step back toward making the race important again, just as MotoAmerica saved AMA Superbike racing from its near-death experience. This year, the Daytona 200 may actually be worth watching.
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