MotoAmerica season opener at Daytona all class wrap/results/points

2022 Daytona 200

Images by Brian J. Nelson

Josh Herrin topped Daytona 200 qualifying over the weekend for pole, but it wouldn’t be enough to see off the hard charging Brandon Paasch who on race day added another Daytona 200 win to his ledger.

Paasch won the main event on his Triumph, ahead of Cameron Petersen and Sheridan Morais on their Yamahas, with just 0.057-seconds between the top three, and only 0.007-seconds between Paasch and Petersen. Fourth place went to Josh Hayes, 0.126 off the lead.

In the Twins Cup Blake Davis and Hayden Schultz took the race wins, however the overall winner was Teagg Hobbs with consistency proving the trump card of the weekend. In the Super Hooligans in comparison, Andy DiBrino won, ahead of Corey West and Tyler O’Hara.

On the Aussie front, rookie Luke Power was also present over the weekend, putting in an exceptional effort in Qualifying 1 Group B in fourth, behind Landers, Wyman and Miranda in the wet. An unfortunate crash after losing the rear on lap 3 due to a mechanical issue saw Luke out of the race.

Superbikes will next be on track at CotA alongside MotoGP in Texas, while MotoAmerica returns in full with all classes at Road Atlanta on April 22nd.

2022 Daytona 200 Full Race Video

Daytona 200 Qualifying

Warhorse HSBK Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin earned pole position for the 80th running of the Daytona 200, giving Ducati its first pole at Daytona International Speedway since Eric Bostrom did so on a Ducati 999 in 2004.

Herrin nabbed pole position with his 1:50.088 lap during the 15-minute Time Attack session that featured the fastest 12 riders after the two qualifying sessions.

Josh Herrin

“I came here two years ago and obviously it wasn’t a MotoAmerica race then, but we got pole, then we got it taken away and then the race got cancelled so it was a big bummer. For me I’ve always wanted to get pole because from a young age if you got pole here, you got the Rolex. I won the race and didn’t get the Rolex and didn’t get pole back then. It was super important for me to try and get it on pole… just for confidence and to get those guys thinking a bit about us having speed, especially without a draft. I was looking for the draft that whole lap and couldn’t get it, so I just put my head down and pushed extra hard in the infield and was able to get it. I’m happy to get it, happy for the HSBK Warhorse Ducati team and to put the V2 up on pole. I’m ready for the race tomorrow.”

Herrin’s best on his Ducati Panigale V2 was just .010 of a second faster than SYNTAINICS Racing team’s Sheridan Morais, the South African doing a one-off ride in the MotoAmerica series on his team’s Yamaha YZF-R6.

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Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne will join Herrin and Morais on the front row, the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion clocking a 1:50.405.

Defending Daytona 200 Champion Brandon Paasch and his TOBC Racing Triumph will lead the second row where he will be joined by Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante and Attack Performance Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen.

TOBC Racing Triumph’s Danny Eslick, Max Angles Racing Team’s Max Angles and BobbleHeadMoto/N2 Racing’s Kevin Olmedo rounded out the top-10 qualifiers for tomorrow’s Daytona 200.

Daytona 200 Time Attack

Daytona 200

TOBC Racing’s Brandon Paasch executed his Daytona 200 plan to perfection, loitering around at the back of a four-rider pack until the time was right to pull the trigger on his Triumph Speed Triple RS. As it turns out, the 20-year-old had just the right amount of ammo at his disposal.

He exited the chicane in fourth place, went down low on the banking, and started making moves until delivering the final dagger with a double-draft pass on Cameron Petersen and Sheridan Morais at the finish to win his second successive Daytona 200 – this one by just .007 of a second.

Paasch had spent his afternoon lurking at the back of the lead group – no matter how many riders it consisted of. But when it came down to his final pit stop, the only way he was going to be in a position to battle for victory was to take on just fuel and not tires.

The New Jerseyan got in and out of the pits quickly and found himself just behind the duo of SYNTAINICS Racing’s Morais and Squid Hunter’s Josh Hayes, the pair smartly squabbling over second and all the while pulling themselves to the back of Petersen, the South African alone and helpless as he watched his four-second lead evaporate all too quickly. Suddenly, it was a four-rider race to the finish and the man at the back was the man at the front when he needed to be. At the finish.

Paasch beat Attack Performance Yamaha’s Petersen by .007 with Morais third, another .057 behind, with Hayes fourth and .126 of a second from victory.

Fifth place went to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante, some 46 seconds behind Paasch, but well clear of four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick on the second TOBC Racing Triumph.

TSE Racing’s Harry Truelove, who races in the British Superbike Series, was just a tick behind Eslick at the finish and some eight seconds ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Geoff May. Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Josh Herrin rounded out the top 10.

Pole-sitter Herrin was in the lead group when he ran out of fuel on his way to the first pit stop, coasting to pit lane and losing gobs of time in the process; and 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne, who qualified third-fastest, lasted only a few laps in the 200 before pulling out due to back pain from his crash in the morning warm-up session.

Paasch averaged 113.162 mph in winning the race and he also set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:49.959, en route to snagging his second Rolex watch.

Paasch, who gave Yamaha its 27th victory in the 2021 Daytona 200, brought Triumph its fourth victory in the 200 and the first since Eslick won on a TOBC Triumph in 2014.

The race was red-flagged on the seventh lap when Jose Lloreda crashed exiting the chicane, leaving debris on the racetrack.

Brandon Paasch – Daytona 200 Winner

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure the whole time. There were a few times I did try to draft them, and I couldn’t get past. I was a little bit nervous, and I was like, ‘well, as long as we’re in the fight at the end, there’s nothing you can do about it.’ It’s Daytona. It’s a drafting game and sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. For me, honestly, it was just kind of sit there and wait, wait. We didn’t change the tire at the second pit stop, so I was a little bit nervous about the tire wear. I saw Cam (Petersen) had a pretty big gap, so I was just sitting behind Sheridan (Morais) and Josh (Hayes), and I was just like, ‘I see them closing. I don’t know if we’ve got enough time. I’m going to do what I can do and hopefully I can just draft these two the line.’ Then I see Cam coming closer and closer and closer and I just wait, just wait. Keep saving the tires as much as I can through that last lap. Honestly, when Sheridan and everybody started rolling out of the gap, I was a little bit like, ‘I don’t know where to put myself,’ but I saw Hayes was up high, so I kind of cut below him. I was like, I’m in a prime spot. I’m behind the front two boys. Once they went, I was like, ‘game time’. The Triumph pulls really hard when you go to the gas. So, I knew I was maybe going to have a chance at picking up mile per hour a little bit quicker than them guys. Just perfect. Just like last year. This one is great, to be honest. (Josh) Herrin was on Instagram saying I’m not in his league, and then to come out here and beat him was really good for me. I’m stoked. Having all the Superbike guys out here is great. I know it’s not what they’re used to. They ride the big bikes and they’re really damn good at it. So, for them to jump back on the 600 and have a little fun with me is pretty cool. I feel lucky to be able to share the track with these guys. Hopefully, this summer I can learn a thing or two from Cam (Petersen) and the boys in Superbike.”

Cameron Petersen – Second/Daytona 200

“Yeah. I’m super happy. We came here to win. That was the goal. We did get the motorcycle capable of winning, but for my first Daytona 200 I’m super stoked to be on the podium. It’s got me wanting to come back already. I know I’m going to lose quite a lot of sleep over this one. I’m not going to lie. I think it’s going to take me a week at least to stop thinking about it. Like Shez (Morais) said, it was just so much fun. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in a race, just battling with guys I’ve always wanted to race against. I’ve actually never gotten to ride against Josh Hayes like that, and even Shez. We’ve raced against each other a couple times but to race again and pass each other like that was pretty cool. Honestly, my team crushed the second pit stop. When I came by and everything settled down after the pit stop, I think I was like four and a half seconds in front. So, they absolutely crushed that second pit stop. They put me in the position to try and maintain that gap and win the race. Unfortunately, the guys behind me just put their heads down and slowly caught me lap by lap by lap. The last three laps it was all about just trying to pick your spot and figuring out where you wanted to be going into that last corner. I could tell coming off the chicane, he (Morais) went to three-quarter throttle, and I went to half throttle. I was just like, ‘there’s no way I’m leading coming out of this thing.’ I thought I timed it to perfection. I really did. I almost started celebrating before I got to the line. Sure enough, here comes Brandon (Paasch) on the outside and took the W. Congrats to these two guys. It was so much fun riding with them. Congrats to them. I hope we come back and do this next year.”

Sheridan Morais – Third/Daytona 200

“I love it. That was the best race of my life. So much fun. So much passing. Ridiculous. I know it’s an endurance race, 57 laps, but it felt like a sprint race. It was really, really cool. The pit stops went well. The first stop for some reason, before the first straightaway, the back was locked up and I went straight on over there. So, I rejoined in 20th-something place and worked myself up to I think 12th before the red flag, and then after that it was smooth sailing. Cam (Petersen) had an amazing pit stop and he came out way in front. So, I just got tangled a little bit up with Josh (Hayes), having a good race. Finally, I got to the front and put my head down. Saw Cam and then we were in for it the last three or four laps.”

Jake Gagne

“It was a tough end to the weekend because we were feeling better every session, and it was nice to qualify well. This morning in the warm-up, we were just practicing pit stops and I ran off in there, didn’t have the brakes, and hit the wall pretty hard. I was just feeling beat up in a couple of different areas of my body and knew it would be tough to get back out there and race, but I wanted to at least try. I just didn’t have the strength to fight up front and didn’t really want to ride around 57 laps in the back of the pack or anything like that. We’re ready to go superbike racing, and luckily we’re in good shape for that. I’m excited to get the season started at CoTA.”

2022 Daytona 200 Results (Restarted)

Twins Cup Race 1

With 35 riders taking to the grid and first-time Daytona competitor Ben Gloddy on the pole and aboard his Robem Engineering Aprilia, Twins Cup race one was poised to bring the action… and it certainly did.

The battle at the front came down to an Aprilia versus Yamaha sprint, and 15-year-old N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto rider Blake Davis took the lead.

Despite the fact that being at the front on the final lap of a race at Daytona, combined with the added pressure that Davis had never raced on the high banks before, the youngster kept himself clear of his pursuers and took the checkered flag for his first-ever MotoAmerica race win.

Blake Davis

“At first I didn’t have the pace and they just kept getting away from me, and I’d have to draft back up to them on the straight,” Davis said. Then I started getting into my groove. I think I got a little nudge in turn six, and it kind of threw me off a little bit. I had to catch back up. Just kept having a few little moments, then I got calmed down and started working my way to the front. I tried to stay in the top four or five for a few laps. Then the last two or three laps, I was just trying to put my head down and get a gap. I don’t think I really got much of a gap, but it feels really amazing to be up here. Can’t thank everyone enough.”

Second place went to Gloddy’s Robem Engineering Aprilia teammate Teagg Hobbs, and Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing Aprilia’s Anthony Mazziotto finished third after emerging mostly unscathed from a hair-raising moment out on the Daytona banking.

Mazziotto got too close to the wall, made contact, rode partially up the wall, then shot across the track and made contact with two other riders. Miraculously, neither Mazziotto nor the other two riders went down, and the New Jerseyan was able to recover and round out the podium.

Twins Cup Race 1 Results (Top 15)

Twins Cup Race 2

The final event of Saturday was Twins Cup, and their second race of the weekend was, once again, action-packed. Fluid on the track caused multiple riders to crash on the opening lap, and the race was red-flagged and restarted with a five-lap sprint to the checkers.

Eight riders were at the front and in it to win as the laps wound down. At the checkered flag, Cycle Tech Yamaha rider Hayden Schultz got the win, which was the first of his MotoAmerica career.

Veloce Racing Aprilia’s Jody Barry finished second, just .241 of a second behind Schultz, and Italian expatriate Tommaso Marcon, .256 of a second behind Barry, rounded out the podium in third in a wild-card ride for Robem Engineering Aprilia.

Hayden Schultz – Twins Cup Winner

“It’s incredible. I’m not that old, but I’ve been doing this for a while. This has got to be season eight or nine of me racing in MotoAmerica. I haven’t made a full season. To come so close whether it’s in Twins or KTM Cup and not get it, it drives me absolutely crazy. Last year, to get second in the championship and not get a win and see the other guys get wins, just drives you crazy through the off-season. The last couple months, I’ve been working really, really hard. My team has been putting a ton of effort into our program. I felt like we were really prepared for Daytona. So, to have what happened yesterday I was gutted to throw that race away because I know we have the speed to win and to pull off what we did today. So, that made today that much sweeter. If I would have had to drive home knowing that I threw away a grand opportunity to get a win or at least start the season on the podium, that would have been a really difficult few weeks. I’m so excited that we finally got it done. I just want to try to use this momentum to get through the rest of the season and see if we can rack up a few podiums. It’s going to be really tough. This class is absolutely stacked this year. These guys are so fast. I know my work is cut out for me because it’s going to be extremely difficult. I’m going to keep putting in the work and try to keep improving as a rider just to continue to make moments like this happen.”

Twins Cup Race 2 Results

Twins Cup Standings

Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan Friday

Roland Sands Design’s Super Hooligan National Championship concluded the day’s racing with their first event of the season, and KTM/DiBrino Racing’s Andy DiBrino got the win after starting on the pole.

Notably, it was the Washington State resident’s first visit to Daytona International Speedway. He was bookended on the podium by Indian riders Cory West (Saddlemen/Lloyd’z Garage) in second and Tyler O’Hara (Roland Sands Design) in third.

DiBrino barely nipped West at the finish line by .077 of a second, and O’Hara was only .272 of a second behind West.

Andy DiBrino

“It’s my first time here, I did my best watching some videos and talking to folks. I’ve got two of the best guys in Daytona right here. Tyler, I was watching some XR1200 stuff with him. Obviously, Cory (West), he’s been up there before. It was a tall order to go up against these guys. They’ve got a lot of experience. Honestly, I think it was just a little bit of luck. I couldn’t break away from Cory, so I just kind of tried to ride smart. I had somewhat of a plan that last lap, but it was also just a gamble. It could have been any one of us. I’ve just got to give a big thank you to KTM USA, Eric, my mom and dad, my girlfriend, Motul, MotoSport.com. Just a lot of people stepping up to help me. I have some great support, but I worked my butt off to be here, and I’m just super thankful.”

Super Hooligans Results & Standings