MotoAmerica: Josh Herrin wins a dramatic Daytona 200

March 11, 2023 March 11, 2023

Josh Herrin has won the 81^st running of the Daytona 200, onboard his HSBK Warhorse Ducati V2.

Josh Herrin led the way from the first corner, after securing pole position in Friday qualifying. Danny Eslick followed Herrin and showed his speed early in the 57-lap race, onboard his Triumph.

Cameron Petersen lost the rear exiting the second horseshoe, he wouldn’t lose any positions. However, one lap later Petersen ran into bike issues, dropping from third to eighth in one lap, as he struggled to get the bike to slow down.

Xavi Fores retired from the race just four laps in, with the Ducati V2 grinding to a halt. This left Herrin without a teammate for the rest of the race, as he continued to lead the way.

Richie Escalante jumped to the front and would spend the next five laps battling Hayes for the lead. Escalante is racing the 750cc Suzuki, which has a similar power delivery to a Superbike that he raced last season.

Cameron Petersen was the first rider of the race to make a pit stop, with the Attack Performance Yamaha rider looking frustrated. Petersen would continue to struggle with his bike.

PJ Jacobsen looked strong throughout the opening stages of the race, onboard his Yamaha R6. Backmarkers would begin to play a part in the race, forcing Jacobsen to lose some positions.

Pitstop

Tyler Scott entered the pitlane with his M4 Suzuki facing electrical issues, before the first official pitstop. It would be his teammate, Richie Escalante who made the first pitstop of the race, with a quick stop.

Josh Herrin’s Warhorse HSBK Ducati team struggled to get the front wheel off the Ducati V2. Brandon Paasch was the last of the front group to pit, he exited the pitlane behind Josh Herrin and the leading trio.

After the first pitstop, Richie Escalante continued to lead the way on his Suzuki, in front of Danny Eslick. Hayden Gillim struggled after the first stop, due to a slow pitstop leaving him without a draft.

After a solid opening stint from the British rider, Matt Truelove sat in 11th position on his R6. Rhys Irwin would retire from the race early on, after making his Daytona 200 debut.

Danny Eslick began to lose touch from the front trio after he lost Josh Haye’s slipstream. The leaders also began to encounter lapped traffic for the second time in this historic 57-lap race.

Just two riders remained at the front, after the second round of pitstops, with Escalante and Herrin at the front. They would swap positions a handful of times, with the leaders making contact with seven laps to go. Herrin dived down the inside at turn one and made contact with Escalante.

Red flag

Teagg Hobbs was involved in a crash, bringing out the red flag with just five laps to go at Daytona. The race was eventually restarted, for a lap 10 lap race where all penalties would be carried over from before the red flag.

Before the restart of the race, Josh Herrin received a six-place grid penalty, allowing Josh Hayes to start on pole. The race would restart with Brandon Paasch leading the way, as Herrin made his way through the field.

Herrin quickly made his way to second position, before taking the race lead one lap later. Teagg Hobbs had better straight-line speed compared to the Ducati V2, allowing a Suzuki and a Ducati to fight at the front again.

The red flag played into Cameron Petersen’s hands, and he sat in third position, after struggling in the first half of the race. He would eventually hit the front and began to create a gap from Hayden Gillim.

Josh Herrin led the way heading onto the last lap, with six riders in the lead group. Josh Hayes would take the lead at the banking, with Herrin in hot pursuit behind. A train of riders began to catch Hayes one corner left.

At the chequered flag, it would be Josh Herrin who takes his second Daytona 200 victory. Josh Hayes would hold onto second position, with Brandon Paasch finishing third on track. However, Paasch was demoted to 12th position, after receiving a 15-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane, allowing Petersen to third.

Herrin takes home the infamous Daytona Rolex, with all eyes set on the regular season, starting next month. The next round of MotoAmerica will be held at Road Atlanta on the 21^st-23^rd of April.

Image credit: Brian J. Nelson