Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128312
l Daytona Preview ROAD RAce The Future Is o By H ENNY RAy ABRAMS PHOTOS BY BRIAN J. N ELSON AN D ABRAMS e lco me to the brave new wo rld of AMAroad raci ng, where Sup erstock bikes go 185 mph and 600 s in Fo rm u la Xtreme trim cost upward of $100,000. The AMA Pro Racing board of directors made significant changes to the AMNChevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship program. Gone is the 250cc Gran d Prix field, w hich had the highest average age of bike and rider of any class, not to be replaced. The race weekend w ill now be four classes, two old and two new. The ret urning classes are Supersport and Superbike. Supersport remains unchanged, while Superbike had a few small but critical technical rules changes. Gone are airbo x and throttle body modifications for the inline fours , with the Vtwins, Ducati in this case , allowed more free dom. Whether intent ional or not , the rule affects only Yoshimura Suzuki, the do minant team in 2003, now slowed dow n and sadd led with a machine at the far e nd of its deve lopment cycle. Honda has the W 't.ll •• IlDI I ADV? I; ?fYlA • shiny new CBRIOOORR, a mach ine that exceeded 190 mph in its first trip to Daytona , and Ducat i has the 998 F-04, the company's top -of-the -line Superbike with Ducati Corse finally getting se rious about the U.S. race scene . New to the weekend is the rewor ked Formula Xtreme class, a catchall class that rVt"lF NFWC;; will be dominated by very expensive facto ry 600cc Superbikes, and Superstock, the most competitive class and probably the best race of the weekend. "Supe rstock, you've got nine or 10 guys," said Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies, the reigning Formula Xt reme champion. "I think it makes for a little bit better racing, and that's where the AHA's going for it." Spies had t he option of riding Superbi ke or Super stock and we nt for th e latter. "T he Supe rbike class, it seems like t hey' re having troub le with what they're going to be doing," Spies said. "I've heard the rules are going to change dramatically for next year. It doesn't seem like the class is going to be aroun d. It seems like the manufacturers want to have street bikes so they race what they sell. "If Superbike comes back strong , I'm signed for 'OS to be on a Superb ike,' he adde d. "If it co mes back and it's competitive again, I'll be back on tha t bike." The Superstock class has the highest factory participation of the wee kend and the strongest line up. In addition to Yoshimura Suzuki's Spies, Yamaha's throwing its whole tea m in - Damon Buckmaster, 600cc Supersport Champion Jamie Hacking, Aaro n Gobert and Jason DiSalvo, .4nth Ann iv "r",,,,rll the fastest Supe rspo rt rider at the recent Dayto na tire test. Kawasaki is coming with the Hayden brothers, Tommy and Roger Lee. Honda has the Erion Honda satellite team of the Gob e rt brothers, Alex and Anthony, the latter retu rning to the United States after losing his Ducati Austin ride halfway through last season and determined for one more chance at redemption. Suzuki and Kawasaki will also support sate llite team s. If t here is a favorite , it would be Spies, the Te xan wh o showed his big-b ike prowess last year. "In the 1000, we have as good a shot as anybody," he said. "T he 1000 is getting better and better every time Iride it. We have a good motor. It's going to be awesome ." Yamaha's Buckmaster finished second to Spies last year in Formula Xtreme and second to teammate Hacking in Supers port. Buckmaste r would rather be riding a Superbike this year, but Yamaha decided to sit out th e class for the secon d year in a row. His understanding is that Yamahawants to race t he bikes that it sells. "I can't argue with that. It makes some sense to peopl e and no sense to othe rs," he said. Buckmaster could have sought a Superb ike ride e lsewhere, but he's the