also introduced a 14-year-old me
to the 31° banking of The World
Center of Racing, otherwise
known as Daytona International
Speedway.
Actually, that last part is only
slightly correct, as Tom Cruise's
Days of Thunder was the first
time I remember seeing racing of
any kind on the famous banks.
Seeing the lanky Kiwi Andrew
Stroud, feet cocked at 45° to the
direction of travel as he held the
blue and pink Britten absolutely
wide open on the banking, was
an image I'll remember forever.
We never had banked oval rac-
ing in Australia. Indeed, we only
had one banked super-speed-
way-style track in Melbourne
that occasionally held NASCAR
races. The bikes used only the
infield, so to see bikes right up
near the wall at Daytona (albeit
on a VHS cassette) with the gas
pinned to the stop and riders
hanging on for dear life, left an
indelible mark on my teenage
brain.
Daytona has an allure to it no
other racetrack in this country
possesses. It is steeped in gran-
deur and prestige, having seen
some of the most spectacular
racing ever staged in the U.S.
As a bit of a motorcycle history
buff, I'm absolutely thrilled to be
heading to Florida in a couple of
T
he documentary One
Man's Dream is absolutely
essential viewing for any-
one with even a slight interest in
motorcycling.
Telling the incredible tale of
the Britten V1000, One Man's
Dream is a film that showcases
what man is capable of when he
puts his mind to it. If you haven't
seen it, block out the next hour
and a half of your day and click
here.
However, not only does the
film detail just what went into
making that halo of a motorcycle
(one of the most sought-after
and expensive two-wheeled
machines in the world today), it
P130
CN
III LOWSIDE
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
THE
ALLURE OF
DAYTONA
Isle of Man TT
legend, Michael
Dunlop, holds the
Kawasaki flat out on
the banking in 2021.
The Daytona 200
is getting a reboot
in 2022, will it help
retore the allure of
this great race?
