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/1457907
FEATURE I DAYTONA 200 PREVIEW P112 Rolex and the $25,000 first-place prize money. For 2022, Paasch returns but Kelly has moved onto pastures new in the Moto2 World Champion- ship, flying the Stars and Stripes for the American Racing Team alongside Cameron Beaubier. The 200 is the main event, but there's a solid undercard for the paying public to sink their teeth into before the main event. Three national cham- pionship classes will start their 2022 season at Daytona, with the Twins Cup, Mission King of The Baggers and Super Hooligan National Champion- ship all hitting the high banks. Let's dive into the premier players for the 2022 Daytona 200, as well as some of the favorites for the undercard. JOSH HAYES #4 SQUID HUNTER YAMAHA YZF-R6 The wily old fox Hayes, long since retired from MotoAmerica competition, fronts up to Daytona each year and is always at the front. At 46-years- old, the Mississippi Madman has yet to formally taste the champagne in victory lane after having his dominant win in 2008 stripped away due to a technical infringement, and he desperately wants the 200 trophy on his mantlepiece to sit alongside his four consecutive AMA Superbike title wins. Hayes' wife, Melissa Paris Hayes, will be running the pit stops so it'll be a family affair for the AMA Superbike legend. 2022 DAYTONA 200 T H E F A V O R I T E S JAKE GAGNE #32 ATTACK PERFORMANCE YAMAHA YZF-R6 The fact that the current MotoAmerica Superbike Champion is turning up to Daytona should emphasize just how important this race is. The last time the current AMA SBK number one did so was 2004 with Mat Mladin, the Australian also going on to win the event for a third time ahead of Jake Zemke and Miguel Duhamel. Gagne's 2021 season wasn't just record breaking; it was record shattering. The man who now calls Colorado home had not won a Superbike race prior to 2021 but left the year with 16 of them, putting him tied with the late, great, Nicky Hayden on the all-time winner's list. With Attack Performance only running the Supersport machine for this race, Gagne's bike will indeed be a missile and he must go into the race as a short odds favorite for the winner's Rolex.