WIND
IN THE
P56
Josh Herrin
Canadian
Ben Young
>BRANDON PAASCH
The current and two-time
Daytona 200 Champion is
one of the firm favorites in
this year's event on the ultra-
quick TOBC Racing Triumph
Street Triple. Paasch pulled
a master-stroke in Daytona-
style racing last year, using
the draft to slingshot from
fourth onto the final banking
to nip past a brokenhearted
Cameron Petersen's Yamaha,
a move he's also pulled on
Sean Dylan Kelly in 2021. Can
Paasch become the first rider
in history to win three Day
-
tona 200's in a row?
>JOSH HERRIN
The Warhorse HSBK Ducati
NYC rider took pole last year
in Ducati's return to the race
and looked in prime position to
add to his 2010 triumph until
his team misjudged his fuel
consumption, which is kind of
an important thing at Daytona.
The Georgian will thus be out for
blood this year as the lead of six
Ducatis that include new fancied
teammate, former WorldSBK,
EWC and MotoGP rider, Xavi
Fores.
>SHERIDAN MARIAS
Sheridan Marias was one of the
surprise packages last year by
very nearly taking the win on
his Yamaha YZF-R6. The South
African has a massive bank of
experience in everything from
WorldSBK to endurance racing
and even the street circuit series
in the International Road Race
Championship (IRRC) and his
diminutive stature is perfectly
suited to the banks of Daytona,
plus he won't want to be duped
the same way he was in 2022
after leading onto the last
banking on the last lap but end-
ing up third at the flag.
>CAMERON PETERSEN
At Daytona, there's always a
winner and a loser, and for
Petersen, he was on the wrong
end of that equation in 2022
after he was denied a career-
first 200 win by just 0.007 sec
-
onds by Paasch and his flying
Triumph.
Petersen, Jake Gagne's
teammate once again in the
MotoAmerica Superbike Cham-
pionship for 2023, will have the
might of Richard Stamboli's
Attack Performance Yamaha
team behind him and thus one
of the fastest and most methodi-
cally prepared bikes on the grid
and must go into the event as
one of the heavy race favorites.
>JOSH HAYES
Evergreen Josh Hayes is still
chasing that elusive "real"
Daytona 200 win after his 2008
triumph was denied when his
Honda was found to be running
Veteran Josh Hayes
