Cycle News

2014 AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW P60 and humid weekends he would look across the grid at Hayes and all he could think of was how many miles Hayes had put in on his bicycle that week. He's that fit. When I called Hayes to ask him his thoughts on the season he was, as you might guess, out on his bicycle training. Hayes said he is eager to get the season started and see where everyone stands. You can tell he's most intrigued by his new teammate Beaubier. "Nothing against Martin [Cardenas] and Rog [Hayden]," Hayes said. "But I've raced both of them plenty of times and I sort of know what to expect, but with Cam I don't. It will be interesting to see how he reacts in racing situations. He's definitely a well- put together rider. He was smart in his races last year and waited to make his move, then he'd split from the field. I'm hoping he doesn't have that luxury this season." Hayes went on to say that the shortened two-day race week- ends in the last three rounds might be one factor that falls in his favor. "Our bike has not changed substantially in several years, so I know the motorcycle," Hayes explained. "When we go to those last three events and they're just two days and the tracks are more technical and you have to race on the first day? That's a lot of things happening in a short period of time - a lot of things to take in. So my guess is that if Cam is going to shine, his best chances to do so will be at Daytona and Elkhart Lake where the tracks are more wide open and we have more practice time." Hayes also feels the Yoshimura >>DAYTONA SPORTBIKE IS WIDE OPEN Daytona SportBike is back! While AMA Superbike looks to be a four- rider show in 2014, Daytona SportBike is shaping up to be a wide-open battle with no clear-cut favorite coming in the season. Let's face it, Cameron Beaubier's total domination (he won 12 of the 13 rounds) made the class a yawner most of the time last year, but now that he's moved up to Superbike, the question is who will step in to fill the void left by such a major talent moving on. The DSB season kicks off this Saturday with the 73rd running of the Daytona 200. When you look at the DSB lineup, this is one time you can genuinely say it's good that this class is featured in the 200 this year, simply because of the number of competitive teams and riders. If you're looking for a possible pre- season favorite you couldn't go wrong with RoadRace Factory Yamaha's Jake Gagne. Gagne was the only rider to give Beaubier a consistent chal- lenge last year. In fact, his victory at Road America was the only thing that kept Beaubier from having a perfect season. In other words Gagne made Beaubier look almost human. Gagne said even though the season is short in 2014, he's really looking forward to it. "The competition is going to be intense," said last year's runner up. "You've got guys I've looked up to for years like Blake Young, Jake Zemke, Steve Rapp and Danny Eslick com- ing into the class and that combined with guys like my former teammate JD Beach and Garrett Gerloff on the factory Yamaha team. They're going to be really tough. Then you have Dane Westby and the Meen Motorsports guys. I don't even know who all might be able to win races this year because every time you turn around there's another talented rider coming into the class." There's no denying Daytona SportBike does have an intriguing mix of veterans, riders in their prime and young guns. Perhaps the most highly antici- pated rider coming into the class this season is Joe Roberts aboard the M4 Motorcycle Road Racing Honda CBR600RR. Roberts, a veteran of the Red Bull Rookies Cup in Europe, was a revelation when he competed in Supersport last season after turning 16 and won every race he entered. That instantly made him one of the hottest road racing prospects in years. So getting the opportunity to watch Roberts race against the next step up in competition should be worth the price of admission. As Gagne mentioned, several vet- eran riders are coming into the class. Some to either revive their careers or attempt to go out on top. Danny Eslick is a two-time cham- pion of the Daytona SportBike class. His loose riding style is a thrill to watch, but for whatever reason it didn't translate onto the Michael Jordan Suzuki Superbikes last year. Eslick will be back on a Riders Discount Racing Triumph and he'll be looking to revive a career perhaps damaged somewhat by his lackluster rides on a Superbike last year. Blake Young is in the same boat. When he last left the AMA series he was second ranked to Josh Hayes in Superbike, but Yoshimura Suzuki must have felt that Young had reached

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