Canadians win at Daytona

From Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- The 52-lap Team Challenge kicked off nine days of motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway on Friday. Team Vallely of Flagler Beach, FL swept the top two overall spots with the team of Mark Crozier and Matt McBride taking the victory aboard the No. 3 Suzuki.

Finishing second overall was the No. 33 Vallely Racing entry with Frank Trombino and Kevin Lacombe.

“The race went really well and really smooth and uneventful,” said Crozier, who rode the first shift on the bike. “Awesome start and started on the second row, going into the first turn we were in second. I sat on the guy for the first lap and passed him coming across the start/finish line. I kept my head down for the first few laps and started gapping. We ended up pulling toward a big lead and I was just out there for a Sunday afternoon ride.

“I knew we were fast. We were fast this morning in practice. We were fast yesterday in practice. I felt we had a really good shot at being the top team. Five or six laps in I radioed back to the crew and asked them how we were doing. They told me I had a five- or six-second lead. I knew if I could put my head down for a few more laps we could gap them even more. We got up to a 12 to 15 second lead and I just started cruising and just set in a pace.”

Friday’s Results
Team Challenge Overall: 1. Mark Crosier, Matt McBride, Vallely Racing; 2. Frank Trombino, Kevin Lacombe, Vallely Racing; 3. Calvin Martinez, Marco Martinez, Jasone Temme, Scott Barwood , Serpent Racing
GTO: 1. Roberto Pietri, Suzuki; 2. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki; 3.Blake Young, Unknown
Amateur GTO: 1. Dennis Espinosa, Suzuki; 2. Gustavo Sanchez, Yamaha; 3. Seth Baumann, Suzuki
Expert GT Lights: 1. Jason Edmonds, Bimota; 2. Garrett Rice, Ducati; 3. Kevin Mendez, Bimota
Amateur GT Lights: 1. Joel Spalding, Buell; 2. Jorge Arana; 3. Fernando Barbosa
Amateur GTU: 1. Robert Cloutier, Kawasaki; 2.Rafael Ferrer, Kawasaki; 3. Larry Karpinsky, Yamaha
Expert GTU: 1. Martin Cardenas, Suzuki; 2. Cory West, Suzuki; 3. Garrett Carter, Suzuki