Eslick back on top at Mid-Ohio

From AMA Pro Racing

LEXINGTON, OH - Danny Eslick grabbed his fourth career AMA Pro Daytona SportBike victory on the No. 9 GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell 1125R in Race One of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday. 

Eslick started the day strong by claiming the pole in Saturday morning's final qualifying effort. The grid was set by that result as the weekend's basic qualifying and Superpole sessions were canceled due to a Friday afternoon rain shower. By the end of the race's first lap, Eslick had built up a .551-second lead over the No. 88 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R of Jamie Hacking, who steadily chipped away at the lead over the ensuing laps before taking the point in Turn 6 on Lap 7. Hacking held the lead for two laps until mechanical troubles sidelined him for the race on Lap 9.

"I got a good start, right off the bat and led a couple of laps," said Eslick. "I didn't see anybody coming through, which usually happens as everybody's really aggressive the first few laps. I knew we had kind of pulled away and then Jamie came by. I think I was on the brakes the first time and he came up. He came by me and we battled back and forth for a lap or two and when he had his problem, I almost ran up his exhaust pipe. He did a good job getting his hand up and out of the way, so good job there. It could have been real ugly in that spot."

Graves Yamaha teammates Josh Herrin and Tommy Aquino held an aggressive battle for position throughout the 21-lap sprint race. At the end of the first lap, Aquino's No. 6 Yamaha YZF-R6 led Herrin's No. 8 Yamaha YZF-R6 to the line, but the rookie couldn't hold the position and was passed by Herrin on Lap 2. The Graves duo moved up the ranks as attrition hit Hacking and Martin Cardenas, who was running in third position aboard the No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600 before low siding at the exit of Turn 8 on Lap 5. Aquino was able to squeeze by Herrin again on Lap 9 before Herrin used a block pass on Lap 10 to get by both Aquino and Jake Zemke's No. 1X Erion Honda CBR600RR to take second position.

"I think when (Tommy) passed me, he went to put a move on Jake going into (Turn) 5 on the brakes and I just decided I am going to get both these guys and just dove in there and made a move," said Herrin. "It wasn't purposefully a block pass, but it sort of ended up being a block pass. I just rode defensive from there and luckily we held on to second."  

Aquino was also able to get past Zemke, challenging Herrin for the remainder of the race and allowing Eslick to slip away to a 2.318-second lead by the end of the race. The third place finish was Aquino's first AMA Pro podium finish.

"It was really hard," said Aquino. "I was going as hard as I could, my tires were spent and I was just trying as hard as I could to stay where I was at and try to take a position if I could. I am really happy with this podium. It is my first podium with AMA Pro Racing. I really just have to thank my team."

Zemke turned the fastest lap of the race in Lap 6 at 1:28.160 and ran as high as second before finishing fourth. Chaz Davies rounded out the top five on the No. 57 Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team Aprilia RSV1000R. Points leader Cardenas recovered to finish 12th and holds the championship lead over Eslick 264-244.

Race Two for Daytona SportBike in this weekend's Honda Super Cycle Weekend goes off Sunday at 2:00 p.m. local time.  

Youth prevailed in Saturday's AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT race as the No. 13 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 of Dane Westby and Dustin Meador led the field to the checkered flag with Cory Rech and Huntley Nash taking Moto-GT2 honours and third overall on the No. 38 Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE.

The lead changed hands seven times before the No. 13 Yamaha took over the top spot for the second and final time on Lap 41 of the 76 lap event, claiming the point from the No. 14 Crozier Motorsports Triumph Daytona 675 entry of Mark Crozier and Scott Jensen. 

Meador crossed the finish line 52.954 seconds ahead of the Crozier on the No. 14 Triumph. A slow pit stop by the No. 14 team gave Westby and Meador the cushion they needed to run uncontested to the finish.  

Crossing third in class was the James Gang-Hoban Brothers Racing duo of Jeff Johnson and Paul James on the No. 70 Buell 1125R.

Moto-GT2 winners Rech and Nash completed 74 laps to finish ahead of teammates and pole-sitters Frank Shockley and Ryan Elleby on the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati PS1000LE.

Next up for SunTrust Moto-GT is the sixth round of the nine-race championship at Heartland Park Topeka, KS, July 31 at the Tornado Nationals presented by BriggsAuto.com.

West coast interloper Ricky Parker's No. 96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 topped the field for Sunday's AMA Pro SuperSport race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a quick lap of 1:31.767 (94.151 mph). Parker is gunning for his third win of the year and his first in SuperSport East.

Second quickest on the day was Josh Day on the No. 4 Team E.S.P. Yamaha YZF-R6 with a lap at 1:32.091 (93.820 mph). Day is looking for a win to go with his two other top three finishes this season. Day is currently third in the SuperSport East standings.

Sunday's SuperSport race splits the Honda Super Cycle Weekend finales for Daytona SportBike and American Superbike with a 17-lap (40-mile) race beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Daytona SportBike Results (Top 20)
1. Daniel Eslick (Rossmeyer Geico Powersports) RMR Buell Buell 1125R 21 Laps
2. Josh Herrin (Team Graves Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R6 +2.317
3. Tommy Aquino (Team Graves Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R6 +2.365
4. Jake Zemke (Erion Racing) Honda CBR600RR +4.744
5. Chaz Davies (Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team) Aprilia RSV1000R +7.653
6. Steve Rapp (Bazzaz) Yamaha YZF-R6 +8.421
7. Taylor Knapp (Latus Motors Racing) Buell 1125R +18.154
8. Chris Peris (Erion Racing) Honda CBR600RR +18.284
9. Jason DiSalvo (M4 Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +20.303
10. Shawn Higbee (Higbee-Racing.com) Buell 1125R +39.115
11. Aaron Gobert (Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team) Aprilla RSV1000R +39.449
12. Martin Cardenas (M4 Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +40.933
13. Ricky Parker (RPR Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +43.901
14. Michael Beck (Team Beck Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +43.975
15. Damian Cudlin (Paradigm Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +44.524
16. Barrett Long (Longevity Racing) Ducati 848 +1:01.727
17. Fernando Amantini (Amantini Racing) Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R +1:01.838
18. Marcos Reichert (RockwallPerformance.com) Yamaha YZF-R6 +1:02.085
19. Josh Day (Four Feathers Racing) Yamaha YZF-R6 +1:02.321
20. Santiago Villa (Roadracingworld.com · Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +1:03.480
Race Time: 31:08.491
Margin of Victory: 2.317
Best Race Lap: Jake Zemke (1:28.160)