Suzuki’s Scott sets early pace for 84th Daytona 200: Reigning Champ Josh Herrin second quickest on Econo Lube-backed Ducati 955 Twin; Canadian up front in Group B
With one day done and two to go at Daytona International Speedway, qualifying opened for Saturday’s Daytona 200 Supersport Feature. Quickest on day one with a lap of 1:48.962 was the Vision Wheel/M4/Ecstar Suzuki GSX-R750 of Tyler Scott, with Celtic/Economy Lube and Tire/Warhorse Ducati pilot Josh Herrin second best at 1:49.002.
Last year at the 200, Scott started from pole after setting a lap of 1:48.047 in the decisive Time Attack Session, while Herrin won his third career and second straight Daytona 200 for Ducati. The Time Attack for this year’s race, featuring the top 16 riders in qualifying after two sets of sessions, takes place for 15 minutes at 1:15pm tomorrow.
Third best in the opening Q1 session for the quicker group A racers was Scott’s team-mate Richie Escalante, a racer with a history of struggles against top gun Herrin. Escalante set a lap at 1:49.4, while famed Brit Richard Cooper was next up at 1:49.502 on his Triumph triple.
17 racers posted times in group A, including 15th overall Michael Dunlop, the Isle of Man public roads racing hero setting a lap at 1:52.4 on the Milwaukee Ducati in his debut on the Florida high banked facility.
In Group “B,” the Canadian contingent came to the fore, led by Trevor Daley on the OneSpeed Inc built, Bridgestone-shod Suzuki GSX-R750. Daley was quickest for most of the session and wound up with a best tour of 1:53.499, around two seconds off his best effort from his Daytona debut last season.
Daley is tipped to lead the Canadian contingent in Florida for the legendary 200-mile race, and mid “B” session he was fastest, while Alex Michel was third aboard his Speed Factory 67 Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, and venue rookie Dylan Bauer held sixth on his new Goatshop Yamaha YZF-R6. In the final reckoning, Bauer vaulted to third (1:56.09) while Michel was right behind in fourth (1:56.1). The next session for this group is tomorrow morning at 10:50am.
Daley made steady progress but considered that his tire strategy should have included an earlier stop with more time on new Bridgestones.
“Straight away I felt comfortable, found my rhythm,” started Daley post session in Pit Lane inside the tri-oval. “Then we came in, made some changes, and went for the new set of tires – maybe we should have done this sooner. I think 5 laps would have worked better than 3.”
Injured in a minor fall earlier this week while testing at JenningsGP in North Florida, Daley explained that his physical state was “the same as at every race! I have a few things broken, like the end of my finger and my foot.”
Intriguingly, updates to the FIM electronic rules that regulate the “Gen Two” Supersport standard for the GSX-R750 in the U.S.A. mean that Daley now gets approximately 93% of maximum throttle at 9,000 REVs.
Daley also thinks that recent revisions in requirements for Pit Stop procedures (refueling must now be separate from tire changes) will help his team during the three stops required to complete the 200. “We’ve looked at our data, considered video from the Pit Lane, and I am practicing finding my markers and coming in fast every time,” confirms Daley.
“Last year, I had the third fastest time for line-to-line, and I think we can make up as much as ten seconds per Pit Stop. So, we are working on getting the most out of that process, too.”
In support class action, 2024 Economy Lube and Tire Pro Sport Bike Middleweight Canadian series front runner Mavrick Cyr showed well in Twins Cup, his debut in the category. Aboard an Aprilia, Cyr ran near the front of his group for much of the opening Q session, and wound up ranked13th, even though he was riding hurt.
Like Daley, Cyr has injured extremities from pre-Daytona tests – a mangled pinky finger and a broken fibula. Cyr’s opening race of the first MotoAmerica National of 2025 will be Twins Cup race one tomorrow at 2:30pm.
