MILLVILLE, NJ, SEPT 4 – The Daytona SportBike championship will almost certainly go down to the wire after a thrilling race on a sunny and breezy Saturday at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The three main title contenders all took turns at the front and when it was over, after 23 laps that were interrupted by a red flag, the top three were separated by just five points.
Winning for the seventh time this season was Martin Cardenas (M4 Monster Energy Suzuki). Cardenas started well, but had fallen back to sixth when the red flag came out just as the leaders began the sixth lap. Team Graves Yamaha’s Tommy Aquino was the cause of the red flag. Aquino ran off the left edge of the track just as he was finishing the final turn, the fourth gear turn 11 that leads onto the front straight. Aquino lost control and low-sided, hitting the inside retaining wall with his body as his R6 ghost rode well down the straight. “I was very lucky not to hit his bike or him,” Cardenas said.
The race was re-started after about a 15 minute delay, with Geico Powersports/RMR Suzuki’s Danny Eslick trying to check out, and DNA Energy Drink CNA Motorsports Ducatis Bobby Fong giving chase, along with Dane Westby (Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha), Latus Motors Racing’s Steve Rapp (Duc), Vesrah Racing’s Cory West, and Team Graves Yamaha’s Josh Herrin. Cardenas wasn’t yet in the picture.
Eslick looked to be streaming away until the race neared the second half and his lead began to shrink. Halfway in and he had .751 seconds on Herrin and West, with Cardenas into fourth in front of Fong. The top six were now forming up the lead pack that would battle to the end. Herrin drafted by Eslick to take the lead starting the 16th lap, with Eslick taking it back in turn one before losing it a few turns later.
When the 16th lap ended the top four were nearly abreast on the front straight with Herrin in the lead. Cardenas got the best drive into turn one and took the lead, Fong now second in front of Westby and Eslick fourth. Cardenas would lead the final seven laps under intense pressure from the other five and a few in particular.
“The last lap that I thought maybe I could’ve had a run at Martin, but I just, I didn’t have it for him,” Herrin said. “And I’d used a little bit too much of my tires battling with the guys earlier in the race.”
Cardenas said that once he pulled out a small gap, he thought he could win. “My bike was working really good, not so much at the beginning of the race,” he said after winning by .796 seconds. “The rear tire was sliding a bit too much. But I think when the race went on and everybody kind of, the grip went off to all the other guys, I think it leveled off the race and I think was good for me.”
Herrin and Westby went back and forth on the final two laps with Herrin getting the nod by a scant .044 seconds.
“We were out 22 (points) two races ago and now we’re only four away,” Herrin said. “So it’s coming down to the same way it did last year and it’s really exciting.” Eslick, who finished fifth behind Bobby Fong after leading as late as the 14th lap, continues to lead the championship with 325 points to 323 for Cardenas, who moves into second, and 320 for Herrin, now third.
Westby beat Fong to the line by .078 seconds to take his fourth podium of the finish.
“These guys are probably a little faster than I am, but I was able to latch on,” Westby said. “Everything just kinda went my way. Was real smooth. Didn’t have too many big moments. Sliding a little in the rear, but nothing in the front, so that was good.”
AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Saturday race results:
1.Martin Cardenas (Suzuki)
2. Josh Herrin (Yamaha)
3. Dane Westby (Yamaha)
4. Bobby Fong (Ducati)
5. Danny Eslick (Suzuki)
6. Cory West (Suzuki)
7. P.J. Jacobsen (Suzuki)
8. Chris Fillmore (Suzuki)
9. Paul Allison (Yamaha)
10. Steve Rapp (Ducati)