Daytona Recap - Atlanta Preview / BLOG
by Andy DiBrino
It has been over a month now since I got my first career MotoAmerica victory in the RSD Super Hooligans class at Daytona International Speedway.
It was an amazing place for a first win to come, and it was in exciting fashion with a last lap pass at the finish line to take the win!
After leading most of the race, I knew I couldn't be leading coming out of the chicane onto Nascar turn 3 and 4. Every race I've ever watched at Daytona has always been a slipstream battle to the finish line. MotoAmerica had a stat that the average margin of victory at Daytona the weekend I raced was 2 tenths of a second. In a split second, I made a decision to left off the throttle slightly, look back and let 2nd place pass me, so I could be the one in the draft. My timing was perfect, and I pulled out of the slipstream to make the pass for the win at the finish line effortlessly. I'd like to say it was all skill, but I think there had to be some luck invovled too.
It was an emotional win.
I have been chasing a victory at MotoAmerica since 2015. And it was extra sweet, considering I drove over 3,400 miles by myself from Oregon to Daytona Beach, Florida, for the race.
Over 4 days on the road, sleeping at rest stops without a shower, grinding away to chase my dream.
I put in a lot of time, effort and money in the off-season to be prepared and it all paid off. Having never raced Daytona before, and going up against some Daytona race winners and Daytona 200 podium finishers, it was a tall order. But my determination prevailed, and with limited track time, I got pole position and the win. It was very rewarding for me and an experience I will never forget. Race weekends like that are far and few, and even when you do everything in your power to be in the position to win, it doesn't always happen. So it felt really good for everything to come together the way it did after the lengths I went.
Moving on, this week is MotoAmerica at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Rounds 2 and 3 of the RSD Super Hooligan National Road Racing Championship will be held at the race. I will be looking to extend my points lead over a very fierce Cory West and Tyler O'Hara. Tyler had some bad luck in race 1 at Daytona, so I am looking forward to having him in the fight this coming weekend in Atlanta and seeing what he can do. I am confident I can rise to the occasion get some more wins, especially since Road Atlanta is a track I have past experience at when I raced the Superstock 600 MotoAmerica series in 2015 and 2016.
Road Atlanta is also round 1 for the Stock 1000 MotoAmerica class. I will be racing my ZX-10R in that, as well as Superbike Cup. So this weekend, I am pulling triple-duty! A tall order, but I am really excited for all the action and I really enjoy the race track there. It will be me, Eric Dorn and one of his employees. We have one of the smallest teams in the paddock, going up against a factory effort in the Super Hooligan class, and multiple teams operating out of semi-trucks on the 1000. It is all part of the fun for me though, being an underdog.