Ready, Set Go: The MotoAmerica Series Kicks Off With The Daytona 200

It’s Go Time With The 81^st Running Of The 200 Slated For March 11 At
Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – March 8, 2023 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Margin of victory is described as the difference between the winner and the loser in a sporting event. The margin of victory in the six MotoAmerica races held at Daytona International Speedway in 2022? A combined .615 of a second. Thus, the average difference between winners and losers in the five races was .102 of a second.

Brandon Paasch and Josh Hayes have won three Daytona 200s between them and are two of the favorites for the 81st running of the race on March 11. Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Or, quite literally, the blink of an eye.

Apparently, there are now three certainties in life: Death, taxes, and close finishes at Daytona, especially when it comes to the Daytona 200, which was the closest of the five MotoAmerica races held at the World Center of Racing in 2022.

So how close was Brandon Paasch’s victory over Cameron Petersen a year ago? A very scant .007 of a second after 200 miles of racing. Other forms of motor racing… eat your heart out.

And now it’s time for more with seven MotoAmerica races scheduled for March 9-11 at the World Center of Racing: Mission King Of The Baggers (two races), REV’IT! Twins Cup (two races), Mission Super Hooligan National Championship (two races) and, of course, the granddaddy of them all – the Daytona 200, sponsored in part by Pirelli and Bridgestone.

Daytona 200

With 52 riders from 16 countries entered in the 81^st running of the Daytona 200, the race is truly back to where it once was as far as international riders choosing to start their racing seasons in Florida.

The list of favorites is plentiful, but it begins as it should with two-time defending Daytona 200 Champion Brandon Paasch and his TOBC Racing Triumph Street Triple RS, the same bike he raced to victory last year. A victory in this year’s 200 would make Paasch the first rider in history to win three Daytona 200s in a row.

To find Paasch’s main competition, you only have to look at last year’s results. The man Paasch beat by .007 of a second is back for a second career Daytona 200 and aiming to use what he learned in his debut to put himself on the top step in Victory Lane. That rider is Attack Performance Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen. If losing by .007 of a second doesn’t make you hungry then you’re in the wrong business.

Petersen will be going it alone in the…