Josh Herrin hits a TV camera operator and clinches a record fifth victory at the Daytona 200

A frenetic edition, packed with twists from start to finish, but with the expected winner triumphantly rolling through Victory Lane. Josh Herrin (Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila) secures his personal fourth consecutive win at the Daytona 200, the fifth of his career, drawing level with Miguel Duhamel and Scott Russell—whom he paid tribute to right on his helmet with the distinctive colors of “Mister Daytona.” A historic success for the two-time AMA/MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, aided by a blunder 8 laps from the end by his teammate PJ Jacobsen, who crashed out while leading alone.

From the very first laps of the contest, Josh Herrin seemed in control on his Ducati Panigale V2. The only concerns came from the pit stops—three in this edition due to excessive tire wear and a regulation-adjusted fuel tank capacity. In the first stop, a sluggish getaway cost him around 9 seconds, which he quickly clawed back to rejoin the leading duo of Jacobsen and Escalante. Things went worse in the final stop, taken simultaneously with his teammate and rival for the win, PJ Jacobsen. As he set off, Herrin literally ran straight into a TV cameraman (unhurt) who had somehow ended up right in the middle.

A grotesque incident that could have proved decisive in the fight for the coveted Rolex Daytona. Because of this hiccup, Herrin lost 2.6 seconds to Jacobsen, who, with a string of 1:49 laps, had stretched the gap to as much as 6 seconds. At least until an inexplicable crash 8 laps from the end, with victory already in his sights (if not in his pocket). With the former WorldSBK and WorldSSP rider on the ground, Herrin sealed a record fifth victory, further cementing his place among the greats of American road racing.

With Josh Herrin, Ducati clinches a fourth straight win (fifth counting Jason DiSalvo’s 2011 triumph) at the 200, with Suzuki represented on the podium by polesitter Tyler Scott (D30 M4 ECSTAR Suzuki), but not by Richie Escalante, who crashed on lap 31 while trying to close back in on the V2s of Herrin and Jacobsen. In a chaotic and wild 84th edition of the “Great American Motorcycle Race,” the smile of 18-year-old Kayla Yaakov (Rahal Ducati Moto with Droplight) also stood out, as she finished third by out-sprinting former MotoGP rider Darryn Binder (Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire by Warhorse Ducati), becoming the first woman to step onto the Daytona 200 podium. All this at just 18 years old and in only her second appearance at the event, making it abundantly clear that women’s motorcycle racing can count on a rider capable of rewriting records for years to come.

Making his Daytona 200 debut and at just 17 years old, our own Alessandro Di Mario (Rahal Ducati Moto with Roller Die & Forming) delivered a prestigious Top 5. Despite a tricky second start where he couldn’t latch onto the six-rider lead group, he didn’t put a wheel wrong throughout the contest, crossing the line in fifth. For the record, it’s the third-best result ever for an Italian rider at the Daytona 200, bettered only by the one and only Giacomo Agostini—winner in 1974 and fourth in 1975.