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Steve Rapp, Michael Barnes and Larry Pegram each won a CCS race at Daytona International Speedway on a Friday that never reached 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rapp rode his Michelin-equipped Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 AMA Superstock bike to a close win in the red-flag-interrupted GTO race.

After original race leader Eric Wood crashed his Hooters Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock bike on the first lap of the re-start, falling on cold Dunlop tires in the chicane, Rapp assumed the lead and just held off Wood’s teammate John Haner to take the win.

“It’s the worst conditions I’ve ever seen here,” said Rapp. “The track is so cold; the tires aren’t made for this. I’m just trying to get around the racetrack without falling down.”

Pegram suffered a bent shifter rod, which hindered his shifting, and finished third in GTO on his new Pirelli-sponsored Triangle Cycles Yamaha YZF-R1.

Asked how the Yamaha worked, Pegram said, “I like it, but I wasn’t riding hard enough to really tell how it handles. It’s so cold; there was no heat in the right side of the tires.”

Pegram came back later to earn his first Yamaha contingency money in the 29-entry Unlimited Supersport sprint.

Neither Rapp nor Haner rode in the Unlimited Supersport race.

Michael Barnes came from behind on his Pirelli-fitted Prieto Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 to pass defending Formula USA Sportbike Champion Scott Greenwood and win the 66-rider GTU contest.

Canadian young gun Chris Peris took second in his debut on his Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600.

Greenwood, who admitted to riding conservatively, finished third on his Dunlop-backed Yamaha YZF-R6, just holding off Rapp’s teammate Vincent Haskovec, who rode a Suzuki GSX-R600.

 

[BKR1]

That is awesome , sounds like if his shifter hadnt bent he would have won that one as well !? Wonder how it got bent ?

 

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Prieto Racing’s Michael Barnes spent the Championship Cup Series races dialing in his new Yamaha R-6 for the more important races later in the weekend. It worked.

The proof was in Formula USA Sportbike qualifying where the veteran Floridian (seen in photo above) took the pole position with a lap of 1:54.824 on a cold, windy late afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.

Barnes turned the best time with a few minutes to go, then sat, not having a spare set of wheels to mount different tires.

“We pretty much had one shot at it,” he said and he made the most of it. He’d earlier talked with Michael Himmelsbach about working as drafting partners, but it didn’t happen.

“It was pretty much what I expected,” Barnes said. “I can run 55 flats for eight to ten laps straight with our race setup. I’m looking for a solid run in the race.”

Second fastest was TriangleCycles.com’s Larry Pegram (Yam), just .012 seconds behind Barnes and, like Barnes, continuing to shake down his new R-6.

Chris Peris was third fastest, half a second back of Pegram on his Valvoline EMGO Suzuki.

Pegram topped Superbike qualifying with a last flying lap of 1:55.876, knocking Argo Cycles’ Scott Greenwood off the top.

“Larry was waiting for me on the backstraight,” Greenwood said. “He just camped out behind me.”

A Valvoline EMGO Suzuki was again third, this one belonging to Vincent Haskovec.

Brian Stokes topped the Formula Sportbike qualifying over Arclight Suzuki’s Scott Harwell.

The pole for Thunderbike went to Richie Morris on last year’s Daytona H-D/Buell, Milwaukee H-D Buell, Ocean Deck XB12R. Morris has a 2004 model, but didn’t feel it was properly dialed in yet. On the 2003 model, he was nearly a second up on Dan Bilansky with Dave Estok third.

Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner was best in the Expert Unlimited GP qualifying, just in front of Millennium Technologies’ Shawn Higbee (Suz). Pegram (Yam) was third.