Buell has capped off a tempestuous season by clinching the 2009 AMA Daytona SportBike championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Josh Herrin and Jake Zemke took the top two spots (separated by a mere .063 seconds), but Danny Eslick's Daytona Racing/RMR/GEICO Powersports Buell seventh place win was strong enough to land him five points ahead of Herrin, for a total of 387 season points after 20 races.
The win has riled up racing enthusiasts, as Buell-- which is owned by Harley-Davidson-- has spent the season enduring accusations that Daytona Motorsports Group, the sanctioning body that runs the race series, has unfairly favored the domestic manufacturer. The competition Buell came under fire because rulemakers claimed its v-twin configuration puts it at a disadvantage to inline-4 cylinder engines. As a result, the 1,125cc bike was allowed to compete alongside race-prepped versions of bikes like the Suzuki GSX-R600 and Yamaha R6, which have roughly half the engine displacement of the Buell. Incidentally, I offered riding impressions of the Buell bike this article: Common Questions: What’s it Like to Ride Buell’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Racing Motorcycle?.
In other AMA racing news, the legendary Mat Mladin competed in his final Superbike race before retirement, finishing 2.253 seconds behind top finisher Joshua Hayes... but the thing sure to keep tongues wagging for some time will be Buell's newly crowned championship win.
Source: Buell Twitter Feed
Related:
- Common Questions: What's it Like to Ride Buell's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Racing Motorcycle?
- Photo Gallery: Buell's 1125R AMA Pro Daytona SportBike
- Introducing the Buell 1125RR, a Turnkey AMA Racer for Power-Hungry Privateers
- Buell 1125R Review
- Buell 1125R Photo Gallery
- Buell 1125CR Photo Gallery
Photos © Buell; Click to enlarge
Hi Basem,
The riders have no issue with Danny Eslick…he’s a superb rider, and like Stoner and the Ducati, clearly the only one who can really ride that abortion of a MC well.
What the tools at DMG failed to mention, was why when they deemed the Austrian engined 1125R to be a legal competitor with the “Japanese” 600’s, the 1198 Ducati is not (the 848 is). The class has a 1200cc limit for V-Twins. Or is it a 1200cc limit only for USA twins? Sure glad that little distinction is not too transparent. Gotta wonder how much cash flowed from Buell’s account to Roger whatsisname.
The real shame is Martin Cardenas with his hand badly injured which most assuredly cost him the DSB championship.
World class road racing in the States is dead and buried.
I can’t comment on why the 1198 Ducati is not allowed given the twin displacement limit. However, the DSB series has clear rules with regard to HP/Weight ratios. If the 1198 Duc could adhere to those rules, then there is no reason why it shouldn’t be allowed. It would probably have to race in detuned form though.
I have to disagree with you that American road racing is dead. This AMA series has done more for bike racing exposure than anything has in a long time. Remember the cliché that “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” It will evolve, and I have seen some fine racing this season.
MotoGP is like Formula 1. The more money and engineering you throw at a team the better your race results. It (F1) is less about driver skill, than it is about big bank rolls. I am not taking anyhting away from the supernaturally talented MotoGP (or F1) players. I am just saying that even in a less rarefied class like AMA, the rules that govern the bikes let the talent of the rider be expressed on a slightly more level playing field.
P.S. How come no one gripes about the I-4’s obvious RPM advantage?
The 1125 cc Buell had a huge unfair advantage HP, Torque, and displacement. Despite that it only beat the little Japanese 600s by 5 points in the championship. Impressive Not! I submit if the 750 cc Suzuki GSXR-750 was allowed to compete the Buell would have not won one race. All you have to do is look at the Superbike results to see that the Buell dispite a 12.5 % advantage loses badly against the Japanese 1000cc bikes. DSB with the Buell is a joke. A hollow victory for Buell
FearlessNSeattle says: “The 1125 cc Buell had a huge unfair advantage HP, Torque, and displacement.”
Please post numbers to back up your declaration.
It’s a shame that IL4 fanboys can’t show the class that Danny Eslick has shown all season.
Conjecture, innuendo, and slander. No proof. Just BS.
Congratulations Buell for a great season of fantastic competition!!!
How come if Yamaha places 1st and 2nd all is well with the world of racing. If a Buell is on the podium the sky is falling? How many Buells besides Eslick were on the podium? Is it possible that the racing is actually pretty fair and Eslick is just that good? I think so. With so many different brands in the top ten it would seem to be pretty fair. Its been amazing to watch.
Chances are Buell wont be able to afford him after a performance like this so Im sure we will soon see what he is capable of on an inline4. I would be willing to bet he will be championship material no matter what he rides. I am an Eslick fan and look forward to watching DSB next year. Hopefully it will be as entertaining as this year.
Pete – what kind of engine do you think Aprilla was running this year?
Buell haters, remember when it was fun to ask if Buell would even finish the race? Well, now you know the answer.
A little stinking company of 200 people take on the series with a passion and wins……….fair and square as far as I’m concerned. Whats wrong with that? Go back ten years and put Eslick on a “reliable” VR-1000 and see who’s clock gets cleaned….:-)
Ducati is a small company whipping the japss
NOW
Buell is a smaller company whipping the japss
ha ha
This is terrible, you evil Americans
why must you always be #1
damn Buell
I would submit that the very close finish in point totals, serves to illustrate the parity between the bikes in this class. In the end it came down to the individual talents of the riders involved…which is as it should be.
Congrats to Buell.
Here’s a comparison that Motorcycle USA did, using the bike the 600cc bike that has the most power the Kawasaki zx6r. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/9/3317/Motorcycle-Article/2009-Daytona-SportBike-Comparison.aspx
But yeah I guess Buell isn’t cheating because DMG decided to change the rules around to favor Buell’s slow literbike that can’t hack it against other liter bikes so it tries to beat up on lil 600cc bikes. After all, Buell is the typical American machine, Big engine and Loud, but slow.
To whom ever claimed that the jap bikes has an unfair rpm advantage needs to look over what HP and torque means. The only thing Buells are good for is straight line drag. Too many changes in direction confuses americans.
DMGsucks, please educate me on torque and horsepower and their respective roles in the classifications for this race series. Not being a wise ass, just interested to hear what you have to say.
If Buell has such a huge advantage over the 600s, why didn’t any other Buell coome close to winning the way Eslick did? Is it perhaps that the rider makes all the difference on these machines, and that the bikes themselves are pretty closely matched when you look at lap times and such. Seems to me that DMG had the right strategy in Daytona Sportbike, as it made for absolutely breathtaking racing. Superbike was a snoozer in comparison.
Congrats to Buell and Danny. Pretty damn cool. The haters can’t take this one away. And how about the results for the 1125RR in American Superbike? Impressive. They beat both factory Hondas on Saturday. And hounded Pegram’s World Superbike spec Duck on Sunday. Sounded awesome too.
does anyone know the HP of this bike?
Buell 1125R Daytona Sportbike Racer
“does anyone know the HP of this bike?
Buell 1125R Daytona Sportbike Racer”
140 hp at the rear wheel.
http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/buell/2009-buell-1125r-daytona-sportbike-review-88605.html
A great debate is always great! However with all of this passionate debate, the books say that the Buell is the winner. However this reality came to be, we are not going to change that! Many of us sit securely at home and quaterback from the couch, but when the cloud of opinions clears, the reality remains. And that reality is that you are at home. You are not one of the suits carrying the responsibility of this orginization. You are not one of the riders who competes at this level. You might not even own a bike. You are a cheerleader on the sideline watching the game and watching the real players play.
It must have been the buell the whole time! The buell cheated because of it engine size…
Oh wait. Danny just won the pole for the 2010 daytona… on a gixxer!!!! hahahha.
Eslick’s final result was 4th, behind better riders and above new and no name riders. Guess he did need the extra 500 cc LMAO
Come on you Buell supporters let’s call a spade a spade.This is affirmative action for Buell. A 600cc V twin cannot compete with a 600cc I-4. No one can argue this. The solution? Affirmative action. Let Buell run
1125 cc! What’s next? Let the twin boxer kraut bikes run with 1200cc? It’s funny how people are against affirmative action when it works against them but flip flop when it helps them!
Well, how about that… Danny wins the championship on a GIXXER SIXXER… Must have been the extra 525cc’s after all…. haters….