Eslick Doubles at Mid-Ohio
Henny Ray Abrams | July 19, 2009
Bruce Rossmeyer Racing/Geico Powersports’ Danny Eslick won his second race in two days with an aggressive pass of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking on the final lap of the Daytona SportBike race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.Eslick led straight away with Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Josh Herrin taking him on the seventh of 21 laps. Eslick’s strength was turn one, where he could power up the straight and go hard up the inside. He took Herrin on lap eight, but Herrin was back in front on the brakes into the turn seven right at the end of the back straight.Then it was Eslick’s turn, again in turn one, only this time he made it stick. Meanwhile, Hacking and M4 Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas were right behind, with a quintet led by Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden about a second farther back.Herrin’s bid for glory ended when he ran wide in the Carousel near the end of the 12th lap, dropping well down the order. He would recover to finish eighth. But now it was a three-rider race.Taking a page from Herrin’s playbook, Hacking passed Eslick in turn seven on the 14th lap with Eslick retaliating starting the 15th lap and holding the lead. When Hacking passed him again on lap 16, he made it stick and crossed the line with a .62 sec. lead.Hacking had the better luck in traffic and appeared safe until Eslick rebounded strongly on the final lap. Eslick tried him in seven, but Hacking held him off, though not for long. In the uphill left that followed, Eslick stuffed it up the inside, running both wide and killing Hacking’s drive. From there to the flag Hacking didn’t have a chance.The margin of victory was 2.048 after Hacking slowed and sat up on the front straight.Eslick closed to within 10 points of Cardenas, 285-275, with three rounds, and six races, remaining. Hacking is third with 241.Cardenas was alone in third, with Latus Racing’s Taylor Knapp getting the best of the race for fourth over Hayden. Then came Bazzaz Performance’s Steve Rapp, Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies’ Chaz Davies and Herrin.Herrin’s teammate Tommy Aquino was ninth. Aquino had been at the front of the quintet before running off the track on the 19th lap and dropping back.Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke finished tenth after being forced to start from the back row after a switch to his back-up bike.
Daytona SportBike
1. Danny Eslick (Buell)
2. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki)
3. Martin Cardenas (Suzuki)
4. Taylor Knapp (Buell)
5. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki)
6. Steve Rapp (Yamaha)
7. Chaz Davies (Aprilia)
8. Josh Herrin (Yamaha)
9. Tommy Aquino (Yamaha)
10. Jake Zemke (Honda)
Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor
Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.
