Geoff May won a second-straight Daytona 200 By Victory pole position Friday at Daytona International Speedway, aboard a Yamaha 600.
The 75th running of the historic motorcycle road race is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, 57 laps around the 3.51-mile road course.
May posted a fast lap of 1 minute, 50.627 seconds/114.222 mph. Completing the top three were Yamaha riders Michael Barnes (1.50.621/114.083) and Stefano Mesa (1.50.810/114.033), both from Boca Raton, Florida.
“It was polar opposites, last year and this year,” said May, who posted his pole speed in the morning qualifying session. “Last year we did everything right. We staged it, got out there with a dancing partner, got a heckuva draft and just pulled it off. This year we filled the tank up, went out and just kept running. Honestly, this time I just got lucky to be honest.”
Added Barnes, after posting the best speed in the afternoon session: “With a 200-mile race it’s really just about getting into the show. I didn’t plan on trying as hard as I did that session but I kind of got caught up in the excitement.
“I didn’t find any dancing partners out there, do I didn’t have any big drafts. That just makes me more confident that we have a strong, strong [bike] for the race.”
