DAYTONA 2004

very March, hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts converge on Daytona Beach, Florida for Bike Week. From start to finish, Bike Week holds something for just about everyone, between AHRMA’s Vintage Days, the Daytona Short Track, the Alligator Enduro, GNCC, Main Street, Harley parades, vendor showcases, the Daytona Supercross and the Daytona 200, just to name a few.
Regardless of what Bike Week event you attend, you can’t help but notice the formidable presence created by Parts Unlimited. Everywhere you look are Parts reps, banners, support trucks and vendors, not to mention the racers! A Parts Unlimited-sponsored rider either won or was on the podium of just about every race held during Bike Week this year. We also have to give immense credit to our amazingly hard-working “photographer-at-large” Kinney Jones, who managed to make it out to every race during the week and provided us with fantastic photos from each event.
Here are some of the highlights from Bike Week 2004.

he Daytona 200 is the most celebrated and anticipated roadrace in America. However, in the weeks leading up to this year’s 200, the usual pre-race excitement was clouded by some serious concerns regarding tire issues. Many of the top pros in the industry were claiming that the bikes were just too powerful to be running out on the banks, and that the tires wouldn’t hold up. Ben Spies’ horrific crash at Daytona during testing was clear evidence of this.
Two-time Daytona 200 winner Mat Mladin was contemplating not racing the 200 this year, because of the risks involved. In the end, Mladin decided to race, but stated that he was just going to take it easy out on the track and try to accumulate some points. However, after arriving in Daytona, Mladin and the Yoshimura Suzuki Team formed a last minute race strategy. The plan was to make three quick pit stops for tires during the race, instead of the usual two. This would allow Mladin to maintain faster overall lap times than the riders who only made two trips to the pits and were forced to slow down and ride a bit more conservatively as their tires began to wear. As it turned out, their strategy worked.

Daytona 200 winner Mat Mladin (middle) celebrates in Victory Lane with Jake Zemke (right) and Miguel Duhamel (left), who finished second and third, respectively.

Moments before the start of the Daytona 200, the grid is set with Parts Unlimited/Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom on the pole. American Honda’s Ben Bostrom (#155), Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin (#1) and American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel (#17) fill out the rest of the front row.

Eric Bostrom leads Miguel Duhamel in the early going with Mat Mladin and Erion Racing’s Jake Zemke close behind.

The 200 started as quite a battle up front between Mladin, four-time Daytona winner Miguel Duhamel, American Honda’s Ben Bostrom, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates, Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke and polesitter Eric Bostrom on the Parts Unlimited-sponsored Ducati Austin 999. After leading 11 out of the first 21 laps Ben Bostrom was the first of the front-runners to drop out when clutch problems developed on his CBR1000RR. Later in the race, Ducati’s Eric Bostrom suffered bad luck too. After running a great race at the top of the field, Eric’s Ducati began smoking due to a punctured oil cooler and he was out of the race by lap 43, ending the Ducati fans’ hopes of a first-ever Daytona 200 victory for Ducati.
At this point, Mladin was still running out front with a comfortable lead over Duhamel and Zemke, who were battling for second. Mladin held on for his third Daytona 200 victory, by a margin of 7.081 seconds over Daytona 200 rookie Zemke, who edged by the veteran Duhamel at the finish by a mere .014 of a second. While determination, sheer will and luck are all heavy factors in claiming a Daytona 200 win, Mladin and the Yoshimura Suzuki Team proved that forming a smart and solid race strategy never hurts either!

On the first day of qualifying, Parts Unlimited/Ducati Austin rider Eric Bostrom set a new lap record at Daytona with a blistering lap time of 1:46.835, earning himself not only the pole position for the 200, but also the coveted Daytona Rolex watch.

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom qualified second behind his brother Eric with a lap time of 1:47.318. Ben, who finished second in the 2003 Daytona 200, was running with the lead pack until he developed clutch problems on his CBR1000RR.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who won the 200 in 2000 and 2001, ran a smart and calculated race to earn his third Daytona victory.

Daytona 200 rookie Jake Zemke dices it up with four-time Daytona 200 winner Miguel Duhamel. At the end, it was Zemke who came out ahead, beating the veteran Duhamel to the second spot on the podium by just .014 of a second.

or the first time ever, Daytona International Speedway lit up on Friday night to host the annual Daytona Supercross. The race has traditionally been held on Saturday afternoon, but was moved to Friday to allow the Daytona 200 to be run on Saturday.
     Daytona marked the return to Supercross by Parts Unlimited’s newest team member, Travis Pastrana, who started out the night by winning his heat-race over second-place series points holder Kevin Windham.
     In the 250 main event, Yamaha’s Chad Reed got a great start and quickly began to pull away from the pack. He held a considerable lead for most of the race, even despite crashing with only six laps left to go. He picked himself up and continued on without allowing second-place rider Kevin Windham to gain much ground. He went on to win the race by 8.742 seconds with Windham in second, Mike LaRocco in third, David Vuillemin in fourth and Nick Wey in fifth.
     In the 125 main, Kawasaki’s James Stewart rode in his typical style. Stewart got out front early and basically checked out, winning his fourth race of the season by 35.112 seconds over Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps, with Yamaha of Troy’s Josh Hansen picking up the third spot. Stewart celebrated his Daytona win by spray-painting a #3 on the infield of the Speedway in honor of beloved NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

Chad Reed (center) celebrates his Daytona Supercross win with Amsoil/Chaparral Honda’s Kevin Windham (left) and Amsoil/Chaparral Honda’s Mike LaRocco, who finished second and third, respectively.

Yamaha of Troy’s Josh Hansen rode a great race, finishing in third in the 125 Daytona Supercross.

Kawasaki’s Michael Byrne placed sixth in the 250 class at Daytona.

Suzuki’s Travis Pastrana made his much-anticipated return to Supercross and his debut as a Parts Unlimited/Thor rider at Daytona. He won his heat and finished tenth in the 250 main event.

Red Bull/KTM’s Grant Langston earned a seventh place finish in the 250 main.

Yamaha’s Chad Reed on his way to victory at Daytona.

With just six laps left in the main event, Reed went down hard. Despite being in considerable pain, Chad managed to pick himself up and continue on for the win.

hen the lights went on at Daytona Municipal Stadium on March 4th, it was Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited Yamaha’s J.R. Schnabel who dominated the field at the Daytona Short Track. The 25-lap main event started out as quite a clash between Schnabel, Johnny Murphree and Bryan Smith, who had won the Daytona Hot Shoe race the night before. However, by the fourth lap, Schnabel had established a generous lead over his competitors and held on for the win. He was joined on the podium by Smith in second and Murphree in third.

When the green flag dropped on the Daytona Short Track, it was (L-R) J.R. Schnabel (#33), Bryan Smith (#42) and Johnny Murphree (#20) leading the way. They finished first, second and third, respectively.

Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited Yamaha’s J.R. Schnabel celebrates his Daytona Short Track win.

ud, muck, sand, water and the Florida woods made for some great racing in this year’s Hurricane GNCC. After nearly three hours of battling in the Palatka-area elements, the race came down to a two-man race for the finish between defending GNCC champion Barry Hawk Jr. and Thor-sponsored rider Fred Andrews. With about three laps left in the race, the two began swapping the lead back and forth in some of the best and closest GNCC racing in recent memory. In the end, it was Hawk who came out on top, a mere four seconds ahead of Andrews. Yamaha’s Jason Raines came in third, KTM’s Brian Garrahan finished in fourth and Suzuki’s Rodney Smith was fifth.

At the start of the Palatka/Hurricane GNCC, Fred Andrews (#5) and Rodney Smith (#31) take to the lead with eventual winner Barry Hawk Jr. (#11).

Moose-sponsored Rodney Smith awaits the start of the race with his wife, Lori.

Fred Andrews battles the mud on his way to a second place finish.

Stuck in the muck! The challenging terrain of this year’s Palatka GNCC proved to be too much for some.

Crikey! This guy obviously missed the part of the rider’s meeting where they told everyone to avoid the deep water. There’s ’gators in them there lakes!

ell, unwind….and try out some new tires. After the whirlwind of Bike Week came to an end, the Parts Unlimited Pirelli event truck made a scheduled pit stop just up the road from Daytona Beach at Pax Trax in Bunnell, FL.
Local Parts Unlimited representatives had a chance to test both the intermediate MT83/MT32 front/rear combination and the new MT410 sand/mud fitment there. Special guest John Dowd stopped by to join in the fun as well.
The stop was just one of many that the Pirelli support truck has made and plans to make, loosely following the Supercross and upcoming outdoor motocross season schedule around the country.

Pax Trax, just north of Daytona Beach, calls for a somewhat different tire selection than what John Dowd’s Arenacross bikes were wearing. Pirelli product specialist Aaron Brumbaugh gets his hands dirty changing out #16.

Parts Unlimited’s Chris Ramanauskas, Dan Benik and Nick Spinosa (L-R) were just a few who showed up to enjoy a day of sun and product knowledge.

Long-time Florida Parts rep Flip “Flipper” Page sports the latest in Thor apparel while testing Pirelli’s new mini-sized rubber.

Pirelli-backed Arenacross teammates Jimmy Neese (inside) and John Dowd stretched their indoor legs on the fast Pax Trax back section.

t the AMA/Prostar season opener in Gainesville, it was Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties-sponsored Larry “Spiderman” McBride who came out victorious. The five-time AMA/Prostar Top Fuel champ was paired up against Vance & Hines’ Doug Vancil in the final. Spidey turned in a smokin’ winning time of 6.02 at 238 mph, to Vancil’s 6.50 at 208 mph.
The MRE Nationals in Gainesville marked McBride’s 10th consecutive Prostar event win.

Gainesville Top Fuel winner Larry “Spiderman” McBride smoked the competition with a time of 6.02 at 238 mph.

Vance & Hines’ Doug Vancil was the Gainesville Top Fuel runner-up, with a time of 6.50 at 208 mph.

his year at Daytona, Yamaha Motor Corporation held its sixth annual Weekend of Champions celebration. Each year since 1999, Yamaha has brought to Daytona a star-studded group of their most prized legends from all walks of racing, past and present alike. Attendees for this year included Eddie Lawson, Giacomo Agostini, Bob Hannah, Wayne Rainey, Mike Bell, Don Emde, Steve Baker, Marty Moates, Rick Burgett, Rich Oliver, Gary Jones, Pierre Karsmakers, Thomas Stevens, Jamie James, Broc Glover, Damon Bradshaw and Doug Henry. Also on hand were some of Yamaha’s current champions, such as Chad Reed, Timmy Ferry, David Vuillemin, Aaron Gobert, Heath Voss, Jason DiSalvo, Josh Hansen, Jamie Hacking, Damon Buckmaster, Danny Smith, Brock Sellards, Kelly Smith and Jason Raines.
More than 5,000 fans passed through the Yamaha tent during the autograph sessions on Friday and Saturday, many waiting in line for almost an hour to get the chance to see their favorite racers. While in line, the fans were treated to an amazing exhibition by Yamaha freestyle rider Nate Adams, who was turning backflips on a ramp just outside the Yamaha tent.
Yamaha’s Weekend of Champions is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for fans to meet some of the greatest racing idols of the past and the top superstars of today.

Steve Baker tries to prove to Rick Burgett and Jamie James that he really did win the Daytona 200. Burgett still looks doubtful.

Emcee Larry Maiers (standing) was on hand to make sure the champs didn’t get too rowdy. From left to right are Rich Oliver, Thomas Stevens, Marty Moates, Gary Jones, Don Emde and Broc Glover.

Two of the greatest road racers in history, Wayne Rainey (left) and Giacomo Agostini, swap race stories during one of the autograph sessions.

From left to right, Randy Mamola (yes, that really is Randy), Giacomo Agostini, Yamaha’s Racing Manager Keith McCarty and Don Emde.

ew names in the world of sports are more legendary or more synonymous with greatness and glory than Michael Jordan. Which is why when the fabled NBA superstar announced that he was launching a racing team, Parts Unlimited didn’t hesitate to jump on board.
Team 23 Racing is owned by Edward Scott LLC, with primary sponsorship coming from Brand Jordan, which is a subsidiary of Nike. Other sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Gatorade, Alpinestars, Gemini Technology Systems, Dunlop, PJ1 and others.
Team 23 Racing is sponsoring 31-year-old Montez Stewart in the Repsol Superstock class aboard the #123 Yamaha R1 and in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport class aboard the #123 Yamaha R6.

Parts Unlimited’s Jeff Fox with Air Jordan himself.

Stewart shows off the signage on his brand-new Alpinestars leathers.

Team 23 Racing’s Montez Stewart in action on the #123 Yamaha.

Team 23 is rolling a pretty sweet ride.

CANDID SHOTS

Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert claimed the checkered flag in the Repsol Superstock race.

Now that’s what I call commitment! Eric Bostrom sure has some dedicated guys on his team!

Alan Rutherford hard at work in Daytona… broken arm and all!

Jeff Fox kicks back and catches up on his industry news.

Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo captured the win in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race.