Daytona 200 And Superbike Preview

[Andy]

American Honda riders Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke go into

Saturday's Daytona 200 race aiming to give Honda a third consecutive

victory in America's most prestigious road race, a record as the

first manufacturer to win three 200s on the bounce.

The two riders will be equipped with the latest version of the

CBR600RR that carried Zemke to victory last year and Duhamel the win in 2005.

Duhamel 38, from LaSalle - Quebec, Canada is chasing a record

breaking sixth win in the event. Currently tied on five wins with

fellow American Scott Russell, Duhamel is a strong favourite of many

to use the CBR600RR power to dominate the race but Zemke has tasted

victory at in the 200 and will push him all the way in the 68 lap race.

Should Duhamel score a sixth record breaking win he will be the

oldest rider ever to win the race, the legendary Dick Mann is the

current holder of that honour winning the 200 when just short of his

37th birthday.

"All the Honda boys will be on the same bike so they'll be really

fast," Duhamel explained. "And then you'll have the riders from

Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Ducati who should be really strong as

well. They might pop their head in there and surprise some people.

But that's the nature of the Daytona 200, you can always expect

surprises from that race."

"The Daytona 200, as anyone can tell you if you grew up racing, you

knew all about it," Zemke said after winning last year. "It doesn't

matter (even) if you're a motocrosser. Motocrossers know about the

Daytona 200. Everybody knows about the Daytona 200. So it's

something, as a kid that you look at the names on the list of the

winners of the 200, and it's a who's who list, and I'm proud to put

my name up there."

The Daytona race will be the only time the American Honda riders

campaign the CBR600RR their main target for 2007 will be the AMA

Superbike Championship. In the premier class of US road racing the

two will contest the 11 event 19 race schedule aboard CBR1000RR

Hondas in a bid to regain the title last won by reigning MotoGP World

Champion Nicky Hayden, in 2002.

The first Superbike race action of the season will be the curtain

raiser on 200-race day and Duhamel and Zemke will chase maximum

Superbike points to get the season off to a perfect start. Fitted

with traction control for the first time the CBR1000RRs have been

running consistently fast times in winter testing and both men are

confident of finishing higher this time round than the third place

finish overall by Duhamel last season. Zemke ended 2006 in eighth place.

The Superbike race will serve a double purpose on Saturday. The race

is crucial to the early season fortunes of the American Honda team

but also caries the additional benefit of data gathering on track

conditions, tyre wear and pit crew refuelling practice in preparation

for the Daytona 200 later in the day.