Daytona has always been a gearhead’s paradise, but it was racing, more than cruising and sightseeing, that got this all started. Brave young men on wickedly fast but (by current standards) rather dangerous motorcycles would tear up the A1-A road, turn left, then roar down the beach to another left turn. It was  a long and superfast oval.

Flash forward to today, and you don’t need to be told what goes on in that pantheon of power: the Daytona Speedway. But the only way to get a flavor for what it might have been like to rip through the humid Florida air back in the day is to attend the AHRMA Road Race days.

And that, dear friends, is where I spent my day.

Here’s the first of three quick “slices” in to what goes on here.

Maybe it’s just me… but I love irony when it comes to thinking about history.  In a couple of days the Speedway will be overrun by high-budget American teams racing the latest Japanese superbikes. 

The result is this immaculate 1948 WR model. And unlike some collector/restorers, Ryota believes these bikes should be ridden the way they were meant to be ridden: hard and fast.

That’s just what he does. He’s got a pedigree in “normal” roadracing, and has applied these skills with some tuning tricks to make this a pretty quick bike, even by modern standards.

I guess the cool thing for me is the cross-cultural part of it. His wife and family and a whole bunch of other people are here in support of his efforts. They’ll spend a week hanging out at Bike Week with the rest of us. And even though he had a mid-pack finish today, I know they’ll all take home some great memories … just like the rest of us.

More to come.
-Steve