BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 23) – GEICO Motorcycle Honda rider Dane Westby rallied from a slow starton Sunday to finish fifth in GoPro Daytona SportBike competition at the Triumph SuperBike Classic, part of the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series.
An off start to Sunday’s race left Westby as deep as eighth place in the field at Barber Motorsports Park. Westby knew he had work to do once the field shook its way out.
“We had the pace to run at the front,” Westby said. “With the little mistake we made in the beginning, it really lit a fire under me. Every time someone in front of me made a mistake, I saw it and smelled blood in the water.”
Westby was methodical in his pursuit of the front of the field. He just stayed smooth and consistent as other riders lost performance as the race went on.
“I just tried to make the best of the situation,” Westby said. “I tried to pick off as many guys as I could. I thought I might even been able to get J.D. Beach in the last few laps after he ran into some traffic.”
Westby would have liked to have had a few more laps because he was feeling strong at the end of the race.
“Two to three more laps and I would have been able to get into fourth at least,” Westby said. “It seemed like the other guys in front of me were fading.”
With his fourth-place effort on Saturday and the fifth on Sunday, Westby moved into seventh place in the GoPro Daytona SportBike standings, one point behind sixth-place Jake Lewis and nine points out of fifth despite missing the first race of the season.
Up next for Westby and the GEICO Motorcycle Honda team is the July 12-14 Buckeye SuperBike Weekend from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a spot where Westby collected a victory a year ago.
“I’m looking forward to Mid-Ohio,” Westby said. “I feel like we’ve been progressing with this new bike and we’re at a level where we can run with the top guys. I’m going to one of my favorite tracks, so there’s a lot to look forward to for sure.”
