Media, Pa. (Mar. 15) – Kyle Wyman’s strong performance at the 79th running of Daytona 200 was ended prematurely by a crash after contact with a lapped rider. Wyman showed great speed and consistency on the N2/Bobbleheadmoto/KWR Yamaha YZF-R6 in every session leading up to the race and expectations were very high for a good result.
After leading every session, the team started final qualifying on a very used Dunlop race tire to get set up experience. With 8 minutes to go in the session the team put on a new Dunlop qualifier but electrical issues from bent rear wheel sensor ring caused Wyman to abort his qualifying lap. Even without a lap on a new tire, Wyman still qualified second behind M4 Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly.
The race was started with near perfect conditions and Wyman set the pace for the lead group while leading several of the opening laps. The leaders began lapping backmarkers on lap 5 of the 57 lap race, but still stayed together in a tight group. As they approached the first pit stop window on lap 18, Wyman entered turn 2 in third place behind Kelly and eventual winner Brandon Paasch. As Paasch and Kelly went underneath a lapped rider, nearly 20 seconds off the pace. Wyman was unable to navigate the weaving rider and made contact with the back of tire, causing only Wyman to crash.
“I felt great all day Friday during practice and felt like we were the man to beat on Saturday,” Wyman said. “I knew going into the race that it would be a battle of attrition and tire conservation. I felt pretty good during the first stint but toward the end my tire was smoked. I was doing everything I could just to hang on and try to keep the front group under my control. The lapped traffic was insane, worse than I remember it being from previous years. The particular rider I hit was very unpredictable and in my own haste I made a move that wasn’t the right one. From turn one I tried inside, then as the rider closed the door I went to the right. The rider then drifted right so I went left just before the rider then swooped back left even though we were exiting the corner by then.”
