Race Day: CCS Racing 2018 Season Opener in Daytona

The Squid Hunter team had a busy, winning race weekend at the Championship Cup Series season opener in Daytona. This race coincided with the 77th annual Daytona 200 and Daytona Bike Week, giving us the chance to  convene with teams that eat, sleep, breathe, and eat motorcycle racing.

Jordan and Peter prepped for this race months in advance, as is necessary for such a large event. Jordan is the master mechanic—he builds bikes for each race and works alongside Peter for the duration of the weekend, and ensures the bike is in top condition.

Peter bought a new 2018 Yamaha R6, complete with a Squid Hunter paint scheme to race the entire rest of the season.

With all the garage setup done, Peter and his wife Jessica kicked off the weekend by watching the Daytona TT that Thursday night. The Daytona TT is sanctioned by American Flat Track, a high-intensity, competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing. This would be its third year running on a custom TT course built inside Daytona International Speedway’s legendary tri-oval.

The next day was the start of ​ASRA and CCS Sprint Races. Peter placed 1st in the first race, a great start to the weekend. Unfortunately, the second race took a turn for the worse. A rider wrecked in front of Peter at speeds up to 120 mph. The other bike flipped in midair, smacking Peter on the left side of his fairing, high-sided. Both racers were rushed to the on-site medical center.

The other racer went to the hospital with a broken back, his bike totaled—we wish him a speedy recovery. Peter ended up with a swollen knee and bruised leg that would take a couple of months to heal. Jordan spent the rest of that day fixing up Peter's bike, making sure it would run.

In spite of the circumstances, Peter kept racing. He won 1st in the Formula 40, Superbike, and Grand Prix Middleweight races, and placed 3rd in another.

​We were extremely proud to see Peter on the box five times! He has a stellar lead into the championship for the rest of the season. We'll return to Daytona for the Race of Champions in October, ready to win many more titles!

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