Daytona 200: To Be Continued

There were many steps for the Squid Hunter Racing team to take to ensure a successful outcome at the 2020 Daytona 200. We had been working all year for this race.

The team was originally anticipating Simone Corsi to ride for us in the race due to the great success we had at the 36th Annual Race of Champions back in October. We decided not to move forward with Corsi. We mutually agreed that it would be in the best interest of both parties. 

Making a decision on what rider would get the seat for the Daytona 200 was not taken lightly. Leading up to the race, we were in contact with several riders about possibly riding for Squid Hunter. It was very evident to the entire team that we had made a name for ourselves. 

After curating the market, we were introduced to Michael Barnes, the 2016 Daytona 200 winner. After several conversations, our team felt that with Barnes’ experience and our technical background, he would make the best choice. 

After deciding Barnes was the one, we immediately put all of our time and energy into perfecting every aspect of the relationship. We knew from day one that there was a very synergistic team effort happening with Squid Hunter and Barnes’s team. 

As we entered race weekend, we were hungry for a victory. It was incredible seeing Barnes on his first practice run. He laid down a 150.1 lap time on his first few qualifying sessions. This landed him in the top five and the entire Squid Hunter team was starting to get pumped. 

There were a few things we decided to change based on what we noticed in our data. These changes would bring his already fast time even lower. Unfortunately, the circumstances did not allow us to see these changes in effect.

A few weeks leading up to the race, we were dealing with the COVID-19 global pandemic. COVID-19 forced many recreational activities to pause their seasons, and in some cases delay the start. For example, the NBA and MLB were both affected by these decisions in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

CCS announced Friday of race weekend that the race would be closed to viewers due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This was disappointing to the team but we were prepared to keep going.

All of a sudden the CCS timing and scoring system had stopped working, which confused all of us. CCS decided to call a rider’s meeting to explain why we were experiencing these technical difficulties. 

In the meeting, CCS announced that the race had been postponed to a later date. 

Of course, this was shocking news to all parties, but in the past, we have overcome greater obstacles. Our team has proved we have what it takes to go up against world-class experienced Moto2 riders. This was just a bump in the road. We are not only prepared but looking forward to the rescheduled race. 

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