East Troy-based Buell Motorcycle Company is showing off the fact that 22-year-old motorcycle racer Danny Eslick rode his American-made Buell 1125R to twin victories in the AMA Pro Racing’s Daytona SportBike class doubleheader at AutoClub Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
The victories ended a 40-year absentee streak of an American brand motorcycle at the top of the podium in an AMA Pro Racing premiere class. Buell is much smaller in size than its foreign competitors, employing only about 200 people in East Troy.
Eslick made history as he led every lap to bring his Bruce Rossmeyer/Geico Powersports Buell 1125R across the finish line just 2.5 seconds ahead of Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s veteran rider Jamie Hacking. In the second race Eslick built a small lead, until Hacking clawed his way back into contention, closing the gap to just 0.151 seconds and setting up a battle to the checkered flag as the pair broke away from the rest of the field. In a thrilling finish at the stripe, Eslick bested the factory Kawasaki rider by 0.099-second.
"It was an awesome weekend for me and for Buell," said Eslick "My Buell 1125R was flawless and it was just spectacular to get my first two [AMA Pro Racing] wins and give Buell their first win at this level."
The last time an American motorcycle won a top AMA Pro roadracing class was when Cal Rayborn rode a Harley-Davidson XR750TT to win the 1969 Daytona 200.
"This is a great win for Buell, but it’s also a great win for American manufacturing," said Erik Buell, chairman and chief technical officer of Buell Motorcycle Company. "It represents the true American spirit and what we can accomplish when we set our minds to it.”
