Wyman Racing Daytona 2007

   So far for the 2007 season things have been going pretty smoothly. We got to Florida with a good two weeks to ride and prepare myself for my races in the hot shoe series and the two GNC Pro singles national races at the Daytona Municipal stadium.
   My first race was at Savannah, Georgia for the first AMA Hot Shoe series race and my first Hot Shoe as a basic pro-expert. The practice day that was held the day before was cancelled due to tornadoes, but we were ready to go for our first race for Friday. It was a tough first day as an expert and I was unable to make any mains.
   The next day in Volusia County Raceway we had a very rough track to ride on for a Hot Shoe national. The track had ruts and bumps all over it, forcing most of the top pro riders to scratch and not even run. Once again we were unable to make any main events and would be looking forward to a new day and a nicer track for Sunday.
   Our second race in Volusia was a lot nicer of a track, and I was feeling faster after switching bikes for the 450 class. I had qualified pretty well for my heat races, and I was about half way through my 450 heat race and someone had taken me out. Fortunately I only suffered a mild concussion and what I thought was a broken nose, but I was definitely ready for a day off before Wednesday’s GNC National.
   My first national will be one that I will never forget. Over 110 riders entered the opener for the season, and only 60 will be eligible for the show based on a timed qualifying practice. My first practice showed me at 61st, my second showed me at 58th, and I knew that I would have to step it up for the third practice to not only stay within the cut, but to try to get a better qualifying spot for the main. I went out for my third practice, and to my disbelief I had put up the 6th fastest time of the session, and ended up 9th overall in qualifying. Qualifying in the top 10 in a national was seemingly impossible for my rookie year, but I was able to prove that wrong with my performance!
   My qualifying 9th set me in the 2nd position for my heat race next to names that I’ve looked up to for years. I had the privilege to lead my heat down the rough back straightaway, only to get passed by veteran #20 Johnny Murphree. Since 2nd place was the last transfer spot for the heat, I tried hard to hold off #22 Nick Cummings but was unable to do so for a full 10 laps and finished third place, just a spot shy of making my first national.
   The second day was not as “on” for me in qualifying, finishing up the sessions with an overall 78th, missing the cut and being sent to the “B-Main,” consisting of about 50 riders qualifying for a 12 rider/15 lap main event. I qualified through a tough heat of working my way through the pack, and was set up for the 12th position for the start of the main event. The B-Main consisted of a very smooth but slick track, and I was only able to manage 9th place off the start. After 15 laps and 5 passes I was able to work my way up to 4th to finish it off for the day.

Thanks to our sponsors Long Pond Autobody, Chromeglow, and Floyd Frey Paving

Kyle Wyman