AHRMA: Daytona pit walk

The pits at Daytona International Speedway during American Historical Racing Motorcycle Association events are truly a blast to the past--which past depends on your perspective.

You'll find racebikes (and racers) whose formative years could have been in the 1960s, like Denny Poneleit's vintage 200GP class machine, which started life as a 1968 Honda CL175. Or, you may run into 1988 250 U.S. Grand Prix winner Jimmy Filice, who is competing in the Thruxton Challenge.

And if you're lucky, you may find something evokes memories of Freddie Spencer's 1981 Honda Superbike—built by the guy who, until recently, owned the original.

Scott McVicker, from Oakville, Ontario, found himself in posession of Spencer's '81 factory machine as a result of a complex international exchange several years back. And though he's since sold it to a collector, he took the opportunity to assemble plenty of factory parts that he used to build an authentic replica as a vintage racer. He started by copying the original frame geometry, and from there, he got to work bolting on trick parts, such as a Corber ignition, dry clutch and Vanson Hines cylinder heads.

The end result, says McVicker, is vintage perfection, especially when you crank the throttle to the stop coming off the Daytona banking headed for the trioval.

"You roll it on there and it's just like going back in time," he says. "I hear that sound, and it's just great."

Nearby is Filice, who's returning to the Speedway after a five-year retirement, and enjoying every minute of it.

"It is just such a cool feeling being out there," Filice says.

The same is true for Poneleit, who first raced at Daytona more than 40 years ago, and won the 1971 100-mile Daytona Junior race.

"My first race here was on a Harley 175 in 1962. The excitement's the same," says the 58-year-old. "The racetrack is great. It's a real blessing to get to come back each year."

© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association