Scott Russell and Other Rider Quotes for the Upcoming Daytona 200 By Arai
4 March 1998
Scott Russell is the only man in history to win the Daytona 200 By Arai four times. Winning the "World's Greatest Motorcycle Race" in 1992, 1994-95 and 1997. In 1993 and 1996, he finished second. More media kit information can be sent if so desired by calling DIS PR at (904) 947-6782.Q: Scott, how does it feel to be the only winner four-time winner of the Daytona 200, and do you have a sense of historical perspective of where this puts you as far as the other great riders in history?
Scott Russell: I don't think I did, really. When we were down here in December, we were looking at the new stuff that you've all done for the tours at the
Speedway, and we saw the plaque you put up on the way to the Winner's Circle for me, and I think, then, it kind of sank in. You know, it means a lot to me to be the first guy to break the record....I mean to set the record. There were four of us that had it at three wins, and then we broke it last year, so it's a great feeling.
Q: What is the key to, not only winning, but always being up front?
Scott Russell: The tires are big concern down here in Daytona. It takes a special tire to run this track. You have to take care of the tires....you are absolutely right, and the pit stops are critical. You can lose a lot of time on the pit stops and new riders coming to this track tend to learn it the hard way. My secret is, you just try to maintain a good pace....take care of the tires, and stay out of trouble. You're dealing sometimes with 80 other riders out there, and picking the right lane when you're coming up on them at 190 mph can be tough sometimes, so you just mainly stay out of trouble and being smooth and trying to conserve your equipment. Because it is a race of endurance.
Q: Scott, looking ahead to Sunday, who do you think is going to be your stiffest competition? You're basically on the same bike combination as you had last year. A lot of new teams are coming along. Who do you think is going to be the guys to beat, and can you win that fifth title?
Scott Russell: Last year I thought Doug Chandler and Colin Edwards would be hard to beat, and they came in second and third. There's a lot of good riders. I think some of the new guys are coming on strong, on the Ducati Team (Mike Hale). He'll be going for it. We know he is one of the best riders in the world....I think he is. That's my personal opinion, and Doug Chandler is probably real hungry for a Daytona victory after he's won three AMA Superbike Titles now, and never won one at Daytona. You can never can never count out Duhamel...he's always tough.
There's a lot of guys out there, up and coming, as well. It's hard to say, because it just takes patience and experience to win down here, and some of the riders just don't seem to have that. I'm not putting a name on my biggest competition. As far as I'm concerned, I've got them covered, and we're going to go after five.
Q: You talk about patience, a 200-mile race is a lot different than the type of racing you are use to. Talk about patience as being a key.
Scott Russell: Well, I think patience is, for me, just a matter of keeping smooth, and just not being in a hurry . You've got 57 laps out there, and as long as you're in touch with the lead group, ....the last lap is the only one that counts. There is no need to get excited in the early laps. You've got two pit stops you've got to get through smoothly, and then, I think after the second pit stop, when the patience starts to go out the window and you can really start racing hard at that point. Normally there's about 14 or 15 laps left after that last stop, and that's when everyone starts racing.
Q: What does it really take, to "take a quick lap" around Daytona? What is the real key?
Scott Russell: Well, quick laps are done in qualifying normally. We have done some fast laps in the race. It's strange...it's relaxation, you gotta be relaxed, you can't try hard, you can't try to go too fast. Because every time you try to go fast you end up going slower. It's difficult actually, because you're dealing with tires that aren't that grippy. They're made harder so they can handle the hot temperatures, so you gotta be careful. I think being smooth and just relaxed is the key.
Q: Why is the Daytona 200 so special in North America and around the world.
Scott Russell: It's the tradition. Daytona is Daytona, it's the world center of racing. The whole atmosphere of Daytona just adds to the excitement of the Daytona 200. This race has been around for years, if you race, you want to win at Daytona. It's the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 all wrapped up into one for us. I'm just proud to be the all-time winner of the event.
OTHER SELECTED QUOTES
Selected quotes concerning the "World's Greatest Motorcycle Race," the Daytona 200 By Arai on March 8, 1998 at Daytona International Speedway.
"In America, for sure we know the Daytona 200 is the biggest race of them all. The Daytona 200 ranks right there at the top of my accomplishments. I would love to win it so many times that the next guy could never catch me." -- Scott Russell, 1992, 1994-95 and 1997 Daytona 200 By Arai champion.
"The Daytona 200 means a great deal to me. I've been coming to Daytona since I was four years old with my Mom and Dad. Winning the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 200 in 1991 was tremendously special to me, then winning it again in 1996 in the closest finish in history meant a lot and if I'm fortunate enough to win it again, it will mean just as much. The Daytona 200 is known world over, it's an extremely important race. -- Miguel Duhamel, 1991 and 1996 Daytona 200 By Arai champion
"The Daytona 200 is the biggest motorcycle race we have here in the United States. It's the most prestigious race in America, if not the world. This is our Daytona 500 or Indy 500. Winning the Daytona 200 would be like winning the World Series, the Superbowl, the NBA championships or whatever. This is our granddaddy event." -- Chris Carr
"To win the Daytona 200 would be very meaningful. That's something you can tell your grandkids when you're 85 years old. Having your name in the record books as a former Daytona 200 champion is a big deal, it would be a dream come true. To have your name with names like Freddie Spencer, Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey would be incredible. If you win this one, it's known the world over, it's our biggest race. Being a motorcycle rider, I even think it's more prestigious than the Indy 500 or Daytona 500." -- Steve Crevier
"Personally, the Daytona 200 means a great deal to me. It is such a prestigious event with so much history. It would mean a lot to me to win it, not to mention it would mean a huge step in my career to have a Daytona victory to my credit." -- Anthony Gobert
"I would really like to win the Daytona 200. We've been close a number of times before, but we've never really sat on top of the podium. If I could win the Daytona 200, it would be right up there among my career accomplishments because of Daytona's history and because Daytona is such a unique racetrack. This is our really big event." -- Doug Chandler
"The Daytona 200 is the single biggest motorcycle race in the U.S., and it ranks right there with any single motorcycle event in the world. For me, it's one of the races I've always wanted to win. I came here as a kid when I was six years old, and before I retire it is definitely one of the races I want to win. It would mean everything to me to win the Daytona 200." -- Mike Hale
"The Daytona 200 is really different from anything we run all year and it takes a lot of preparation, it's the most important race all year for us. To win it, you go down in the history books. It's an important race for all riders, it takes a lot of preparation on the team's part and on the rider's part. It says a lot to win the Daytona 200, that's why everybody takes it so seriously." -- Tom Kipp
"Daytona is such a prestigious track and the Daytona 200 is such a prestigious race because of all of the tradition and history. To win that race, it would be unbelievable. I've won four races here in the 125 class and each of those trophies are sitting on my mantle, to add a Daytona 200 trophy would the ultimate." -- Rich Oliver
"I would love to win the Daytona 200, it's the biggest race of the year. It is one of the biggest races in the world for motorcycling. If you could win any race of the year, you would obviously want to win the Daytona 200." -- Larry Pegram
"Winning the Daytona 200 would mean to me, that I beat Scott Russell. Ever since I started road racing, he has been my idol. To beat him in this race, I don't know if I could ever do any better than that." -- Jamie Hacking
