The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York team will bring the heat to Daytona International Speedway’s high banks in Daytona Beach, Florida, with both Josh Herrin and Xavi Forés set to compete on Ducati Panigale V2 machinery.
Herrin’s 2023 Daytona 200 will be one in which he hopes to add to his 2010 race victory. Should he do so, he would join a select group of established stars to have taken a victory in the great race on two different brands and capacities.
For journeyman Forés, the Daytona 200 will signal yet another new race in his arsenal ahead of his MotoAmerica Supersport Championship debut at Road Atlanta on April 21-23. The Spaniard spent 2022 competing in select rounds of the WorldSBK Championship for Barni Ducati, alongside a full season of the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship for Pramac Racing, and the Endurance World Championship (EWC) for Team ERC Endurance Ducati. Xavi will be aboard his Warhorse HSBK V2, displaying the World Endurance Team ERC livery. He will also have his team ERC crew members who will be assisting Xavi’s fight for the 200 win.
Xavi Forés (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #12)
“It’s going to be my first time at Daytona and I’m really excited,” Forés said. “I really hope to do well because I was racing in the Endurance World Championship the past few years so I’m used to long races with pitstops. My endurance team will come to Daytona to help, which will be a bonus for everyone on the HSBK team,” said Forés. “I’ve been riding the Ducati Panigale V2 in Spain this last month and I feel really strong on this bike. I’ve been able to do some fast lap times but I know racing in America will be a new challenge. I will return to Spain after Daytona as my partner and I are expecting a new baby soon, and then all three of us will move to America for the season, so this year will be very exciting.”
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York – Ducati #2)
“I’m super pumped about returning to Daytona,” Herrin said. “It’s going to be a really exciting race. “The 200 is one of my favorite events. I feel we’ve always done well there, but it’s a big effort and not just a short 20-lap race. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle to win there—lots of drafting and pit stops, and it’s such a hard place on the bike with forces you don’t get anywhere else,” Herrin said. “I’m excited to get a second chance on the V2 before I ride in MotoAmerica Superbike, and having Xavi Forés in the team will be really cool. After seeing how the V2 performed last year, I know we’ll be in the mix. I’ve been putting in a lot of work on the bicycle over the past three months and have dropped 15 pounds from where I was last year, so I’m feeling great, I know the bike will be fast, and I can’t wait to get going.”
The 81st running of the Daytona 200 is scheduled for March 9-11, 2023.
- From Ducati Media House
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