In March 1923 British Mountain Climber George Leigh Mallory was asked why
he wanted to climb Mount
Everest . To Mallory
it was a dumb question. His simple reply, “Because it’s there” .
Why would a successful 52 year old British
businessman want to risk all at the highest level in the AMA Super Sport race
at Daytona? If you know Pat Mooney you would not have to ask—but if you did, his
answer would probably be the same as Mallory’s- “Because it’s there”.
Veteran privateer Pat Mooney challenges the young guns of AMA Super Sport
at Daytona 2013
March 4, 2013: This afternoon I caught up with Pat Mooney at Pat’s Auto
Sales in Sorrento , FL.
-Pat+Mooney+(Buell+1125R)-Horseshoe-Courtesy+AMA+Pro+Racing.jpg) |
| Money #41 races with Jason DeSalvo # 40 |
Pat will run in the highly competitive AMA Pro Motorcycle-Super Store Super Sport Class. He is one of 60
entrants. He will also probably be the oldest guy in the race at 52; most of
the competitors will be less than half his age. Qualifying is set for Thursday
March 14 at 4:45 PM . The
two races are scheduled for Friday 3/15 at 3 PM and Saturday morning 3/16 at 10 AM .
Pat told me the story behind his 2013 assault on the high banks and
twisting infield of Daytona. “The 200 was a bucket list and I’ve run it 2 years
in a row with good results. Then the 200 entry had become very expensive. $200
per person just for crew credentials. With the 200 I would have $1200 just for my 6
over the wall crew for tire changes and fuel.
The twin Super Sport 10 lap sprint races seemed the way to go. In the 200
I was on the track with seasoned veterans. Here I’ll race with many of the
fearless young guns of AMA Road Racing. It will be a real challenge. I’m hoping
for a top 20 finish, but that could be tough to achieve with 60 hard charging young guns. My Buell 1125 cc twin will
be the most powerful bike in the race. Also the heaviest with terrible aero
dynamics. I’ll have to make the most of the draft and make up ground through
the road course. The competition is mostly 600 cc Japanese bikes, the Yamaha
YZF R6, Suzuki GSX-R600, Kawasaki
In the 200 last year I was 9 MPHslower than the top runners when drafting
and 20 MPHslower on my own.
I have another English chap from Palm Bay UK New Orleans
 |
| photo Michael Rovnyak - www.MJRPHOTO.NET |
SuperSport Facts
Engine Displacement: 600cc-675cc-848cc-1000cc-1125cc - Horsepower 110 hp to 130 hp
Minimum Weights: 4 cyl-335 lbs; 3 cyl-360 lbs; 2 cyl-375 lbs - Top Speed: 165 MPH - 0-60 MPH: 3 seconds
1/4 Mile Acceleration: 10 seconds - Tires: Dunlop SportMax GPA Front (120/70R-17) Rear (190/55ZR-17)
Eligible Bikes: Aprilia RSV1000R/RSV1000R Factory; Buell 1125R; Ducati 848; Honda CBR 600RR ABS;
Kawasaki ZX-6R; KTM 990 SuperDuke; Suzuki GSX-R600; Triumph Daytona 675/675R; Yamaha YZF-R6
FRIDAY March 15 - 10 AM: Mooney runs with the leaders, qualifies 7th fastest of 60 entrants.
Thomas Puerta put his Yamah YZF-R6 on the pole with at time of 1:54.097-Pats time of 1:55:910 puts him in the 7th position on the starting grid. Look out Daytona, here comes Mr. Mooney!
FINAL RESULTS: AMA Super Sport at Daytona 2013
Pat can be proud of a great performance against all odds. When it came to race time some bad luck plagued Pat in the two races. On Friday he missed the sighting lap and rather than start at the rear of the 60 rider pack he did not run. Then in race 2 on Saturday he was running 4th when an oil pressure problem forced an early withdrawal.
In Pat's own words: "On Saturday at the start of the race, just before the lights went out for the start of the race I looked at the temp gauge to check engine temp, which was good BUT I saw the oil pressure light was on solid! Got through the first two turns and it was back on again...... So I had no choice but to pull off the track.
A weekend racing that had some big up's a down's I'm afraid. It was nice to see I could run with and ahead of some of the factory teams though."
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