There is nothing quite like the vibe at Daytona International Speedway. Round eight of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship served as the home race for the Dirt Legal DBD Racing WMR KTM team, and the energy was through the roof.
They spent the weekend trackside with a massive crew of friends and sponsors, watching the boys take on one of the most brutal tracks on the circuit.
The presentation was dialed in from the jump. The team rolled out with custom Daytona-themed gear from 110 Racing, fresh HBD graphics, and those eye-popping 6D Helmets in a brand-new colorway. Even the bikes got the royal treatment with GUTS Racing seat covers.
The team was missing Jaxen Driskell this go-around due to a midweek injury, but the rest of the squad was ready to twist some throttles, with the help of Gage Linville, who was constantly in the riders’ ears providing the kind of insight that helps shave seconds off those lap times.
Marcus Phelps Finds His Rhythm
Marcus Phelps walked into the weekend with a “building” mindset, and it paid off. He stuck to the team’s qualifying game plan and watched his lap times drop session after session, comfortably landing in the top 25 for the night show.
The Heat Race was a game of inches. Phelps pulled a great jump off the gate, but he got pushed too far outside and couldn’t find the line he needed to move into a transfer spot. He finished just one position shy of skipping the LCQ.
In the LCQ, he found himself in a total dogfight for the final transfer. He muscled his way into fourth, but the pack was relentless, and he couldn’t quite keep the position until the checkers.
- Qualifying: P25
- Heat: P13
- LCQ: P7
Jace Kessler Grits It Out
If you want to talk about grit, let’s talk about Jace Kessler. He arrived at Daytona still feeling the effects of a nasty crash in Arlington, but sitting out wasn’t an option.
After a slow start in qualifying, he found his flow in the second session and secured his spot in the night show. His Heat Race was a battle from the back after a rough start, but he actually looked his fastest during the final laps.
In the LCQ, he started outside the top 12 and spent the entire race slicing through the field. He broke into the top 10, showing some serious improvement every time he touched the dirt, even if he didn’t grab that elusive transfer.
- Qualifying: P35
- Heat: P14
- LCQ: P9
Headed for Indy
The trend is moving in the right direction. Daytona was a much-improved weekend for the whole crew, and the momentum is building as they head toward Indianapolis. It’s all about progress, and the boys are proving they belong in the mix every single weekend.
You can check out the full Supercross schedule to see when they’re hitting your neck of the woods next.
From the Track to the Street
Dirt Legal is proud to be the title sponsor of the DBD Racing WMR KTM team because our roots are buried deep in the dirt bike world. We started this company because we are riders ourselves. We know the frustration of having a world-class machine like a KTM and being restricted to closed courses or private land.
The reality is that most states make it a massive headache to get a plate for a dedicated dirt bike. You end up facing a mountain of paperwork and hours wasted just to be told no. That is where we come in.
We specialize in taking the hassle out of the process. Whether you want to ride your dual-sport to the trails or turn your race bike into a street-legal machine, we handle the hoops so you don’t have to. We can get you a title and a license plate for almost anything with a motor.
If you are tired of the runaround and want the freedom to ride your bike wherever you want, we have the solution. We offer title recovery and vehicle registration services that allow you to skip the local office entirely. Plates and registration are shipped directly to your door in as little as 1 day. Temp tags are issued the same day, and titles are shipped within 2 weeks.
