Zemke on Daytona 200 pole

From Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Jake Zemke, riding an all-black unsponsored No. 98 Yamaha, put down the fastest lap in the closing moments of the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike qualifying on Friday to capture the pole for Saturday’s 70th Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

Zemke, riding for Project 1 Atlanta, posted a lap of one minute, 49.775 seconds, 95.103 mph to take the pole for the Daytona 200 as well as the coveted Rolex watch. Jason DiSalvo, riding a Ducati, took second and Suzuki’s Danny Eslick and Kawasaki’s JD Beach rounded out the front row.

“That last lap kind of worked out well,” said Zemke, who won the 2006 Daytona 200. “It really didn’t feel overly special. I really didn’t think I got to a .50 flat. I thought Jason got the pole. I came around the signal area and saw my pit board and it said .49 and (position 1). I thought, ‘No way’ and then there’s the agony of riding around the last cool off lap looking at the board the whole time waiting to see who’s still out there. Luckily, it stuck.”

DiSalvo, who posted a lap of 1:50.070, 94.849 mph, was poised to walk away with the Rolex watch and the pole before Zemke’s fast lap.

“I’ve had Miguel (Duhamel) to do it to me twice,” DiSalvo joked. “It’s not a new experience for me. Maybe we can win the race and I can make (last year’s pole winner) Danny (Eslick) an offer to buy his. It seems like that’s the only way I’m going to get one of those things.”

Like DiSalvo, Zemke has had the pole and Rolex watch snatched from him in the closing moments of Daytona 200 qualifying and was thrilled to finally earn his first Daytona 200 pole.

“It’s pretty nice to get that watch,” Zemke said. “It’s something that I definitely wanted for a long time. It feels good to get it. As good as it is to get the watch, the race is a little bit more important.”

Project 1 Atlanta and Zemke are competing in the Daytona 200 as one of the underdogs. The team does not have any factory support or sponsors and hope that a good effort in the Daytona 200 can translate into more sponsorship to fund the rest of the season.

“I’ll be happy when I get 100 percent out of the bike,” Zemke said. “I still haven’t got it yet. The bike is really good. Those guys have been working non-stop since January to get here today in March. We’re an unsponsored team with no money. We’re pretty happy to be here right now. It’s going to pay off dividends if we can do well in the 200. Hopefully that can bring us sponsorship to get us through the rest of the season.”

Daytona 200 Qualifying (Top 20)
1. Jake Zemke (Project 1 Atlanta) Yamaha YZF-R6 1:49.775
2. Jason DiSalvo (Team Latus Motors Racing) Ducati 848 +0.295
3. Danny Eslick (Richie Morris Racing) Suzuki GSX-R600 +1.023
4. JD Beach (Cycle World Attack Performance) Kawasaki ZX-6R +1.137
5. Eric Bostrom (Cycle World Attack Performance) Kawasaki ZX-6R +1.529
6. Jake Holden (Roberson Motorsports) Ducati 848 +1.820
7. Cory West (Vesrah Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +1.834
8. Josh Herrin (Monster Energy Graves Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R6 +1.899
9. PJ Jacobsen (Celtic Racing) Ducati 848 +2.153
10. Dane Westby (M4 Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +2.354
11. Tommy Aquino (Yamaha Extended Service, Pat Clark Sports, Graves, Yamaha) Yamaha YZF-R6 +2.727
12. Fernando Amantini (Team Amantini) Kawasaki ZX-6R +3.161
13. Barrett Long (Longevity Racing) Ducati 848 +3.243
14. Taylor Knapp (Vesrah Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +3.538
15. Bostjan Skubic (Inotherm Yamaha Racing Team Slovenia) Yamaha YZF-R6 +3.579
16. Joey Pascarella (Run 1 Racing Motorsports) Yamaha YZF-R6 +3.771
17. Paul Allison (Triple Crown Industries) Yamaha YZF-R6 +4.250
18. Santiago Villa (RoadRacingWorld.com Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R600 +4.349
19. Kris Turner (Turner`s Cycle Racing) Suzuki GSX-R600 +4.703
20. Cameron Beaubier (Crozier Motorsports) Yamaha YZF-R6 +5.320