Following an incident that saw roadracer Danny Eslick land in jail, charged with assaulting a police officer, he has been suspended by the AMA.
You can read about the incident here; allegedly, Eslick tried to run from police while they answered a call, and then scuffled with a cop who tried to detain him. At first, Eslick was planning to race the Daytona 200 this weekend, carrying on business as usual. But that won’t be happening now, as the AMA has suspended him indefinitely.
According to the AMA (sanctioning this year’s Daytona 200, after a year off), “The American Motorcyclist Association and the American Sportbike Racing Association, in consultation with Daytona International Speedway, have suspended professional motorcycle racer Daniel C. Eslick of Broken Arrow, Okla., from the Daytona 200 for actions deemed to be detrimental to the sport.
According to the Volusia County (Florida) Clerk of Circuit Court, Eslick is charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, a felony of the third degree, as a result of events that took place about 11:59 p.m., March 7, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Participating in professional motorcycle competition is a privilege, not a right, and there is zero tolerance for behavior that is detrimental to the promotion of motorcycling in all its forms.
The AMA has extended Eslick’s suspension to all AMA-sanctioned activity. The suspension will be in effect until this case is resolved, at which time the AMA may lift the suspension or take further action.”
So, that’s bad news for Eslick, who was going into this weekend’s racing as a a two-time Daytona 200 champ; a win this weekend would have made it three in a row, a feat that’s never been accomplished before. It also probably would have come with a good payday, something that any roadracer is always in need of. Before the suspension was official, he had this to say on Facebook:
“I am deeply remorseful for the events that occurred on March 8th. It was not and would never be my intention to hurt anyone, least of all the individuals who choose a career to protect us as citizens. I want to apologize to the city of Daytona, TOBC Racing, the racing organizations, and all the people that support me. I am limited to what I can say at this point. I want to assure my fans and the public that this will never happen again. I’m beyond embarrassed and fully realize the gravity of the situation. At the heart of the matter I love this sport and care deeply about continuing to race motorcycles. The allegations I’ve been charged with in no way reflect who I am as a person. I just want to apologize again!!!
Sincerely
Danny Eslick”
Daytona 200 motorcycle champ in scuffle with officer gets felony reduced to misdemeanor:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20160314/NEWS/160319752/0/search
[…] favourite was probably two-time champion Danny Eslick, at least until he was suspended last week. Eslick’s legal troubles meant he couldn’t race, and he was denied the three-peat. Instead, the win went to Michael Barnes, a 47-year old veteran […]
so much for innocent until proven guilty
Calling Scott Russell for advice!
I’ve been to Daytona to race in the AMACCS Race of Champoins and have seen the police down there. I am surprised he wasn’t shot.
A petition to allow Danny Eslick to race in the AMA and Daytona 200:
https://www.change.org/p/caper-ou-edu-a-petition-to-allow-danny-eslick-to-race-in-the-daytona-200?recruiter=505447472&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-no_msg&fb_ref=Default