The beautiful Florida sunshine broke through at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday for daylong practice sessions in preparation for the upcoming Daytona 200 Week events.

Motorcycles competing in the Daytona 200 By Arai, Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport, Suzuki Genuine Accessories Superstock, the MBNA 250 Grand Prix and the inaugural BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup were all on track as riders prepare their two-wheel machines for qualifying sessions.

Fastest among the Superbikes in the first practice session was Kurtis Roberts, who rides the No. 80 Erion Honda RC51. Roberts posted a speed of 117.240 mph.

In last year's Daytona 200, Roberts gave Nicky Hayden a formidable challenge in the early portion of the 57-lap race but Roberts' rear tire failed and Hayden captured the victory in dominating fashion.

Roberts, the son of legendary motorcycle rider Kenny Roberts, is unsure if that experience will help him challenge for a victory in this year's Daytona 200 By Arai, which is the AMA Superbike season opener. "It did and it didn't," Roberts said. "For one, if I had been there on Lap 57 last year, everyone would have seen what I would have done then. I think being consistent and making sure you're there for the finish is what's going to win this thing. We'll see what everyone else is doing, but it looks like we're right where we need to be right now and we just need to keep improving on that."

Rounding out the top five in the first session was Aussie Mat Mladin (116.573), Aaron Yates (115.399), Eric Bostrom (115.397) and Miguel Duhamel (115.024).

In the second session, Mladin was fastest rider with a speed of 117.134. Mladin, who won the Daytona 200 in 2000 and 2001, never got a chance to compete for a third straight in last year's race. He suffered an arm injury during a practice incident which prevented him from defending his title.

"It's working well," Mladin said. "It's obviously the first race for the new bike. We didn't get as much as testing as what we would've liked so we're still going through some stuff. The thing in general is working pretty well."

Rounding out the top five in the second session was Roberts (116.803), Duhamel (116.351), Ben Bostrom (115.724) and Aaron Yates (115.684).

Jamie Hacking was fastest overall in the two Supersport practice sessions with a speed of 113.523 mph while his Yamaha teammate Jason DiSalvo lurked close behind with a lap of 113.326. In Superstock, Jason Pridmore led the way with a speed of 112.869.

Superbike Practice

1. Kurtis Roberts - 1m49.314

2. Mat Mladin - 1m49.413

3. Miguel Duhamel - 1m50.149

4. Ben Bostrom - 1m50.746

5. Aaron Yates - 1m50.785

6. Ben Spies - 1m50.937

7. Eric Bostrom - 1m51.060

8. Jeff Bostrom - 1m51.797

9. Doug Chandler - 1m52.105

10. Anthony Gobert - 1m52.174

11. Jordan Szoke - 1m52.493

12. Shawn Higbee - 1m52.601

13. Larry Pegram - 1m52.720

14. Steve Rapp - 1m52.832

15. Josh Hayes - 1m53.219

Supersport Practice

1. Jamie Hacking - 1m52.893

2. Jason DiSalvo - 1m53.090

3. Eric Bostrom - 1m54.402

4. Jake Zemke - 1m54.451

5. Aaron Gobert - 1m54.658

6. Damon Buckmaster - 1m54.719

7. Matthew Wait - 1m55.166

8. Ben Spies - 1m55.613

9. Roger Lee Hayden - 1m55.866

10. Alex Gobert - 1m55.905

11. Craig Connell - 1m56.053

12. Ben Bostrom - 1m56.065

13. Aaron Yates - 1m56.094

14. Tommy Hayden - 1m56.192

15. Miguel Duhamel - 1m56.362

NB: Jamie Stauffer 23rd with 1m58.347
 

Quotes - First Practice

Eric Bostrom, No. 32 Kawasaki - (Bostrom ran wide in turn one and tipped over in the wet grass) "I'm OK. The front brakes (were bad). We were breaking in new brake pads and I didn't have anything going into the turn."

Anthony Gobert, No. 16 Ducati Austin - "We achieved what we wanted. We did just a few laps and we're happy. I just did a few laps, came in and talked to the boys. It's the first session so there's no point in rushing anything. We're happy with what we achieved."

Kurtis Roberts, No. 80 Honda - "Things felt really good. Just right now being consistent and you know, not showing everything we have until Sunday on the last couple of laps."

Did the race last year teach you anything about what you'll need to do to win this year's race?  "It did and it didn't. For one, if I had been there on Lap 57 last year, everyone would have seen what I would have done then. I think being consistent and making sure you're there for the finish is what's going to win this thing. We'll see what everyone else is doing, but it looks like we're right where we need to be right now and we just need to keep improving on that."

Ben Bostrom, No. 155 Honda - "Not so good. We had a few small problems, but in general the bike is pretty good. We were working on setup and trying to weed out the problems."

Ben Spies, No. 11 Yoshimura Suzuki - "The bike was good. We came up with a different setup that we've been running at Malaysia and at the past couple of tests. It wasn't too far off. We know exactly what we've got to do. I know there was a second in me with that time and the bike is going to be setup a whole lot better the next time. So we'll be right there. It's mostly me getting comfortable on the bike. It's just my second time on a Superbike at Daytona. These tires are a bit different. I have to learn that. The race isn't until Sunday. So it's a long ways away."

Quotes - Second Practice

Mat Mladin, No. 66 Yoshimura Suzuki - "It's working well. It's obviously the first race for the new bike. We didn't get as much as testing as what we would've liked so we're still going through some stuff. The thing in general is working pretty well. We're looking forward to getting into the race on Sunday and then head North and finish off a championship."

Aaron Yates, No. 20 Yoshimura Suzuki - "It's going pretty decent so far. It looks like we have our work cut out for us in the 600 (Supersport), but we've got some things to try and we'll get the bike going better than today. The Superbike is new and it really pulls good around Daytona and you just have to hold on. The thing wants to spin around everywhere. I was kind of used to the old Superbike and it takes some getting used to, but it's going to be good."

Quotes - Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Practice

Jason DiSalvo, No. 40 Yamaha - "The bike is great. Everything is running perfect out there right now. We come into this with a good base setup. That's how I like to do things -- none of this swapping back forth and changing the bike all around. We're just fine-tuning it. It's really makes my job easier fine tuning on the first day.  It's going to be a tough race. I've watched the tape from last year over and over. The whole race is going to be hairball. I think it's going to be a good race, interesting to say the least."

Jamie Hacking, No. 2 Yamaha - "Everything is going really well. The guys at Yamaha have built us a helluva bike to come down here and hopefully do something with these guys on the red bikes. This morning, we couldn't really get anything done. The track was so green. It's kind of coming in. It's still green right now. I still think right now that everybody is still taking it easy. I think it's going to get better, weather permitting."