Opie Caylor Was On Fire and then was on fire

Daytona Beach, Fl.- Chris "Opie" Caylor, aboard his Team Emgo Taiwan Suzuki GSX-R 600, had a disappointing end to what was shaping to be a solid, top-ten finish in the Daytona 200. Caylor had been turning consistent laps and climbing to the front of the order on the high-banks of Daytona International Speedway when a motor failure near the end of the race caused his bike to spectacularly catch fire.

Caylor started the week learning the new track layout and testing gearing combinations. "We were searching for a gear that would work well in the new, tight infield section but also allow us to maintain a high top-speed on the banking," explained Caylor. "Once we had the best gear, we concentrated on testing our tires and fuel consumption at race pace." Caylor was extremely impressed with the low wear and consistent grip of the tires. Even under the harsh and demanding conditions of the 200 mile race, the team scheduled and changed the rear tire twice and the front remained on for the full race. The performance was kept high with out drastic fuel burn because of a custom fuel-injection map for his Power Commander programmed by the Dynojet technicians using their on-site dyno.

Qualified on the seventh row, Caylor quickly maneuvered his Team Emgo Taiwan sponsored Suzuki to 10th place by his first scheduled pit-stop at lap 25. "By being able to stay out a little longer than the other guys, the fact that we were only changing rears and the amazing job of my crew during the stop; I was able to get in and get out without losing a position," said Caylor. The second pit-stop didn't go as smoothly when the rear axle jammed during reinstallation, causing Caylor to lose six positions by the time the problem was sorted and he was back on track.

Unfortunately he was unable to gain back the positions when soon after the pit-stop his bike suffered a catastrophic engine failure at top-speed. The belly pan of the bike was able to contain the oil and water from the engine but as Caylor was coasting the dead bike off the banking it caught fire. Caylor recalls "I was hoping to make it off the track and into the pits when I felt my boot getting hot. I looked down and saw flames pouring out of every opening on the bodywork! I was already well off the race-line so I stopped the bike and bailed." The bike was extinguished by AMA safety and Daytona emergency track personnel. Caylor suffered no injuries and credits that to his leathers and boots.

Caylor says his strong performance prior to this set-back has only fueled his determination of finishing at the front of the pack during the remaining Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme races.