PHOTOS BY BRIAN J NELSON

Super Hooligans Light Up Daytona to Open the 2026 Season

Bar-to-bar racing, massive draft battles, and big-twin horsepower kick off another wild year of Super Hooligan competition.

The Mission Foods Super Hooligan National Championship officially roared back to life at Daytona International Speedway this weekend as the 2026 season opened during MotoAmerica’s annual Bike Week race event.

With Daytona’s famous high banks, long drafting straights, and heavy braking zones through the infield, the legendary circuit once again proved to be the perfect battleground for one of the most unpredictable classes in American road racing.

From the moment the green flag dropped, the Super Hooligan field stayed locked together in massive draft packs, with riders swapping positions nearly every lap as they blasted onto the banking and thundered down the front straight. The combination of high horsepower naked machines, aggressive riding styles, and Daytona’s slipstream-heavy layout made for exactly the kind of bar-to-bar racing the class has become known for.

Fans lining the fences during Daytona Bike Week were treated to nonstop action as riders pushed their machines to the absolute limit—diving into the infield, sliding through corners, and launching back onto the banking with throttles pinned.

The Super Hooligan class continues to showcase one of the most unique grids in racing. Built around 750cc-and-up twin-cylinder machines with minimal bodywork and high handlebars, the bikes combine raw muscle-bike power with road racing performance, creating a style of racing that feels equal parts superbike, streetfighter, and dirt-track aggression.

With returning championship contenders, factory-backed teams, and new challengers entering the field, Daytona delivered an early glimpse at what could become one of the most competitive Super Hooligan seasons yet.

And if the season opener proved anything, it’s that the championship fight in 2026 is going to be fast, loud, and unpredictable all year long.

DAYTONA SUPERHOOLIGAN - RACE 1 HIGHLIGHTS

“Today’s race was unbelievable, and this is the best Daytona round I’ve had on the hooligan, you know, to go 3-1, but especially today, it’s always better to win the second race, to leave the weekend on a high confidence wise, but the hooligan racing, you never know, it’s so unpredictable, so crazy and wild, and you just got to play your cards right and play the draft right. The Saddlemen race team, you know, locking out the podium both days, it shows how hard they’ve worked and with the rule changes of hooligan too, I mean all nine of us or however many it was in the pack today, it just shows how competitive it’s going to be this year.”

- JAKE LEWIS, RACE 2 WINNER

The Saddlemen Race Development team swept the podium in both races at Daytona, locking out all three positions in dominant fashion—another big result powered by the performance of Motul.

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Daytona Race Results

Race 1 Podium

🥇 Cory West — Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson

🥈 Travis Wyman — Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson

🥉 James Rispoli — KWR Harley-Davidson

Race one saw a tight drafting battle all the way to the finish line as the front group stayed glued together through Daytona’s banking and infield sections.

Race 2 Podium

🥇 Jake Lewis — Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson

🥈 Travis Wyman — Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson

🥉 Cory West — Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson

Race two delivered another classic Daytona slipstream battle, with Lewis timing the draft perfectly to take the win just before the checkered flag.

VIEW SHNC STANDINGS

What Makes Super Hooligan Racing Different

The Mission Super Hooligan class has quickly become one of MotoAmerica’s most exciting categories thanks to its unique mix of machinery and riding style.

750cc+ twin-cylinder machines
Naked sportbikes and performance streetfighters
Minimal bodywork and aggressive riding positions
Big horsepower with minimal electronic intervention
Bar-to-bar racing and constant drafting battles

The result is a class that feels raw, unpredictable, and incredibly fun to watch.

What’s Next for the Championship

After the Daytona opener, the Super Hooligan series heads to several legendary American circuits as the 2026 championship unfolds, including stops at:

Barber Motorsports Park
Ridge Motorsports Park
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Virginia International Raceway

With multiple races at each round, every weekend will play a major role in shaping the championship fight.

VIEW SHNC RACE SCHEDULE

Jake Lewis powered to victory in Race 2 at Daytona wearing a Bell Helmet, taking the top step of the podium in the 2026 Super Hooligan season opener. Proven protection at race speed.

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DAYTONA SUPERHOOLIGAN - RACE 2 HIGHLIGHTS

Dymag Wheels Power the Podium at Daytona

Performance matters when every fraction of a second counts—and at Daytona, Dymag Wheels delivered. Both the Arch Motorcycle and Saddlemen Race Development machines running Dymag wheels battled at the front of the Super Hooligan field during the opening round of the 2026 season.

With lighter rotating mass and race-proven performance, Dymag wheels helped these teams push harder through the infield and launch faster onto

Daytona’s legendary banking. The result: front-running pace and a strong showing at the season opener.

Big congratulations to the teams and riders putting Dymag performance on full display at Daytona.

Both Arch and Saddlemen Race Development machines ran Dymag wheels during the Super Hooligan season opener—bringing lightweight performance to one of the fastest tracks in the series.

SHOP DYMAG RACE WHEELS

CPI Stem Cells – Healing the Riders

Super Hooligan racing is fast, aggressive, and hard on the body. Between the crashes, training, and constant travel, riders put themselves through a lot during a race season—which is why recovery matters just as much as performance.

Roland Sands took a moment at Daytona to give a shout-out to one of the team’s newest partners, CPI Stem Cells.

Based just outside San Diego in Tijuana, Mexico, CPI has built a reputation as one of the leading stem cell treatment facilities in the world, helping athletes and patients recover from injuries and get back to doing what they love.

As Roland put it during the weekend:

“I want to give a shout out to one of our new sponsors, CPI Stem Cells. These guys are the number one stem cell facility really in the world… This is where the healing gets done.

All of us road racers and motorcycle riders get a little injured sometimes. When it comes down to healing, CPI really knocks it out of the park getting you back to where you need to be. I feel about ten years younger after my treatment.”

CPI-Stem-Cells

From racers to riders to everyday athletes, CPI focuses on helping people recover faster and return stronger—something every motorcycle racer can appreciate after a long weekend at the track.

VISIT CPI STEM CELLS