Jamie James was a supremely confident racer, but he had to feel a little like a Christian in the early Roman Empire getting thrown to the lions when he was one of the lone Suzuki riders to have the gumption to face the horde of new Yamaha FZR600s and the hired guns Yamaha’s racing boss Kenny Clark brought in for the 1989 Daytona 600 Supersport race. 

Clark even brought in John Kocinski to make sure the new FZR had a successful debut.

James managed to finish third in his qualifying Heat race and started from the second row.

The Ragin’ Cajun went full agro into turn one and emerged the leader of a huge field of Supersport riders. His lead lasted right up to the point where the bikes hit Daytona’s high banks.

From there the power of the new Yamahas took over and James could only watch as one rider after another went by him.

“I was losing 10-15 bike lengths on the banking,” James said. “There was nothing I could do but watch ‘em pull away from me.”

James bravely pushed on, riding the wheels off the Yoshimura Suzuki Katana in the infield. In the end he finished ninth, the only non-Yamaha in the top 10.