Doug Gere leads a pack of riders out of the chicane onto the east banking at Daytona International Speedway during one of the Daytona Twin 50s in 1989. The Twin 50s were qualifying Heat races that set the grid for the Daytona 200 (except for the front row). The qualifying Heats were later replaced by timed qualifying. Gere, from Springfield, Missouri, rose up from the club ranks and raced select AMA Superbike races in the late 1980s. He twice scored top-20 finishes, in the days when there were regularly 60-bike grids in the class. He rode an Action Cycle Parts Yamaha at Daytona in ‘89. Chasing Gere onto the banking is Canadian Mike Walsh (No. 51), Texans David Clyde (No. 47) and Jeff Harder (No. 87) and I believe that’s Indianapolis-based road racer Gene Burcham on the baby blue bike behind Harder.

Doug Gere leads a pack of riders out of the chicane onto the east banking at Daytona International Speedway during one of the 1989 Daytona Twin 50s. The Twin 50s were qualifying races that set the grid for the Daytona 200 (except for the front row). The qualifying Heats were later replaced by timed qualifying. (Larry Lawrence photo)