Aussie Troy Corser set the track record in qualifying for the 1996 Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Corser turned a lap of the 3.56-mile track in 1 minute, 49.387 seconds, at an average speed of 117.162 mph, riding the Promotor Ducati 955. Corser erased the 1:49.852 mark set in the year before by Scott Russell.

In the race Corser took the lead early from teammate Mike Hale and held it for several laps before Yamaha’s Colin Edwards (just visible in front of Corser) took over. Corser’s Ducati overheated just past the halfway mark and he was out of the race.

“I’d hoped my third time would have been lucky,” said Corser, who won the AMA Superbike title in 1994. “My first year here (at Daytona) I was second and then last year my bike didn’t finish. We were fast this year, but you can’t win if you don’t get to the end.”

Also in the photo are Canadian Jim Dickenson (No. 28), who finished a respectable 25^th out of 62 starters on a Suzuki and Mr. Daytona himself, Scott Russell on the No. 4 Lucky Strike Suzuki. Russell eventually finished second to Honda’s Miguel Duhamel that year by inches, in the closest finish to date in the 200.

Pole winner Troy Corser (No. 3) has just gotten passed for the lead by Yamaha’s Colin Edwards and runs second in the 1996 Daytona 200. Behind Corser is Canadian Jim Dickenson (No. 28) and Scott Russell (No. 4), who finished runner-up to Miguel Duhamel in the closest finish Daytona 200 finish ever to that point. Corser, who led the race early, dropped out with an overheating Ducati just past mid-race. (Henny Ray Abrams photo)