Jimmy Filice Gets Great Start in AMA Superbike Finale (1985)

• Larry Lawrence
I was searching for a photo for an old racing buddy and finally found this great wide-angle start shot of the 1985 AMA Superbike season finale at Daytona. That’s Jimmy Filice (No. 17) leading the way on the factory Yamaha FZ750. Behind Jimbo are John Kocinski (No. 30), on what I think is a totally privateer Honda VF750, Floridian speedster Glenn Barry (No. 15), Honda’s Fred Merkel (No. 1) who’d already clinched his second-straight AMA Superbike title before this race, wild, crazy and fast Ohioan Pat Hernon (No. 80), a couple of fast Oklahomans – Sam McDonald (No. 29) on another factory-backed Yamaha, and Mike Harth (No. 88), Tennessean Tommy Sloan (No. 314), Mitch Marqui (No. 303), Kevin Monahan (No. 89), Rueben McMurter (No. 24), Danny Walker (No. 517), Carry Andrew and others that I can’t see their number plate. Merkel won the race over Filice and Kocinski. Johnny K really turned some heads with that performance, and he picked up a factory Superbike ride with Yamaha the next season. (Gary Van Voorhis photo) 
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