Named the "best British sportsbike ever" by Bike magazine in the UK, the Triumph Daytona 675 has won over many motorbike enthusiasts since it was introduced in 2006. Its impressive power means that it has also become quite popular on the racing circuit.
A big breakthrough for the Triumph Daytona 675 as a racing bike came in 2008, when Triumph secured a sponsorship deal with MAP Embassy Racing. This Triumph-backed team entered the British Supersport Championship in 2008, and scored some impressive victories. The first win for a Triumph-backed team since 2004 was achieved by Glen Richards on the 5th May 2008. Daytonas are used in the British Supersport Championship to this day.
The Triumph Daytona 675 was also raced by Ilario Dionisi and Garry McCoy in the 2008 Supersport World Championship. This team also had factory support, and was known as Triumph-SC.
Before the sponsorship deal with MAP Embassy Racing was in place, it was still fairly common to see the Triumph Daytona 675 on the racetrack, albeit without official factory support. For example, in 2006, the bike was raced in the Isle of Man TT (in 600 cc class) by Paul Dobbs. Also, in the 2006 British Supersport Championship, the bike was used by Christian Elkin and Paul Young, though neither of them left the competition as champions.
Over in the US, Triumph was represented in the AMA Formula Xtreme class with the Daytona. Formula Xtreme was a racing class, now defunct, sanctioned by the American Motorcycle Association. Nearly every Daytona entered into races in America has been raced without factory support, however. The Daytona 675 debuted in AMA events in 2007, and in the same year, Triumph bikes scored victories at regional events in four racing categorise. A couple of years later, in May 2009, Triumph bikes raced to a podium finish in AMA - the first time that a 675 had taken the pole in an American Motorcycle Association event, leading on 19 out of 40 laps. In what proved to be an excellent year for Triumph, the team entered the AMA Pro Moto GT1 season championship and won. A great result for the British bike manufacturers.
But what is it that makes the Triumph Daytona 675 so popular amongst motorcycle racers? Well, it's a powerful animal - its 675 cc engine produces 125 horsepower at 12,600 rpm, with an impressive 53 lb.fts of torque. It is also very lightweight and well-balanced (Its dry weight is just 162 kg), thanks in part to its stacked gearbox, which allows for an extra-compact powerplant. For immense stopping power when needed, the Daytona features monobloc radial brake callipers - everything a racer needs for complete control on the tarmac.
The Daytona also looks great. Its smooth lines and sleek surfaces create a thoroughly modern, yet aggressive look. The Triumph Daytona 675 is available in two paint schemes, 'Phantom Black and Gold' and 'Diablo Red', both of which are industrial beauty incarnate. Whether you're taking it out on the race track or the road, this is a bike to be reckoned with.
Thanks to its impressive power and great handling, the Triumph Daytona 675 has been adopted by motorbike racers. This article looks at some of the races in which the Triumph has triumphed.