Scott Russell finishes 23rd in Daytona

Former WSB and AMA superbike legend Scott Russell turned his hand to four wheels at the weekend, finishing 11th in class and 23rd overall in the prestigious Daytona 24-hour car race.

Russell, with five Daytona 200 wins under his belt, shared his car with team-mates MX star Jeff Ward, and former AMA champ Jason Pridmore.

“It’s definitely been a big transition for us, not only for myself, but for Jason and Jeff as well,” said Russell.

Their team spun off the track twice and Russell himself narrowly escaped a huge pitlane fire.

While the team were making a driver change at the prestigious endurance race, their Porsche-Coyote burst into flames.

Russell said: “I had my arms through the shoulder belts and I smelt gas instantly. They took the deck lid off and it flamed up. I dived out. Luckily I wasn’t strapped in.”

His team were able to make the necessary repairs and ensure the Porsche made the finish.

Pridmore added: “I don’t think there’s a motorcycle racer out there who hasn’t sat back and said he’d like to try this race. All three of us have watched this race on TV forever, and Jeff’s even driven in it once.

“If there ever was a car I’ve wanted to race, it was a Grand-Am car. That’s how I’ve always felt.”