Ford Brothers Racing Daytona 2021 Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 9, 2021) – Daytona International Speedway is widely regarded as the “World Center of Racing”. The history of racing in the Daytona Beach area dates back to the early twentieth century, when auto racing was first held on firm sands of Daytona Beach. In early 1937, the idea of Bike Week was first implemented and racing at Daytona was no longer just for automobiles. Daytona’s progression continued to evolve with the first ever Daytona Supercross, which took place nearly 50 years ago in 1974, and was the first ever motocross event associated with Bike Week. The Daytona Supercross went through quite the evolution over the years, eventually becoming the grand spectacle that we know it as today – and in 2015 the event welcomed ATV motocross inside the historic banks of Daytona International Speedway for the very just time; thus the Daytona ATV Supercross was born. In the years since the first ever ATV Supercross, the anticipation for the event seems to grow evermore. With potentially the deepest AMA ATV Pro Class field in recent memory, along with new faces, an abundance of change, and a lot of unknowns heading into opening day – the hype meter may have reached an all-time high. As the first gate drop of 2021 neared, right at the center of attention was Ford Brothers Racing.

For seven years now, one single day during Daytona’s infamous “Bike Week” is headlined by ATV motocross. One could not dream up a better setting to kick off another highly anticipated season of ATV racing with the best racers in the world than “The World Center of Racing” at Daytona International Speedway. The 2020 season was an unforgettable one for the Ford brothers of Springtown, Texas. Youngest brother, Bryce, emerged as arguably the sport’s brightest young star last season by accomplishing feats rarely seen in the entire history of ATV racing. In the same season that Bryce made his professional debut, he claimed a number of holeshot awards, received Fastest Qualifier Awards, earned multiple overall podium finishes, and was ultimately awarded the coveted AMA ATV Pro Rookie of the Year Award as the series’ most outstanding first-year pro. With the infinite amount of impressive moments that we saw from Bryce Ford in his rookie campaign, the ATV racing world was abuzz anticipating what we could possibly see from the Pro Class sophomore in year two.

As for Cody, the eldest Ford brother, he saw a great deal of success as a first-year pro in 2019. He shocked the world at Sunset Ridge when he finished 3^rd overall, becoming the first Pro Class rookie to achieve a podium finish in nearly a decade (something his little brother would replicate the following season). But after such a bright rookie season, Cody Ford’s 2020 campaign was overshadowed by injury. He suffered a difficult injury leading up to the start of the 2020 season and was faced with the difficult task of trying to heal up, all while racing through injury and attempting to maintain his fitness – a combination that is nearly impossible to juggle. However, you can always count on “The Foreman” to grind away at any challenge in front of him – and that’s just what he did. Cody managed to end his second season as a pro on a hot streak, capping 2020 with three consecutive top ten finishes amongst the best ATV racers on the planet. He also competed in the new and prestigious Pro Mod division, where he claimed two overall victories and finished on the podium in every event that he completed. Cody’s heart and determination was on full display from start to finish in 2020, and I think many see him as a Most Improved Pro Award candidate going into 2021!

The sky is truly the limit for both Ford Brothers Racing riders in 2021. With both boys switching manufacturers, it seems as if there has been a fresh breath of air and excitement breathed into the program. The first qualifying sessions of the season saw Bryce qualify in the runner up spot and Cody qualify in the top ten. After a strong start to the day, the good vibes continued in Heat 1 as Bryce grabbed the holeshot and raced out to an early lead. However, the second-year pro would suffer a fluke issue and stall the engine while leading – he would refire and race up to 7^th. In Heat 2, Cody overcame a difficult holeshot to match his brother’s 7^th place finish heading into the main event.

This was the moment these riders have been anticipating all offseason, but things would go sideways just moments into the first points-paying race of the 2021 season. A first turn maylay ensued, claiming a number of riders – one of which was Cody Ford. Cody escaped from the incident being banged up, but thankfully avoided major injury. For Bryce, there was good news and bad news. The bad news is that Bryce suffered an issue at the starting gate and was forced to watch the other competitors race into the first corner without him. The good news is that his delay kept him safely out of harm’s way in the first turn maylay that ensued. He was dead last after giving all the other riders a head start, but he did his best to overcome the hurdles of this day. He was one of the fastest riders on the racetrack and clawed his way up to an impressive 6^th by moto’s end. All in all, the Ford Brothers Racing team was just happy to get out of Daytona in one piece. On to 3 Palms.

“When you put it into perspective, life is GREAT and so was our day.” The Ford Brothers Racing team posted to their official Instagram account following Tuesday’s races. “Cody had a mishap in the holeshot and was out of the race. Bryce gave everyone a huge head start, then began the hunt, finishing 6th overall and working very hard for it. Thankful to everyone who is there with us and for our safety and health.”

The Daytona ATV Supercross is an outlier. It’s a one-off event that every rider just wants to make it through and move safely on to rest of the series raced on rugged outdoor tracks all across the nation. Both riders will look to bounce back in a major way, and they get the luxury of doing it on familiar soil in their home state of Texas. The series will head outdoors to 3 Palms Action Sports Park in nearly Conroe, Texas, on the weekend of April 10-11, 2021. See you next month in the Lonestar State, where Texas’ own Ford brothers will look to show their true colors. See you there!