Many riders don't care for the Daytona International Speedway. Not because of the ambiance, or lack there of, but because it's fast, it's hard and because one day at Daytona is like three days at the gym. 185 mph and sheer banking will work you harder than any Stairmaster.

Three time winner of the Daytona 200, Miguel DuHamel, actually likes the Daytona, which is interesting as he grew up at Daytona when his father was racing Kawasaki and Yamaha machines here. He knew what he was getting into, anyway.

"I like coming here but it's a hell of a work out," says DuHamel. "Daytona is such a temperamental racetrack. On the first day we were here it threw us all for a loop. We thought we had something wrong, seriously wrong with the Supersport bikes, suspension wise and today, same tires, same set-up more or less, and we're doing 1:54s and 55 flats."

Watching DuHamel ride on Monday and Tuesday at Daytona was interesting as he did not appear to be comfortable on the Superbike-especially on the brakes. Odd for a guy who spent most of the mid 1990s unicycling an Camel Honda RC45 into nearly every corner on the tour.

There was a reason for his looking awkward, says the former champion, "We're testing brakes. We're testing a lot of different brake component; pads, combinations; I scared myself a few times with those brakes, so that's probably why I didn't look like Miguel."

On the smaller bike, of which DuHamel will only ride at Daytona next season, things are going well. "On the 600 though, in the end, I got back to a feeling that I'm used to. I was getting pretty aggressive on the brakes. It was a breath of fresh air.

Has the man with the most AMA Superbike wins of all time, the man who eclipsed the never will be broken record of Wayne Rainey finally jelled with the RC51 Superbike like he did with the RC45? He takes a deep breath and confesses it hasn't happened, even though he has won on the bike. "I gotta be honest, not yet," reveals DuHamel. "We've touched on it at times and obviously when we do, we're up front. That's not a coincidence, it's how it happens of course. When the bike goes good-we go fast."

Things on DuHamel's side of the American Honda team seem to be a bit discombobulated, and the reason for that is his confidant and wrench, Al Ludington, had to bolt home to welcome a new member to the family. It's obvious DuHamel misses him not just for Ludington's biting wit, but because he undoubtedly would be lapping faster if Ludington were present.

DuHamel explains, "When Al is not here, I miss him a lot and the team does too. I told the team that I take the blame for things as much as anyone else, because I'm probably not giving them the feedback or answers they need, or coming up with good questions. Whereas with me and Al, somehow we always click. All the tests we've done since he has (re-joined) the team, Vegas and Thunderhill, I feel pretty invincible. For some reason, with me and Al, it always goes really well."

It's fairly easy to discern that, at least for now, the rider with the most focus on him at the Honda team is not on DuHamel, but his younger teammate Nicky Hayden. Hayden gets two Superbikes to ride, gets to ride the straight from Japan new 2002 machine first and has a slew of mechanics and HRC wrenches at his disposal. DuHamel puts on the politically correct face to talk about it, but it's obvious that he's uncomfortable with the situation.

"I think if I were the fastest guy out there, I'd be the guy having all the bikes. It's just the way it works. For sure, Nicky has always been covered really well, he's had a lot of attention, and that's fine. Deservedly so. He's going really fast here, and Kurtis is going fast too. There's nothing I can say. If we were running the same times, and it was the same situation, then yeah, I'd bark. I don't bark if I don't have a bite. When I get going faster I'll make more requests. That's how it goes." Ends