Rider

He’s known as “Mr. Daytona,” thanks to his record five wins in motorcycle racing’s premier event. His DAYTONA 200 triumphs came in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998. In addition, Russell captured the 1992 AMA Superbike Championship and 1993 FIM Superbike World Championship. Russell also accumulated three AMA 750cc Supersport titles in the early ‘90s, won the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race with teammate Aaron Slight in 1993, and was named 1992 AMA Pro Athlete of the Year. The East Point, GA native, raced motocross as a kid but eventually gravitated to road racing. By the mid-‘80s, he began racing WERA events and became one of the best novices in the country. His hero was Freddie Spencer, another Southerner who came up through the WERA ranks to eventually become world champion. Russell was named 1988 AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year and won his first Superbike race the following year in front of a home crowd at Road Atlanta. Russell was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2005.