Larry Pegram of the LeoVince Foremost Insurance Team rode a phenomenal race on the new Ducati 848 in the 67th Annual Daytona 200. After overcoming a small tire issue on lap four, Pegram put his head down for the remaining 65 laps to take third place in the 69 lap race. Pegram started the race on the third row and fought hard for 200 miles—even leading the race at one point.

"The Daytona 200 is a race that leaves little room for error and lots of things can go wrong. I couldn't be happier with my finish on the brand new Ducati 848. The bike performed extremely well given that we were pressed for time preparing for the race and were not able to get all the development and testing completed that we wanted to," commented Larry.

"This year started out with our sponsors stepping up support for the team, which is always nice. Now finishing on the podium at Daytona just confirms what I thought—we have a team that is going to be fighting for the championship. The new 848 is a bike I can win on. We are in great shape coming out of Daytona in third place. Barber Motorsports is a track that will play to the nimble handling of the 848. I am looking forward to that race," added Larry.

This is the second year that team owner Larry Pegram is running the Ducati team and racing for Ducati North America. Larry posted three podium finishes last season aboard a modified Ducati 749 and was regularly battling at the front.

Pegram's next race piloting the new Ducati 848 Superbike is at Barber Motorsports in Birmingham, Alabama on April 19, 2008.