Promising Start for Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki in Texas MotoAmerica Opener

BREA, Calif., April 10, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki opened the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike championship season in promising fashion at the Circuit of the Americas with its new-look premier-class lineup improving upon their qualifying positions to claim a pair of top-seven finishes.

Reigning Stock 1000 champion Jake Lewis led the way in Austin, Texas, in his return ride for the squad, piloting the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R to sixth place. The Kentuckian made an early move into fifth and then spent most of the race in a three-rider scrap for fourth position.

Jake Lewis (85) looking strong and leading the way at the Circuit of the Americas.

“It’s great to get a race under our belt,” Lewis said. “Obviously, I wanted to start the season a little bit better. It would have been nice to end up in that fourth position, but we struggled after mid-distance with a few little issues that I tried to ride around.

“Still, it’s nice to get a full race in to learn and build as a team with the bike. We’ll try to make some changes for the second race and do better tomorrow.”

Superbike rookie Richie Escalante finished one spot further back in his class debut. The Mexican stepped up to the liter-bike class weeks after the former MotoAmerica Supersport champ signed off from his former class with a top-five outing in the prestigious Daytona 200.

The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki newcomer acquitted himself quite nicely on the powerful GSX-R1000R Superbike, charging his way up from an early tenth to take the checkered flag in seventh position.

Superbike newcomer Richie Escalante (54) raced hard aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000R on Saturday.

“I’m super happy,” Escalante said. “I came into this weekend with no expectations except to learn. It’s a new category for me and I’m excited to ride in Superbike and with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. I finished the race and scored my first points in Superbike and that’s the first goal.

“There’s so much to learn. Everything is so different compared to Supersport. The bike is heavier and faster and a little more difficult to ride with variable engine braking. I’m still riding the bike like a 600 with a lot of corner speed. I’m learning how to pick the bike up faster. There’s so many little things that I need to improve on, but I’m happy with this first race; I’ll just keep working and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Proven race winners and national champions, Lewis and Escalante aim to make huge strides as the season develops and as they grow more comfortable with their new equipment and team.
They each have a chance to do so Sunday, as the AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship will again share the spotlight with the MotoGP World Championship in an action-packed Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas.

“I’m super happy,” Escalante said. “I came into this weekend with no expectations except to learn. It’s a new category for me and I’m excited to ride in Superbike and with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. I finished the race and scored my first points in Superbike and that’s the first goal.

“There’s so much to learn. Everything is so different compared to Supersport. The bike is heavier and faster and a little more difficult to ride with variable engine braking. I’m still riding the bike like a 600 with a lot of corner speed. I’m learning how to pick the bike up faster. There’s so many little things that I need to improve on, but I’m happy with this first race; I’ll just keep working and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Proven race winners and national champions, Lewis and Escalante aim to make huge strides as the season develops and as they grow more comfortable with their new equipment and team.
They each have a chance to do so Sunday, as the AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship will again share the spotlight with the MotoGP World Championship in an action-packed Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas.

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer's 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running "Methanol Monster" GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.

ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.

ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.