Scott Earns Front Row, Escalante Sets Fastest Supersport Lap for Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki at Daytona

BREA, CA – March 11, 2023 – Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s triple threat victory for the 81st Daytona 200 posted a new lap record on Friday and will start from the first, second, and fourth row when the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport season officially kicks off Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.

Sophomore Supersport ace Tyler Scott led the way for the squad in Friday’s Time Attack for pole position, posting the session’s third best time at 1:49.005 aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.

Tyler Scott (70) is ready to take on the Daytona 200 with a front row start.

Scott was the revelation of the 2022 season as a rookie, posting a maiden race win among multiple podiums and figures to be an even bigger factor in this year’s title fight. He said, “I thought qualifying went well for my first Daytona 200. I started out around tenth in the first session, but we kept getting a little faster and at the end of the Time Attack, we ended up on the front row. That was the goal and where I wanted to be. The Suzuki GSX-R750 feels great, and I think our team is really working well. The plan now is to give it our best shot and win the race.”

Former class champ and Superbike regular Richie Escalante immediately took to the team’s GSX-R750, earning a slot in the middle of Row 2 with the fifth fastest time at 1:49.186. The Mexican star was even more impressive in the preceding qualifying session, clocking the fastest ever lap for a Supersport machine at Daytona International Speedway at 1:48.133.

The fastest lap of the weekend by Richie Escalante (54) shows the speed of the GSX-R750 on the high banks of Daytona.

Escalante said, “Yesterday in Q1, I was down the time sheets a little, but the bike felt really good. For today, the team did an amazing job and gave me a great bike for Q2. I was super happy to do a 1:48, but throughout I was happy with our pace and how the bike felt. My goal was to do well in Sector 1, the corners, and then to see what happened in the draft. In the 15-minute Time Attack, I didn’t have a good draft after we came in for the tire change, but I felt great about how well the Suzuki GSX-R750 performed. The bike is amazing. We have been working on our pit stops as well as race strategy. The goal is to get a good start, perform our pit stops, and see what happens. It has been exciting so far.”

Team newcomer Teagg Hobbs has shown considerable promise in his team debut as well. Hobbs was 11th best in the Time Attack at 1:50.138 and will thus start from the center of Row 4.

Supersport rookie Teagg Hobbs (79) is quickly coming to grips aboard his GSX-R750 and is ready to go the distance at Daytona.

After qualifying, the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew earned $7,500 and $1,000 worth of VP Racing fuel for winning the Pit Stop challenge contest.

For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Road-Racing.

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.

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer's 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 345 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.