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ESCALANTE AND SCOTT ON THE PODIUM FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI AT ROAD AMERICA

Brea, CA, (June 2, 2025) — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer added to their 2025 trophy haul with podium finishes in Superbike and Supersport as the MotoAmerica tour did battle at the high-speed Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Race Highlights:

  • Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
    • Superbike
      • Richie Escalante scored a pair of Superbike top fives aboard the GSX-R1000R, including a high drama third on Sunday.
      • Sean Dylan Kelly was lightning quick but luckless in Wisconsin.
    • Supersport
      • Qualifying in pole position, Tyler Scott ran at or near the front all weekend and was rewarded with yet another top three.
      • Max VanDenBrouck earned valuable experience while running in top-ten contention.
  • RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines
    • Stock 1000
      • Rocco Landers continued his smooth transition to big-bore racing with a pair of solid results.

Richie Escalante (#54) pushes his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R to a dramatic third-place Superbike finish at Road America.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante steadily worked his way forward as the weekend played out, ultimately ending his stay in Wisconsin on the podium. After qualifying seventh, the hard-charging Mexican racing star worked his way up to finish fifth in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race aboard his GSX-R1000R. Sunday proved even more fruitful, if even more nerve-wracking. A near-certain third temporarily came into question when Escalante had an issue on the closing lap. However, he ultimately managed to power up the hill one final time and crossed the line to secure a hard-earned position on the box.
 
“I’m super happy to have progressed throughout the weekend,” Escalante said. “I’m really happy with the bike right now. Thanks to my team – we’re making steps. I really want to be able to consistently fight for the podium, and we’re getting closer to being able to do that. I can wait for the races coming up… there are some special tracks for us on the calendar just ahead.”

Sean Dylan Kelly(#40) showed top-three pace all weekend aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R before incidents kept him from contending for podium finishes.

Sean Dylan Kelly continued to show front-running speed on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R, storming his way to a front-row grid position in qualifying. Unfortunately, he had little and less luck come race time. Saturday’s race saw him drop to the back of the field due to an early mishap, followed by a heavy Turn 1 crash at the opening of lap 3. Sunday’s race ended even earlier, as he and another rider made hard contact moments after leaving the start line, forcing Kelly into the pits. He returned to the fray and soldiered on to a 14th-place finish.
 
SDK said, “It was a rough ending to what I felt was going to be a strong weekend for us. I had a problem on the start on Saturday but was able to make an adjustment and get going. I was trying to catch back up but I came up on another rider in a bad spot for me and with a really high closing speed. I didn’t want to take him out so I had to pitch the bike. It was a wild two laps. On Sunday, I got my regular start and got nailed bad enough to bend the bars and had no choice but to come in. The boys were able to get me going and at least I got some laps. We’ll be back for the next one.”

Tyler Scott (#70) backed up a Supersport pole position with a 2-5 finish at Road America, keeping his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 in the championship hunt.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Supersport ace Tyler Scott came away with the squad’s best combined finishes on the weekend, notching up a 2-5 weekend after earlier claiming the pole position. Scott had a GSX-R750-powered victory in his sights on Saturday, passing his way into the lead on the final lap. However, he was impacted by a trailing rider, forcing him to run wide and lose a couple positions. Scott rebounded quickly enough to fight his way back up to second at the checkered flag. He battled for the win again on Sunday, however, despite finishing just 0.734 seconds removed from victory, he finished in fifth position.
 
Scott said, “I feel like I had really good pace on the bike.  We actually turned a lot of stuff around this weekend. The whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team did a great job. We flipped the bike upside down going into Q2 and was able to put it on the pole. We had confidence in the bike to be able to push. I didn’t feel it was necessary to lead all through (Saturday’s) race. Going into the last lap, I felt really good with the set-up, and I thought I could make the pass for the lead going into Turn 5. I got by into first, but when I went to dip into the corner, another rider smashed back into me and I ran a little bit wide. I had no rear brake, and then going up the hill, someone clipped my handlebar and broke my clutch. But overall, it was an awesome job by the team, and the bike worked amazingly.”

Rising Supersport talent Max VanDenBrouck (#48) continues to impress with competitive pace and aggressive racecraft on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750.

Scott’s up-and-coming teammate, Max VanDenBrouck, continued to prove himself a constant top-ten threat in the hotly contested Supersport class even if his final results didn’t fully reflect that potential. He was running inside the top ten on Saturday before suffering a fall that took him out of contention. And on Sunday, he engaged in a seven-rider drafting war for eighth before finally winding up at the tail-end of that group in 14th.
 
“I wasn’t happy with the weekend from a results standpoint,” Max Van admitted. “We were able to try a lot of adjustments on the bike that I was not previously familiar with. I liked some and didn’t like others, but I think we made progress. Friday, I was the fastest qualifier in the wet but the rest of the weekend was dry. Saturday, I crashed in the race, and Sunday we had a tire problem. I was able to stick with it, but what we ended up with was a bike with great grip at the rear and not much in the front. I got going better near the end. I finished 14th but had the eighth fastest lap of the race.”

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers (#97) continued to build confidence in Stock 1000 with sixth and eighth place finishes aboard the GSX-R1000.

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers continued his literbike apprenticeship aboard the team’s GSX-R1000 Stock 1000 machine. Landers, who has won races in Supersport, Baggers, Twins Cup, and Junior Cup, hinted that it’s only a matter of time before he adds a 1000cc win to his resume, qualifying on the second row and earning sixth- and eighth-place finishes at Road America.

Landers said, “It was much better than Atlanta, honestly. We made big strides and got our best finish. We got some bad starts which didn’t help and it was always going to be a tough track for us. We made a ton of drastic changes but every session was way better. We set our best time of the weekend in Sunday’s race. The bike was really good on the brakes, which is important here. Our next few rounds will be way better.”

The 2025 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship will pick back up later this month at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, on June 27-29.

Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/road-racing for more team news.

About Team Hammer

The 2025 season marks Team Hammer's 45th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 135 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 377 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 Vance & Hines Motorsports

Vance & Hines Motorsports is a powerhouse in the world of motorcycle racing, boasting a rich legacy of success. With a focus on innovation, performance, and commitment to pushing boundaries, the team continues to redefine excellence in NHRA and MotoAmerica.

About Suzuki

Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, 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.