Brea, CA, (July 14, 2025) — Suzuki Motor USA notched up two more podium finishes and several hard-earned top fives while battling through an extended run of bad luck as the stars of MotoAmerica faced off at the iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Race Highlights:
- Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Superbike
- Richie Escalante registered three strong results despite riding at less than 100%.
- Sean Dylan Kelly equaled his best result of the year and remains on the cusp of a breakthrough performance.
- Supersport
- Tyler Scott had plenty of speed but very little luck, resulting in a forgettable weekend.
- Max VanDenBrouck showed his best speed yet in a strong qualifying effort.
- RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines
- Twins Cup
- Matthew Chapin scooped up two more podiums in what continues to be a hugely impressive rookie Twins Cup campaign
Richie Escalante fought through a wrist injury to earn a fifth and a fourth place finish.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante faced the difficult prospect of contesting a Superbike Tripleheader weekend at the undulating WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca while riding hurt after injuring his right wrist on Friday as a result of a heavy crash in practice. Despite being at considerably less than 100% for the rest of the weekend, the gutsy Escalante gritted his teeth and collected a pair of fifths and a sixth aboard the squad’s GSX-R1000R Superbike.
Escalante said. “I have a lot of expectations for Laguna Seca, and I have been feeling great on the bike lately. But in P1, I hurt my wrist. The doctor said it was not broken, only sprained. I decided to ride the best I could, to figure out a way to still race at the best pace possible. I thought our pace was still quite good in the races, even if it was not what it would have been otherwise. I really liked how well we did with worn tires. I am still working on pushing hard in qualifying and in the first laps of the races. Overall, I am really happy with the team and I think we have the bike to compete for the podium. We just have to put everything together during a race weekend to capitalize fully.”
Sean Dylan Kelly qualified on the front row and ran with the leaders all weekend, before a crash and a mechanical ended his race weekend early. “It was an unfortunate end of the weekend,” Kelly said. “We got that P4 in Race 2, and I felt there was even more in it here for us, but it was good to get a decent result. We showed good pace all weekend but just had some racing luck that kept us from getting more.”
Tyler Scott qualified well but continues to struggle with unlucky race results.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott was well on the pace in Supersport qualifying per usual, earning a starting slot on the inside of Row 2 aboard the next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750. Unfortunately, Scott’s recent run of misfortune continued at Laguna Seca, as he was shuffled back to a ninth-place finish on Saturday after contending for a podium position early on. Sunday was even more disappointing, as he was forced to pull out of the race after encountering rogue sensor issues.
Scott said, “Race 1 felt good going in, but we struggled with our set-up on the engine braking side of things, and it hurt in the corners. We didn’t have the pace. We fixed that in the warm-up, but we had another issue rise up and I only got two laps. Overall, it felt really good working with the team as always, but we would have liked better results.”
Max VanDenBrouck earned a good Supersport qualifying position but when the race started he struggled to find pace.
It was something of a similar story for Scott’s Supersport teammate, Max VanDenBrouck. Max Van did well to secure a third-row starting position aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750. However, he was unable to race his way forward in the manner he usually does, ultimately crossing the stripe in 12th position. He was in line for a better Sunday, running inside the top ten early, but unfortunately, joined Scott as a non-finisher.
“It was in some ways a good weekend for us,” VanDenBrouck said. “I had my best qualifying result, ninth. That’s something we have been working on. Race 1, we didn’t get our best result and then had an issue in Race 2 with seven laps to go. So that was disappointing, but the bike is really fast. I'm looking forward to getting back to the East Coast tracks I know like VIR.”
Matthew Chapin added two more Twins Cup podiums to his impressive rookie tally.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin continued to make his mark in the Twins Cup by securing the fifth and sixth podium results of his stellar rookie campaign. The reigning Junior Cup champion put the squad’s Suzuki GSX-8R racebike second on the grid and then proceeded to twice battle for that same position to the checkered flag. Chapin pulled off a pass in the Corkscrew en route to a runner-up result on Saturday and then backed that up with a close third on Sunday.
Chapin said, “I was really trying to stay consistent and keep working. The tire let go with three laps left on Sunday, but sometimes that’s how it goes. My team really worked their tails off to give me a good bike this weekend, so I have to take my hat off to the RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki team for all the hard work they do.”
The 2025 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship will pick back up at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on August 1-3.
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 379 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.
