Race Highlights:
- M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Superbike
- Brandon Paasch closed out the weekend inside the top 10.
- Supersport
- Tyler Scott suffered a bout of poor luck that prevented him from capitalizing on his speed.
- Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Superbike
- Richie Escalante collected a top-10 finish despite a largely luckless weekend.
Richie Escalante battled through a challenging weekend to earn a top-10 Superbike finish aboard the Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
The fabled home of the Corkscrew provided California vibes in the way only it can but the team found little good fortune to accompany those vibes.
Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante never really had a chance to find his form on the GSX-R1000R during the weekend, but he still managed to fight his way up from 12th to finish ninth in Saturday’s Superbike contest.
Hopes for a better day on Sunday were dashed almost as soon as the rematch got underway; the Mexican was forced into the pits at the end of the first lap and retired with mechanical issues.
Escalante said, “It was a tough weekend. We had a lot of problems here at Laguna Seca, and it seemed like we had something go wrong for us in every session. There’s not too much to say about it. In Saturday’s race, we had a decent pace and got some points. Overall, we had a rough one but that’s racing. We’ll keep working and reset for Ohio.”
Brandon Paasch battled through a difficult weekend to secure another top-10 Superbike finish for M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.Paasch said, “It was one of our worst weekends. The results weren’t very good, and we struggled with the bike and couldn’t make it happen. We improved on Sunday in the race, but it’s disappointing. It is what it is. We are going to work hard to improve it before Ohio.”
Tyler Scott showcased front-running speed aboard the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 before misfortune cut short his podium bid at Laguna Seca.Scott posted the fourth-fastest time in qualifying aboard his GSX-R750 and then twice launched into second place from his second row grid position. However, both races took disappointing turns shortly thereafter.
After running inside the top three for several laps in Saturday’s race, Scott suffered a fall from fourth position on lap 8 of 19. The determined Pennsylvanian picked up his bike and returned to the fray, fighting his way up to a final 12th position.
His designs for revenge on Sunday were undone by a battery issue that forced him into the pits twice before he was ultimately retired.
Despite the down weekend, Scott still stands fourth in the 2026 MotoAmerica Supersport standings with six podium finishes to his name. He said, “Yesterday was a little rough. I crashed out of podium contention but finished the race. We are always looking for points, but the result wasn’t what I was hoping for. We made some improvements to the bike for Sunday and felt like we could be even more competitive, but we had an issue that caused a DNF. It was a tough weekend with some bad luck but our speed was there and I feel really good about the bike and our program going into Mid-Ohio.”
The team’s MotoAmerica campaign will resume on July 31-August 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
The 2026 season marks Team Hammer's 46th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 137 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 403 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 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.
