[cycleworld.com] - Suzuki Previews MotoAmerica Superbike

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and its two primary road race teams look to build on their current momentum this weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

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Suzuki Previews MotoAmerica Superbike (Brian J. Nelson/)Suzuki Press Release:

Suzuki Motor USA (Suzuki) and its two primary road race teams- Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki both look to build on their current momentum this weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Team Hammer’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will focus on the 2024 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike series fielding two established riders, Richie Escalante (54) and Brandon Paasch (96) each racing the Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike.

Roadrace veteran and 2020 Supersport champion Escalante (54), from Tizayuca, Mexico, is the first Mexican athlete to card a MotoAmerica championship. With consistent results in his second Superbike season, Escalante placed fourth overall in the 2023 Superbike championship, earning 11 top-five finishes.

Starting 2024 racing in the Daytona 200, Escalante raced a next generation GSX-R750 and spent most of the 200 pressuring the race leader. Escalante further displayed the speed that earned him the track record during qualifying. It wasn’t to be however, as he ran short on fuel on the final lap to earn fourth overall in the 82nd running of the iconic race.

Brandon Paasch also looks to advance with Team Hammer since joining last year. 2024 marks Paasch’s first full season with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. Coming on board midway through 2023, the veteran road racer is a two-time winner of the Daytona 200.

Fully healthy from a back injury that shortened his 2023 season, Paasch is working to return to the consistent performance displayed in 2022, racing in Stock 1000. Paasch captured four podiums, finishing runner-up in the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup on a GSX-R1000R. Paasch also showed promise in the recent Daytona 200, with good speed and a seventh-place result.

With Road Atlanta also kicking off 2024?s Supersport season, Team Hammer’s riders include Ty Scott (70), and Teagg Hobbs (79), both riders showing flashes of excellence in 2023. Scott earned a hard-fought second place in the 2023 championship with four race wins and several podium finishes.

Hobbs looks to enhance his 2023 success, earning multiple podiums last year. With the Suzuki GSX-R750 continuing as the bike to race in the Supersport class, both Scott and Hobbs feel 2024 offers an excellent opportunity to take their racing careers to the next level.

Debuting as a Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider at Road Atlanta is Joel Ohman (92). Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Ohman joins Team Hammer to race a GSX-R750 in Supersport. Ohman began his MotoAmerica racing career in 2022 with Open-Source Racing.

For MotoAmerica Twins Cup, the new Suzuki GSX-8R is raced by RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers (97), who battled at Daytona’s Twins Cup Race 2 to earn the new GSX-8R’s first-ever podium in its debut race weekend. A former Twins Cup series champion, Landers anticipates much racing success on the new GSX-8R as the bike continues its swift development as a first-class series contender.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki newcomer Rossi Moor (92) also plans to continue his strong Twins Cup start with*the Suzuki GSX-8R. At Daytona, Moor contended for a podium, ultimately finishing fourth after battling throughout the race with Landers.

With experienced pro teams noted for their racing success and their first-class race bike and rider development programs, Suzuki is enthusiastic about*competing in the 2024 MotoAmerica season, seeing it*as a prime opportunity to showcase the GSX-R’s racing legacy and begin a new heritage of success with the GSX-8R.

The 2024 MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike series, along with the full schedule of MotoAmerica racing classes begins April 20th at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.