Cardenas, Westby Re-Sign With Hammer
Cycle News Staff | October 14, 2011
Team Hammer Inc., which raced last year as Team M4 Suzuki, has re-signed Martin Cardenas and Dane Westby for the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season, though the team isn’t saying what class the two will race in, what brand of motorcycles they will ride, or who the title sponsor of the team will be.
What is known is that it is highly likely that both riders will be in the Daytona SportBike Championship and not the AMA Superbike class. Last year, Cardenas didn’t defend his 2010 AMA Daytona SportBike Championship, instead moving to the Superbike class. The Colombian ended up fourth in the series standings in his rookie season, winning one race and finishing on the podium two other times. Most believe, however, that Cardenas will go back to the SportBike class, joining Westby who joined the team last year and finished seventh in the series point standings.
“We’re excited to have both riders back for next year as we continue to finalize our 2012 plans,” said crew chief Keith Perry in a team release. “It is accepted knowledge that Martin is one of the very best riders in the paddock. He’s fast and is going to give you 100 percent every time out. He can win on any type of bike and in any class and you know he’s going to give maximum effort every time. His personality is easy to work with and he’s a joy for the guys on his crew. We’ve had a lot of success so far but are looking forward to 2012.”Dane joined the team this past year and learned a new bike really quickly. He got a great win and came close to winning several other times and we’re looking forward to his continued development. Dane earned some good results this year and we think he can be a solid contender for the championship in the future.”Team Hammer will announce more on its 2012 plans at a later date, the team says.
