Cycle News Staff | January 25, 2023
Toni Elias And Teagg Hobbs Join Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki In MotoAmerica Competition
The following release is from Suzuki…
Team Hammer is proud to announce the signings of former World and MotoAmerica champion Toni Elias and the fast-rising Teagg Hobbs to Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki for the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season.
Elias will race Superbike and Hobbs will contest Supersport for Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki. They will join previously announced returning riders Richie Escalante and Tyler Scott.
Superbike ace Elias is one of the most successful and exciting racers in MotoAmerica history. The Spaniard originally took the series by storm in 2016, scoring three consecutive wins aboard the GSX-R1000R in what was originally slated to be a temporary ride as a substitute for an injured rider.
The remarkable start laid the groundwork for the historic multi-year run that followed. Elias won the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike title in dominant fashion with ten wins and 18 podiums, and collected an astonishing 32 race wins and 60 podium finishes from 2016-2020.
He returned for substitute duty in 2021 after stepping away and demonstrated that he still had the pace to run up front, collecting a pair of podiums in limited action.
Of course, Elias was already a known quantity prior to his Stateside heroics. Before he first turned a wheel in MotoAmerica, he was already a global road racing star, winning the 2010 Moto2 World Championship, along with race wins in the MotoGP, Moto2, 250cc and 125cc World Championships.
Elias returns to active duty following a 2022 spent focused on helping other riders unlock their potential via his Toni Elias Performance riding school.
“I’m happy to have the opportunity to go back to racing and it is special to do it with Suzuki and a team I know in Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki,” said Elias. “It’s great they gave me this opportunity and I am excited and motivated. I am ready to start working hard. It won’t be easy but let’s do it! I know the bike well and know the good things about it. We’ll work hard to improve it even more and I can’t wait to get started.”
“We all know that Toni Elias is a MotoAmerica champion, and we have seen what he is capable of achieving,” said Chris Ulrich, Team Hammer Vice President of Operations. “He is a great talent, and our task is to give him the machinery and environment he needs to get to the front again. There is no doubt he has the ability, and we need to help harness it.”
Hobbs, age 20, will step up into Supersport duty aboard a Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki GSX-R750 following an impressive three-year tenure in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Championship. During that span, Hobbs earned three consecutive top-10 championship rankings – including a fourth-place finish in 2021 – while compiling ten podium finishes highlighted by a pair of race wins.
A second-generation racer, Hobbs kicked off his racing career at 14 and earned his first MotoAmerica top-10 in final points at the age of 16, by finishing eighth in the 2018 Junior Cup.
In addition to his MotoAmerica accomplishments, the Manchester, New Hampshire native was part of the victorious WERA/N2 Lightweight Endurance race team at the 2022 WERA Grand National Finals and participated in an Aprilia Racing RS 660 Trofeo race at Autodromo Vallelunga in Campagnano di Roma, Italy.
“This will be my first season in Supersport and to go with Team Hammer and Suzuki is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Hobbs said. “When the opportunity arose, I couldn’t say no. Over the past couple of years, I had built a relationship with the team and loved riding their bikes. I really prefer the Suzuki and I am excited to see what we can do in one of the top MotoAmerica classes on a bigger bike. I am ready to learn and do my best.”
“Teagg is new to the team but not new to us,” said Chris Ulrich. “In the past, we supplied him with a Suzuki SV650, which he won races on. I know Teagg will benefit from a good team structure. Going into the season, the goal is for Teagg to be near the top five immediately and to be fighting for podiums by the end of the year.”
Team Hammer confirms that Tyler Scott and Richie Escalante will return to the Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki team.
This is a press release from Ecstar Suzuki…
Brea, CA (January 24, 2023) – Team Hammer, Inc. is excited to confirm that Supersport sensation Tyler Scott and former MotoAmerica Supersport champion Richie Escalante will return to the team for the 2023 season.
Scott will return to compete for the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport crown aboard a Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki GSX-R750. Scott will also race with the team in Supersport or Superbike in 2024 with additional options for Superbike in 2025 and 2026.
Escalante will once again race the MotoAmerica Superbike class for Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki on board a Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Still just 17 years old, Scott was a revelation in his first season of middleweight competition after previously dominating the Junior Cup category. The Pennsylvania native quickly established himself at the front of the pack and was third in the final point standings.
Scott earned nine podium finishes during the 2022 season, including his first Supersport victory, which was secured via a strategic masterclass at Road America.
His 2022 Supersport exploits were just the latest in a lifetime of two-wheeled excellence. His 2021 Junior Cup title came via a mammoth, 44-point margin courtesy of 11 wins. Prior to that, he participated overseas in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the FIM CEV European Talent Cup.
Scott is also a dirt track prodigy of the highest order; he’s a four-time AMA Youth Dirt Track Racer of the Year with 13 AMA Grand Championships to his name.
“I’m super excited to be back with the team,” Scott said. “It’s for at least two years and I am happy about that. The plan is for a championship push in Supersport this year and, if all goes to plan, next year the goal is to give Superbike a shot. I will be working with Jeremy Toye as my Crew Chief in 2023, and I can’t wait for the first race. I had a good year last season, but this year the goal is no DNFs and to get as many podiums and wins as possible.”
“Tyler performed well during his rookie year,” said Chris Ulrich, Team Hammer Vice President of Operations. “He won and was a consistent podium contender. The team and Tyler expect him to improve in 2023 and to fight for more wins and podiums as he improves his skills.”
After a season of learning the power of the Superbike, Richie Escalante (54) is ready to make strides towards the podium.
A native of Tizayuca, Mexico, Escalante became the first Mexican to win an AMA Pro/MotoAmerica National road racing championship in 2020 with a stunning 13-win, 16-podium Supersport campaign. His title defense was another strong campaign as he won three races and earned 14 podiums before joining Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki to race in the Superbike class.
The 2022 season saw the hard-charging Escalante flash in his rookie Superbike campaign as he transitioned to the Suzuki GSX-R1000R before injuries slowed him down.
“This off-season, I took some time to fully recover from my Brainerd crash and now I am fully fit. I am ready to test and get ready for the long season and really happy about how things are shaping up,” said the 27-year-old.
“I am glad to be coming back with the same team and the same bike. I feel like I know the tracks on a Superbike now and that is especially important for our results. Of course, any rider’s goal is to win the championship and I think my next step in being able to do that is getting on the podium regularly,” continued Escalante. “Last year, our results were up and down but I learned so much about Superbike racing. Compared to Supersport, the competition is higher, so the process is more important. You have to work closely with the crew to get the ideal setting and then the results can improve.”
“We are really excited to have Richie back,” said Ulrich. “Going from the 600 to the Superbike is never easy but Richie gave maximum effort. By mid-season, he was closing the gap to the front and making progress before some crashes set him back. With another season together, we expect him to continue to close that gap and to fight for the podium.”
For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Road-Racing.