Back to News
  • Racing - Road Racing

KELLY AND VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI EARN TWO SUPERBIKE TOP FIVES IN TEXAS

Brea, CA, (September 15, 2025) — Suzuki Motor USA was a constant presence in the top five as the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship completed the penultimate round of the 2025 season at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Race Highlights:

  • Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
    • Superbike
      • Sean Dylan Kelly continued to roll with a pair of Superbike top fives
      • Richie Escalante had pace but no luck in Texas results
    • Supersport
      • Tyler Scott engaged in two last-lap scraps en route to a pair of top fives
      • Martín Cárdenas fought his way into the top ten in his American racing return
      • Max VanDenBrouck picked up 13th and 11th place results on the weekend
  • RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines
    • Stock 1000
      • Rocco Landers was quick and consistent aboard the GSX-R1000

Sean Dylan Kelly (#40) earned two more top five results. 

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly continued his season-long strong form, claiming two more top-five finishes in MotoAmerica Superbike action at the Circuit of the Americas. Kelly hustled his red-white-and-blue 40th anniversary inspired GSX-R1000R to a fifth-place finish on Saturday. He came back even stronger on Sunday, pushing hard for a podium before ultimately claiming a close fourth. The results upped SDK’s tally of top-five finishes to double digits on the season.

Kelly said, “It was an alright weekend but a challenging one. We showed something on Sunday, but it took us all weekend to get there. We were insanely better today and not too far from the box. It felt good being in the hunt and not losing massive amounts of time like Saturday. We had something left at the end and made a good move to get fourth but not quite third. We want more from New Jersey and will have three more chances.”

Richie Escalante (#54) was foiled by bad luck despite a strong pace in the races.  
 
Teammate Richie Escalante registered in an inspired ride aboard the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R on Saturday, charging his way from sixth to victory contention. Unfortunately, just as the Mexican racer moved into striking distance after closing on the leaders at a clip of a half-second per lap, he was forced out due to an electrical issue. His hopes for redemption on Sunday were foiled by another mechanical problem.

“There were a lot of positives this weekend even though we did not get the results we wanted,” Escalante said. “It was a 50/50 weekend, a lot of good but with some bad luck. I have gone well here in the past and hoped to get back on the podium. I lost a little on the start in Race 1, but we had really good pace and made up the gap to the leaders before we had a problem and couldn’t finish. Sunday was the same. We have three races to go in New Jersey, and we will look to make some good points.”

Tyler Scott (#70) fought hard in both races.  

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott engaged in a pair of thrilling final-lap Supersport scraps aboard the squad’s next-generation GSX-R750 dressed in resplendent 40th anniversary livery. Scott went out on Saturday to fight for every pass and was able to steal away fourth on the last lap. Sunday’s battle was even more action-packed with three riders swapping positions in a desperate fight to claim a spot on the box. Unfortunately, the Pennsylvanian lost out in the melee, getting shuffled back to fifth in the final-corner clash.

Scott said, “We started the weekend off pretty well, but we needed to make some big changes. That hindered us in qualifying and put us down the charts. We made up for it with good starts and had a pretty successful weekend with two top fives. The team worked super hard with what we faced this weekend, and I am looking forward to racing at my home track in New Jersey.”

Max Van (#48) showed resilience in Texas, bouncing back from an opening-lap crash on Saturday to showing strong pace and taking back positions on Sunday.

Max VanDenBrouck struggled to locate his typical pace in Texas, qualifying down in 20th position. His difficulties ramped up in Saturday’s Race 1, in which he crashed out with another rider in an opening-lap incident. Max Van bounced back to race forward aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 on Sunday, coming home in 17th place.

VanDenBrouck said, “It was not our best weekend. I had a couple of crashes, which is uncharacteristic for me and really set us back. Qualifying was pretty rough, then I crashed on the first lap on Saturday. Sunday, we were able to improve three spots in the race. We learned some things and have some big changes for New Jersey that should serve us well.”

Martin Cardenas (#36) came out of retirement to race with the team he won 25 races and two championships with earlier in his career. 

Scott and VanDenBrouck were joined this weekend by Colombian racing legend Martín Cárdenas, who participated in the Supersport races aboard the Coatzymoto LatinWE Powered by Team Hammer GSX-R750. Cárdenas, who won a pair of AMA Pro Daytona SportBike titles and an AMA Superbike race with Team Hammer, proved he’s still plenty fast, scoring ninth- and 11th-place finishes in his return to Stateside racing.
 
“I enjoyed riding at this track and in this championship again,” said Cárdenas. “It was a really good weekend for me. I hadn’t ridden much this year, and these guys in the class now are really fast. If I do it again next year, I’d prepare a bit more. Thanks to everyone for making it happen.”

Rocco Landers (#97) finished his season on a high note. 

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers was both quick and consistent in Stock 1000 action aboard the team’s GSX-R1000. Landers qualified fifth and proceeded to finish in that same position on both Saturday and Sunday.

“Unfortunately, our season is over because I had a blast and feel like we made a ton of progress,” Landers said. “The bike is pretty much unrecognizable from where we started. I feel like the bike is truly mine now. We finished in sight of the leaders for the first time here, so I feel we accomplished a lot of what we were trying to do. The big bike is the most fun motorcycle I have ridden, and I would like to race it again.”
 
The 2025 MotoAmerica season will conclude at its season finale on September 26-28 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.

 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 382 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.