Brea, CA, (June 1, 2026) — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer repeatedly fought their way into podium contention at this weekend’s MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship round, ultimately coming away with a victory and a pair of runner-up photo finishes at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Race Highlights:
- M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Twins Cup
- Bodie Paige returned to action in furious form with two impressive races.
- Matthew Chapin nailed down a pair of hard-fought top fives.
- Supersport
- Tyler Scott established a new lap record and finished on the box at Road America.
- Superbike
- Brandon Paasch bounced back from double misfortune to race up through the field and into the top ten.
- Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Superbike
- Richie Escalante rebounded from a Saturday crash with a solid Sunday seventh.
Bodie Paige celebrated his first Twins Cup victory aboard the Suzuki GSX-8R.
Australian prodigy Bodie Paige put his considerable talent on full display in his return to Twins Cup duty after missing the previous two races while recovering from injury.
The M4 ECSTAR Suzuki runner understood the task before him, controlling the pace with his late-braking heroics aboard the Suzuki GSX-8R. Paige translated that strategy into a first-career Twins Cup victory, which was taken in dramatic fashion. He earned it after storming into the lead on the brakes on the final lap and then holding on by a scant 0.047-second margin at the checkered flag.
He nearly pulled off a repeat on Sunday, making his move into first in the race’s final corner, but this time he was just edged out by 0.028 seconds at the stripe en route to second.
“My plan was to get a good start and mess up my rival’s rhythm because he had some serious pace,” Paige said. “I just wanted to make aggressive moves. I felt like I made some improvements in the race, and I made some gains in the infield. My team gave me a great bike, and helped me improve myself on the track. I can’t thank everyone who supports me enough.”
Matthew Chapin delivered another consistent weekend, securing a pair of hard-fought top-five finishes.Chapin said, “It wasn’t a bad weekend for us, but it was challenging. In the end, it was a solid couple of races for us. We were making changes to the bike all weekend trying to be more competitive, and I was working on my riding because we are usually at the very front of the class. We really worked hard, and I feel like I changed my approach when it was clear I couldn’t fight for the win. I wanted to make sure I got the most points possible. I was happy with how consistent my lap times were, and we are in good shape for the championship going forward.”
Tyler Scott set a new Supersport lap record and returned to the podium at Road America.
From there, Scott engaged in a three-way melee for the win on Saturday. Unfortunately, he crashed out with less than two laps remaining while running three wide in an attempt to take the lead. Scott did manage to remount and collect points in 12th position.
He made his amends the following day, pulling off a drafting pass at the line to claim second position with just thousands of a second separating second from fifth.
Scott said, “The bike felt amazing all weekend – we set the track record in qualifying and felt really good on the side of the tire the entire race. I can’t give enough thanks to my whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team. The team has a lot of knowledge, and I think we figured out the formula for fielding a bike I can be comfortable on. It felt the best it has yet. I know I say that every week, but the bike just keeps getting better and better. I really couldn’t ask for much more. It’s always great to be on the podium at Road America.”
Richie Escalante rebounded from a Saturday crash to secure a strong top-10 Superbike finish on Sunday.
Escalante, brandishing the red and yellow Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki colors on his GSX-R1000R, suffered a crash early in Saturday's Main Event. The Mexican came back strong on Sunday and looked all but set for sixth before a wheelie up the hill cost him the position at the flag.
“We came to this weekend with a lot of expectations,” Escalante said. “We had good results here last year, even though this is one of the most difficult tracks for us. In practice and qualifying, we improved the bike, and I got the second row start. I knew getting a good start and doing well in the early laps was important, because this track is like Daytona. If you lose ground early, it is hard to catch back up. On Saturday, I was pushing and lost the front early. For Sunday, the conditions were a little tougher. I had a wheelie on the front straight on the last lap and lost a position at the finish line. The results may not show it, but we did some good this weekend at our toughest track. The next few race tracks are better for us and we hope to fight for podiums and wins.”
Brandon Paasch fought through early setbacks and raced his way back into the top ten on Sunday.
Paasch, meanwhile, suffered from misfortune on Saturday. The New Jersey native was slated to line back up for the red-flagged race in ninth but was struck down by a mechanical issue that prevented him from making the restart.
His Sunday race didn’t open much better, as the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki pilot ran off track on the opening lap and immediately dropped to the rear end of the field. Undaunted, Paasch picked his way up through the field, ultimately finishing in ninth position.
Paasch said, “I ran off the track and had to come back from last, just like at the last race. I think we made the best out of the situation but I was disappointed because I had high expectations. It was good I came back through the field and made the most of it, but it’s tough to make up time here when you are on your own. Passing two or three guys in a lap makes it hard to find a good rhythm, too. We’ll keep building on what we’ve got.”
The 2026 MotoAmerica season will now head out West to Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, on June 26-28.
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 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.
