MotoAmerica Junior Cup racer Max Van, age 18, is moving up the racing ladder and is entering the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship in 2024.
“I’m doing the full season in the MotoAmerica Supersport class aboard a Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R750,” Van told Roadracingworld.com. “It will be a Team Hammer-supported program with technical information, etc.”
While some racers tend to move from the 50-horsepower Junior Cup bikes to 95-horsepower Twins Cup motorcycles, Van has made the decision to leapfrog the Twins Cup class and jump onto a 130-horsepower Supersport machine.
“Building out and maintaining a Twins Cup racebike, as you know, can be crazy expensive,” said Van, who has racked up three wins and nine total podium finishes during the past two Junior Cup Championship seasons. “Plus, I want to do the full nine-round season instead of just six.
“Plus, I’ve ridden the Suzuki a few times and it suits my style. I’m already a bigger guy as it is, so I don’t think I’ll have any problem riding the bigger bike.”
Van will also have the advantage of working with rider coach Josh Hayes, the all-time AMA/MotoAmerica race win leader.
“Josh coached me all last year,” said Van, “but it was difficult for him because he had never ridden a small bike like mine, and riding that thing is completely different than riding a Supersport. But he’s going to be able to help me a lot more this season.”
Instead of competing in the 2024 Daytona 200, which is a MotoAmerica Supersport race that does not pay points toward the Championship, Van made the strategic decision to skip the spring classic in exchange for more testing time ahead of round one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in April.
Van said that with support from SportbikeTrackGear.com (STG) he has everything in place to do the full season, but he is seeking more sponsorship, including a title sponsor, for his program.
