VISION WHEEL’S BOLD NEW TITLE SPONSORSHIP WITH MOTOAMERICA’S ICONIC TEAM HAMMER
BREA, Calif., February 28, 2022 — For the 42nd consecutive year, the iconic Team Hammer is racing motorcycles in the U.S., fresh from dominating the 2021 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, and looks ready to continue to be competitive in 2022. The team, now racing as Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, is fielding a talented lineup of racers across multiple classes, all racing legendary Suzuki GSX-R machinery.
One new aspect to the effort is the team’s title sponsor, Vision Wheel. A leading aftermarket custom wheel supplier for many vehicle types; the goal for Vision Wheel is to reach their present and future customers through racing. “The people that go to the races and are all about racing, they are the Vision Wheel customer,” said Roger Minor, Vision Wheel’s CEO, “the demographics are a perfect fit for us.
“This is our 46th year and we continue to grow quite rapidly. We’ve got great wheel options for trucks, SUVs, automotive, ATV/UTV applications and Jeeps… we’re just about in every automotive and truck segment. We have strong distribution throughout the country and our products are found in thousands of stores and shops around the United States.”
Further setting apart Vision Wheel’s marketing is the Vision It AR augmented-reality smartphone app; allowing users to take a photo of their vehicle and see what it would look like with different Vision Wheels. “We’re the only aftermarket wheel company currently offering this app that we’re aware of, and it works great,” said Minor. “Users may see what their ride’s going to look like and share the upgrade with their friends.”
Vision Wheel joined the MotoAmerica race series as a sponsor last year; and now has upped its support for 2022. “For us as a company, it is all about reaching more people,” Minor continued, “getting our name out there more effectively, and becoming more of a household name for enthusiasts. We sponsored a MotoAmerica rider last year; and had a strong response. Joining forces with Team Hammer expands on that support and will help us reach our business goals. We’re on the bikes in all the classes Team Hammer competes in. We’re looking to extend our sponsorship with social media content, TV coverage and exposure with race fans at each MotoAmerica event.”
Minor credited the MotoAmerica organizers with positive growth. “I’m really happy with MotoAmerica. Their leadership is doing a great job, and the sport is growing again in the United States. I was really excited last year with how many people were at the races. MotoAmerica is seeing attendance levels they hadn’t seen in many years.”
As a lifelong motorcyclist, Minor himself raced for fun over the years. “I was a hobby racer,” said Minor, recalling his racing days. “I raced a few years from the late 1980’s to the mid 1990’s; but I was running a company and working every day. Racing was a hobby, and I had a lot of fun doing it. It’s a passion for me. I love motorcycles and I love motorcycle racing.”
Minor felt the competitive urge a few years ago and once again took to the track. “I raced again in 2012; just as a kind of ‘bucket list’ item, coming up on 60 years old. Team Hammer helped me with a competitive bike and a couple of technicians to support me at the races. I had huge fun that year playing around as a hobby. Team Hammer has always been very well run, and it is a great relationship for us. I’ve known the guys since the 1980’s, John Ulrich and Keith Perry and other key team members. They are very well respected. Team Hammer is very professional and the type of organization Vision Wheel strives to be associated with.”
Another highlight for the 2022 Team Hammer sponsorship is Vision Wheel supporting a three-bike Daytona 200 race effort that includes Team Hammer racers, Richie Escalante, Sam Lochoff plus Vision’s Geoff May, all competing on defending Supersport-championship winning Suzuki GSX-R600 race bikes.
“We can’t wait to get on the grid at Daytona,” concluded Minor.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season will mark Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 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 VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, 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.
