Suzuki and Team Hammer Announce 2022 Riders
Escalante and Lewis Bring Championship Experience to Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
BREA, Calif., February 7, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA, LLC announces the return of Team Hammer as its official road racing partner for the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series. Team Hammer will field premier Superbike, Supersport, and Stock 1000 class athletes in 2022, all on Suzuki GSX-Rs. The team welcomes new 2022 title sponsor Vision Wheel and will compete as Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki.
Riding for Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki in 2022 will be 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport champion Richie Escalante, and 2021 Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup champion Jake Lewis in Superbike. Competing in the Superport class will be Sam Lochoff and Liam Grant, and Wyatt Farris will do battle for the team in Stock 1000.
Joining the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Superbike team is 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Richie Escalante. Hailing from Tizayuca, Mexico, Escalante earned himself a spot on the team’s GSX-R1000R Superbike with his impressive 2021 results. Escalante finished a strong runner-up to Team Hammer in the 2021 Supersport Championship with multiple victories and consistent podiums. Escalante looks to contend for the championship and strives towards the top of the field for the 2022 season.
“First off, I am very happy to work with Team Hammer, so thanks to (team owners) John and Chris Ulrich for this opportunity,” said Escalante. “My goal is to contend for the Superbike championship, and I am ready to start working towards this goal. I am eager to apply my skills to the Superbike class. I am also excited to see how my aggressive style works on the Suzuki. I like to push hard and slide under braking and the Suzuki GSX-R will be a great bike for my riding style.”
Veteran road racer Jake Lewis rejoins Team Hammer on a Suzuki Superbike for 2022. Lewis is the reigning Stock 1000 champion and won the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup on a Team Hammer-built Altus Racing GSX-R1000R in 2021. “I’m so excited to be back with Team Hammer, this year on a Superbike. I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Lewis.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki retains ultra-fast South African Sam Lochoff in Supersport for 2022. Lochoff looks to continue to build on the momentum of his spectacular rookie Supersport campaign and fight once more for this season’s MotoAmerica Supersport title aboard a Suzuki GSX-R.
Joining the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport team is Liam Grant. A Boulder, Colorado native, Grant has advanced quickly through the ranks, kicking off his road racing career just five years ago. After establishing himself as a championship-winner at the club level with the Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association and Utah Sport Bike Association, the fast-rising Grant made his MotoAmerica debut in 2019. The second-generation racer then finished his first full MotoAmerica campaign in 2020 ranked fifth in Junior Cup competition – scoring a pole and four top-fives along the way – before stepping up to Supersport in 2021.
“I’m really excited for this opportunity, and first I want to thank Team Hammer and Suzuki for offering me this chance,” Grant said. “We know the bike is very good and the team has had a lot of success. One thing for sure is that I will be giving it my all this season. I’ve been training and working very hard in the gym to be ready. The goal is to be competitive and earn some strong results this year while I learn and improve. I’m really happy.”
Wyatt Farris returns to the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for 2022 competing in the Stock 1000. With very consistent finishes in 2021, the veteran Farris rounds out a strong team of athletes, all focused on class-leading race performances.
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.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season will mark Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes 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.
