TYLER SCOTT RACING MISSION M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI SUPERBIKE AT COTA

Escalante missing MotoAmerica round due to injury while Scott and Paige take on expanded roles

Brea, CA – (September 9, 2026) – Team Hammer, Inc. announced today that Supersport standout Tyler Scott will substitute for the injured Richie Escalante in Superbike competition during this coming weekend’s MotoAmerica round at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on September 11-13.

Escalante, who hails from Tizayuca, Mexico, is recuperating from a crash that injured his shoulder during the series’ most recent round at Virginia International Raceway. It’s an unfortunate turn for the 2020 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion, who has been forced to the sidelines amidst another impressive Superbike campaign in which he’s logged five top-fives, including his sixth-career premier-class podium finish.

Scott is an ideal candidate to fill in for Escalante aboard the Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. He ranks as among the most talented and decorated riders in Supersport despite being just 20 years old.

Scott has finished inside the Supersport Championship top five in all four of his previous attempts, securing six victories and 33 podiums along the way. Prior to that, the Pennsylvanian claimed the 2021 Junior Cup crown and was named AMA Youth Dirt Track Racer of the Year four times.

Scott said, “It’s going to be awesome to get to see what I can do on a Superbike. It’s unfortunate Richie was injured, and I wasn’t happy about that, but this is a chance to help out the team as his substitute. I think there will be a decent learning curve for me, but COTA is a more open track as opposed to some others. I rode about 15 laps on a Superbike at a test a few years ago, and I am really looking forward to the opportunity to actually race one.”

Scott’s shot on the team’s Superbike in turn grants an opportunity to another heralded young prospect who has excelled as both road racer and dirt tracker; Australian Bodie Paige will slot into Scott’s place on the team’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750 in Supersport action at the Circuit of the Americas.

Paige is widely recognized as one of the brightest talents in two-wheeled sport. Last year, the 16-year-old was just the second amateur rider ever to be named the Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award recipient in both road racing and flat track.

And he’s lived up to that hype since turning pro. Paige currently ranks second in the Twins Cup standings on the strength of seven podiums, including two victories, aboard the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-8R. Additionally, Paige has finished on the podium in all three of his Progressive American Flat Track starts in limited duty.

Paige said, “It’s a great chance for me, and it could help determine my future. It’s also a chance to learn new things. We’ll be looking to find a good setup for me and then to keep learning how to go fast on the Supersport bike. I rode the bike at Daytona, so I know the basics. COTA is also a track I have raced a couple of times, so it will be a good one for this opportunity.”

ABOUT TEAM HAMMER

The 2026 season marks Team Hammer’s 46th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 138 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 408 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, 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.