Catch up on everything from the MotoAmerica weekend at Circuit of the Americas with the latest team press releases and race recaps.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Darryn Binder Secures 2026 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship Title Aboard the Ducati Panigale V2.
Sunnyvale, Calif., — Darryn Binder (Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse) came, saw, and most certainly conquered, as he took a double victory at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX, to claim the 2026 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
The South African came to the MotoAmerica championship after a 13-year career in the MotoGP paddock and reinvented himself as the premier Supersport rider in the United States.
The rookie made doubly sure of his title as he took victory in race one by 1.9 seconds over his incredibly impressive one-round teammate, Mikey Lou Sanchez, with Kayla Yaakov making it a Ducati podium clean sweep in third.
The second race was almost a cakewalk for Binder, who took the #53 Panigale V2 to a dominant 3.4-second victory ahead of Harrison Voight (Yamaha) and Josh Hayes (Yamaha).
Sanchez was originally credited with another second place but was later disqualified for a technical infraction with his machine.
The third factory Ducati rider, Wristin Grigg, left Texas with 13th in race one but crashed out of race two.
With one round remaining, Binder holds an unassailable 76-point lead in the series over Josh Herrin, 368 to 292.
In the premier Superbike category, Cameron Beaubier (Warhorse HSBK Ducati FLo4Law) proved his class after a four-month injury layoff by taking the opening race win, edging 0.8 seconds clear of fellow Ducati rider Cameron Petersen with Bobby Fong coming home in third.
It wasn’t quite the double victory fairy tale the team was hoping for in race two. Still, the six-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Beaubier fought like a lion in the searing Texas heat to bring it home in fourth place behind winner Fong despite his reduced strength from his still-healing shoulder.
Beaubier’s teammate, Benjamin Smith, brought the second Warhorse HSBK Ducati FLo4Law Ducati Panigale V4 R home with a pair of eighth place finishes at COTA.
In the points, Sean Dylan Kelly leads the way on 279. After missing several rounds due to his shoulder injury, Beaubier is 12th on 91, and Smith is 13th on 81 points.
Darryn Binder (Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse – #53): “I am super happy to leave here with the championship,” Binder enthused. “I can’t thank the team enough for everything this year. It just feels great, and I’m a little lost for words right now. We completed everything we set out to achieve when I first signed for the team when they brought me over from the GP paddock. I’m really glad to be part of this paddock and this group of guys. They have helped make racing fun again, and I am really looking forward to seeing what the future brings.”
Cameron Beaubier (Warhorse HSBK Ducati FLo4Law team – #1): “It feels so good to be back in the paddock with the team,” Beaubier said after race two. “I wasn’t expecting to get a win at all in race one. I was more thinking it would go like today went. I could do a couple of fast laps and be on the pace in practice and qualifying, but I wasn’t quite there for the race, so I surprised myself yesterday. I played it smart today. I got by Sean (Dylan Kelly) and put my head down, but I had a big moment where I nearly went down, and after that I just had no energy. I was struggling with grip a bit compared to yesterday, but it’s no excuse. We bought it home in fourth, and I’m honestly really happy.”
The final round of the 2026 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be held at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, on September 25-27, 2026.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA:
New opportunities for Young M4 ECSTAR Suzuki riders in Texas. Tyler Scott scores double top-10s in his Superbike debut as Suzuki’s future shines in Texas.
Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer provided a glimpse of the future as two of the team’s young riders capitalized on opportunities to showcase their skills further up the card during this weekend’s MotoAmerica round at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Race Highlights:
- Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Superbike
- Tyler Scott reeled in a pair of top tens in his premier-class debut
- Superbike
- M4 ECSTAR Suzuki
- Superbike
- Brandon Paasch earned a team best finish of ninth on the weekend
- Supersport
- Bodie Paige showed that he had the pace to hang in Supersport
- Superbike
Mission M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s long-time Supersport ace Tyler Scott was given the chance to ride the team’s fire-breathing Superbike in place of the mending Richie Escalante and he did not disappoint.
Scott put in a huge effort with his crew to acclimate to the powerful GSX-R1000R and steadily improved throughout the weekend. After qualifying on the outside of Row 4 in 12th position, Scott raced his way to a top-10 finish in Saturday’s premier-class contest. He matched that performance on Sunday, claiming another competitive 10th to round out his Superbike debut weekend.
Scott said, “It was crazy riding the Superbike for the first time. Everything was so different, from the way you ride the bike, to the traction control, how the bike works. Obviously, it’s still a motorcycle, but the muscles you use, everything … it’s kind of a humbling experience. I think we had a great weekend, as well as we could have hoped, with two top-10s and no crashes. We made improvements in every session and, by the end, I felt great. I learned a lot, so thanks to Team Hammer for the opportunity. The crew was really great.”
Scott’s teammate, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch, scored the team’s top result of the weekend. With the team facing a difficult climb with Escalante out and Scott stepping away from Supersport and up to Superbike, Paasch stepped up to finish ninth on his GSX-R1000 on Saturday. He seemed destined to better that result on Sunday if not for a pair of early incidents that dropped him outside the top 15. Despite the setback, Paasch clawed his way up to 11th by the end.
“We made some great progress with bike setup going into Race 2,” Paasch said. “Unfortunately, a rider hit the back of me right after the start. It sent me wide, and I lost a couple of positions. I tried to make up a position on the brakes the next lap, but I couldn‘t get it done and ended up running off into the gravel. We ended up running some great laps after that but it was too little, too late. It was a rough weekend overall but the bike is feeling more comfortable. I’m looking forward to closing the season strong at my home race.”
Meanwhile, Bodie Paige showcased his Supersport potential while slotting in for Scott. The heralded prospect demonstrated his talent by quickly acclimating to the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R750, qualifying 11th in the deep and competitive middleweight category.
Paige, who has already earned two victories and seven podiums in Twins Cup duty for the team, reeled in an 11th-place finish on Saturday. The 16-year-old Australian hoped to take advantage of the lessons he learned the following day; unfortunately, he crashed while running inside the top 10.
Paige said, “Going in, our target was to get comfortable on the bike and get some experience. I felt like we made some improvements to the bike over the weekend. On Sunday, I made a mistake that kept us from getting a better result. The biggest issue I had that was holding us back was getting feel from the front. I’m not sure if it was me or something else. It probably was a bit of both and something I could get through with a little more experience. Apart from that, everything was about what I expected.”
The 2026 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season will conclude at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, on September 25-27.
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 409 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.
