Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki star Tyler Scott’s precision, patience and perseverance paid off in the form of victory in this past weekend’s 100th Loudon Classic.
A massive combined $250,000 purse attracted a field stacked with some of the nation’s elite racers, among them Scott and teammates Teagg Hobbs and Richie Escalante, the three of whom were armed with next-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 Supersport racebikes.
Unfortunately, inclement weather made for a chaotic contest marred by numerous red flags before the race was ultimately called complete. Scott was awarded the victory at that point, becoming the youngest winner at 17 years old of this historic race, while collecting the $55,000 purse paid to the winner in the process.
Hobbs and Escalante were among the race’s many victims, both suffering crashes during the race. However, both remounted and soldiered on. Hobbs was credited with eighth position and Escalante 16th.
The accomplishment is the latest in a long list of achievements for the teenager. Scott previously finished third in the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport championship as a class rookie on the strength of a win and nine podiums, dominated the 2021 Junior Cup series, competed in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and the FIM CEV European Talent Cup, and racked up countless honors and titles as an amateur dirt track star.
Scott said, “The race was exciting, with a ton of restarts and red flags. We were on pole and got to practice our starts a bunch. Off those starts, I’d get good launches, but the rear wheel would spin over the paint on the track. I usually got into first or second going into turn one about 75% of the time. We led around five laps in the portion that won us the race and led a lot of laps overall. We were in the right place for much of the race and when it counted the most.
Winning again was cool and the prize was $55,000. It was our first win of the year against a very tough field. The Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team did a great job in a difficult race and really prepared a great bike. We developed the bike when it was dry, and I got to work on my skills in the wet when it was raining”
Chris Ulrich, Team Hammer vice president of operations, said, “Taking on Loudon was a big challenge for the team and riders. Tyler had a mature ride and kept his head in a race held in extremely challenging conditions. Teagg and Richie were caught out by the difficult track surface and suffered crashes. Fortunately, they were unhurt and the crew was able to get them back on track so they could finish. I’m really proud of the job the team did at the race. I also want to thank the NEMRR for putting on the race. It’s a bold idea that brought top-level talent. It was a shame about the weather,” added Ulrich.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will now head to Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, June 23-25 for this weekend’s round of the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing championship.
For more racing news, results, and special team content, visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing.
