M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Debise Earns Team Hammer’s 199th Podium

The Team Achieved the Latest Milestone during Sunday’s MotoAmerica Competition at Sonoma Raceway

BREA, CA. – August 15, 2018 – (Motor Sports Newswire) –  Team Hammer took another step in its long and storied history last Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, securing its 199th AMA Pro/MotoAmerica National podium finish.

The achievement came courtesy of M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Valentin Debise, who weathered Sunday’s torrid pace to come home a strong second in MotoAmerica Supersport Race 2.

From the start of the race, the Frenchman attacked aggressively with his GSX-R600 and spent the majority of the race battling the leader, their relentless pace leaving the chasing pack behind. In fact, Debise second place time on Sunday was faster the race-winning time recorded the prior day.

Despite missing out on the victory, Debise said he was pleased with his own performance as well as that of his crew. “The race was really, really fast. With those lap times, we were not far from a front-running Superbike pace,” Debise said. “Even if the battle for the lead wasn’t crazy, the pace was so fast that the race was very entertaining for me. I was pushing really hard the entire way while trying to not make any mistakes. I almost crashed in the last corner after six laps and after that save, I thought I should calm down. But I still kept my head down, put in some good laps, and finished close to the win. It was a good improvement. Once again, thank you to my M4 ECSTAR Suzuki crew; as always, they did an awesome job, and it’s always a big pleasure to work with them. I cannot wait to race again in two weeks.”

Even though Debise missed the opening four races of the season while recovering from injury, he now ranks third in Supersport championship points on the strength of six podium results since his return.

M4 medAge Suzuki’s Nick McFadden and M4 RiCK! Suzuki’s Daytona Anderson finished ninth and 14th, respectively, in Supersport Race 2. McFadden ran as high as 5th early on and his finish was enough to move him up to 4th in the championship point standings behind Debise. Anderson currently ranks 15th.
Meanwhile, Debise’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate, Jake Lewis, put in another impressive performance in MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2.

Lewis was engaged in a multi-rider fight for fourth over the race’s opening half, eventually becoming embroiled in a close, two-rider shootout for fifth as the laps ticked away. The Kentuckian stalked his opponent but, ultimately finished in sixth, just 0.225-second from notching up his 10th Superbike top-five result of the year.

“I put in a much better ride and my pace was good throughout,” said Lewis. “Can’t be bummed as we worked hard all weekend and I gave it my best. Thanks to the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team for the hard work. See you all in Pittsburg!” Lewis is sixth in the Superbike point standings.

Team Hammer will be primed and eager to score its 200th AMA Pro/MotoAmerica National podium when the 2018 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season resumes at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, in Wampum, PA, on August 24th through 26th. Visit beIN SPORTS for the televised coverage schedule for the 2018 MotoAmerica race series.

About Suzuki:

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories 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 2018 season marks Team Hammer’s 38th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 68 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 199 times, and have won five AMA Pro National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. The team has also won 135 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races), 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. For more information, visit www.teamhammer.com.

Suzuki, the “S” logo, and the Suzuki model and product names are Suzuki trademarks or ®.

Source: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

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