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May 02, 2023

MotoAmerica: More From Road America

© 2023, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By

© 2023, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Harley-Davidson:

FACTORY HARLEY-DAVIDSON RIDER KYLE WYMAN FINISHES 1-3 AND EXTENDS KING OF THE BAGGERS POINTS LEAD AT ROAD AMERICA

Vance & Hines Racer James Rispoli Goes 3-2 for 2nd in Points

MILWAUKEE (June 5, 2023) – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman extended his MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers points lead with a win on Saturday and a third-place finish on Sunday at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Racing in front of a Harley-Davidson home-town crowd, Wyman rode the team's race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® motorcycle to his fourth consecutive race victory on Saturday, and battled his way to the podium on Sunday, further extending his King of the Baggers series points lead by 13 points.

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"This was another strong weekend for the Factory Harley team," said Wyman. "It was great to get the win yesterday in front of all the Harley fans here so close to headquarters in Milwaukee, and especially fun to have Willie G. Davidson here to see it. On Sunday, we had a real fight going on out there. That was some really exciting racing. I thought we all might crash on that last lap. Great to get on the podium and bank some more points. Next up Laguna Seca where we have done really well in the past."

Wyman slotted into fifth position on Friday in qualifying on the recently re-paved 4.048-mile Road America course, with his factory teammate Travis Wyman qualifying seventh on the second Screamin’ Eagle Factory Team Road Glide motorcycle.

In the five-lap Saturday race, Wyman sifted through the field on the first lap and locked onto the rear wheel of the race leader, Factory Indian rider Tyler O’Hara. O’Hara and Wyman pulled away from the field, with O’Hara's lead never more than 0.16 second. On the last lap, Wyman out-braked O’Hara into Turn 8 in a perfectly calculated move. As O’Hara ran wide through the turn, Wyman passed for the lead and opened a big enough gap to prevent O’Hara making a draft pass on the long uphill front straight to the finish. Wyman crossed the line 0.567 seconds clear of O’Hara. James Rispoli finished third on the Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson Road Glide. Travis Wyman finished sixth on the Factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide.

On Sunday pole sitter Bobby Fong got a great start on his Sacramento Mile/Roland Sands Indian and pulled away from the field. Behind him Kyle Wyman, Factory Indian rider Jeremy McWilliams, and Rispoli and Hayden Gillim on the Vance & Hines/Mission/Harley-Davidson Road Glide bikes battled for the entire five-lap race. McWilliams crashed out on the last lap. Wyman drafted past Gillim on the front straight run to the finish but could not quite catch Rispoli, who crossed the line just 0.01 seconds ahead to take second place. Gillim finished fourth followed by Travis Wyman.

After six of 14 rounds in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle Wyman leads the championship with 116 points, followed by Rispoli with 103 points and Gillim with 89 points. O’Hara sits in fourth place with 81 points. Travis Wyman is in 10th place with 40 points.

The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Team Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.

The Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory team returns to action July 7-9 in the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California.

MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road America Race 1

MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Road America Race 2

Harley-Davidson invites you to enhance the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Check out, ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending 2021 champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team's 2022 championship pursuit. Watch it now on Harley-Davidson's YouTube channel.

Harley-Davidson stands for the timeless pursuit of adventure and freedom for the soul. Go to H-D.com to learn more about the complete line of 2023 Harley-Davidson Grand American Touring, Sport, Adventure Touring, Cruiser and Trike motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Certified™ pre-owned motorcycles, Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories, Harley-Davidson MotorClothes and gear, and Harley-Davidson Financial Services.

More, from a press release issued by Tytlers Cycle Racing:

Beaubier wins Race 1 at Road America as PJ doubles up on the box and Corey races to solid seventh places on the BMW M1000 RR

It was all smiles at Road America on Saturday for Tytlers Cycle Racing as the raced to a superb 1-2 finish in the opening MotoAmerica Superbike race of the weekend.

Lapping significantly faster than the previous lap record Cameron Beaubier, who had started from P2 on the grid, once again found himself in the fight our front, eventually crossing the line with a winning margin of 2.7s after an exciting twelve lap race. With it he reclaimed the championship lead. PJ Jacobsen on the team's second BMW M1000 RR was also on fine form. Setting off from third on the grid the #66 secured his first podium finish of the season after a great race long battle. Corey Alexander finished seventh to secure his fifth consecutive point scoring finish, adding another nine points to his championship tally.

There was further success combined with disappointment for the team on Sunday on a day that really summed up the saying ‘what a difference a day can make’.

PJ Jacobsen was on the podium in P2 for the second consecutive day. He finished a mere two seconds from the win whilst Corey Alexander once again dug deep throughout the second twelve lap encounter. His efforts rewarded with another well-earned seventh position. For Cameron Beaubier there was to be no double celebration after a retirement from the lead saw him pull to the side of the track, relinquishing his slender championship points advantage as he did so.

The series now heads west for round four to Ridge Motorsports Park with the entire team buoyed by the continued success and front running performance by its riders.

Cameron Beaubier: I felt good on the bike in Race 1. I almost went off track in turn two on the first lap that put me backwards, but I put my head down and was happy with my pace. Road America really lets us use that BMW power and it felt good to get another win and to have two Tytlers bikes on the podium. Race two was a bummer with an unlucky mechanical but that's racing. We have a couple of days at Brainerd this week which will be good because I haven't ridden there before. I am enjoying the season and looking forward to the rest of the season.

PJ Jacobsen: "The first race went well. I would have liked a better start but overall, it was a good race. I was bit upset as I couldn't find a way past Josh (Herrin) on the brakes after lap three and I felt he was holding me up. The team did an awesome job, and the plan was to even better on Sunday. Race two was pretty good. I got off to a decent start and focused on staying in touch with Josh (Herrin) and Cam (Beaubier). Unfortunately, Cam retired otherwise I am sure he too would have been right there. I gave it everything but, in the end, had to settle for second. I want to the whole Tytlers Cycle Racing team for their excellent work this weekend. Coming out of Road America with two second place finishes is really good for us, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do at The Ridge!"

Corey Alexander: "We have made some positive steps forward with the bike and our qualifying was much closer to where we want to be. Unfortunately, we got caught out with the wrong tyre choice for Race 1 which prevented us from the result we were hoping for. I was still happy with another top eight but wanted more. Race two was another positive step forward for us. We were able to continually drop pace through the race with our best time of the weekend coming on the last lap. I am excited to take what we learned and continue onward to The Ridge. Thanks to the whole team and my guys for working so hard to make me comfortable and being patient with our progress."

More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:

SCOTT AND THE SUZUKI GSX-R750 RETURN TO THE PODIUM AT ROAD AMERICA

Elias Finishes Career with a Top-Five Result

BREA, CA – June 5, 2023 – Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer closed the book on an eventful weekend at MotoAmerica with a podium finish while saying a surprise farewell to one of the most accomplished riders in the series’ history.

Race Highlights:

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki's Tyler Scott issued a reminder of his more typical form on Sunday, collecting a trophy after what had been a challenging weekend for the talented Supersport rider and his crew. After making substantial changes to the set-up of his GSX-R750 overnight, Scott was significantly more competitive in today's race. Scott shot out to the lead off the line. Even after dropping back to fourth place before the opening lap was complete – Scott continued to hang with the lead group deep into the contest. Scott made a successful push to take over third place with five laps remaining and then went about solidifying his podium position over the remaining laps.

"I have to give a big thank you to the whole Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team," Scott said. "Usually when we come to a track, we’re a little bit closer to the front. But this weekend we were challenged all weekend, up until this morning. We made key changes to the setup, and today we had the pace to race at the front. It felt great to be battling with the leaders and put the GSX-R750 on the box."

Scott likely would have been in a fight for the podium with teammate Teagg Hobbs if not for misfortune on Hobbs’ part. Unfortunately, Saturday's fourth-place finisher didn't have a chance to improve upon that result due to an electronics issue that ended Hobbs’ race before it began.

2017 MotoAmerica Superbike champion Toni Elias looked like his vintage self on Sunday, throwing his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R sideways, scrapping for position, and executing a last-lap pass to secure a top-five result. Afterward, Elias made a surprise announcement during his broadcast interview, explaining that rather than a promising sign of things to come, the race would serve as his farewell, as he steps back into retirement effective immediately.

Elias said, "Today was my last race. I want to thank John Ulrich, Chris Ulrich, Team Hammer, and everybody who helped and supported me during this period. The return has not been what I was expecting, but I had fun in this last one. I pushed hard, trying to hold on to the position today. It's been a big effort, and it's nice to finish like this."

Richie Escalante was one of the riders who mixed it up with Elias as part of a three-rider battle for fifth. Escalante took over the spot a few laps into the contest, but it became evident he was suffering from grip issues, losing two positions on lap five, and later as he circulated the Road America circuit a few seconds off his earlier pace. Rather than give up, Escalante adapted and managed to make his final lap his fastest of the race, while collecting valuable points with an eighth-place finish.

"The most important thing is the feeling with the team and bike, and we are stronger and faster," Escalante said. "We made some changes in the warm-up after finishing fourth yesterday. We were fast but then I had a strange situation in the race. I didn't have a good feeling with the rear of the motorcycle, and I had a few moments early in the race. I lost some positions and didn't run the pace I wanted. In the end, I had my best lap but the feel wasn't there. We will analyze the data and figure out what happened, but we are making good progress. I really like the next two tracks we will race at, and I look forward to competing there."

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will next head to Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, on June 23-25 for the next round of the 2023 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season.

For more racing news, results, and special team content please visit https://suzukicycles.com/racing/road-racing.

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 2023 season marks Team Hammer's 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Race bikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 347 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.

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