The 2023 MotoAmerica season kicks off with the 81st Daytona 200, March 9-11 at the Daytona International Speedway. Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki will field a three-rider effort for the famous race, with the team’s Superbike pilot and former MotoAmerica Supersport champion Richie Escalante joining Supersport regulars Tyler Scott and Teagg Hobbs on the team’s Suzuki GSX-R750 race bikes.
“I am ready and very excited to race the Daytona 200,” said Escalante. “To be honest, I was super happy when the team gave me the chance to race the 200 with the Suzuki GSX-R750. I can’t wait to see what will happen. It is a long race with pit stops. With the draft, it is difficult to plan a strategy. We will work on pit stops and see what happens on the last laps. Also, I lost weight to help the Supersport effort on the straights. After the race, I will return to the Superbike mentality.
I intend to battle for the win. I have ridden the bike and think the GSX-R750 is a great bike to contest the 200,” said Escalante. “It has great handling but with more power. The Daytona 200 is a very historic race and only one Latin American racer has won it, Johnny Cecotto. Of course, I first represent the team and Suzuki, but also it would be nice to be the second Latin American rider and first Mexican to win it.”
“I am super excited for the season to start. I have been training every day, preparing for a long season. I can’t wait to get back with the team and start collaborating with a new crew chief this year, Jeremy Toye,” said Scott. “I’m ready to go for it and to see what happens. I plan to feel it out in the early laps and having a good pace, and of course, the goal is to win. We did the Race of Champions last fall so I’ve done something similar to a 200-mile race on a middleweight Supersport bike. It is going to be fun, and I am ready.”
“I am more than excited to be entering the Daytona 200 with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki,” said Hobbs. “This will be my second Daytona 200. I learned much in my first attempt and am looking forward to applying it for a second go. Going to the first race of 2023 with a prestigious and well-oiled team like Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki is a dream come true. I am looking forward to giving my all for the team. I have been giving training everything I’ve got, and I am ready for anything the 200-mile race throws at me.”
