Suzuki, HEP Motorsports Extend Partnership
S
uzuki Motor USA, LLC an-
nounced it is continuing its
partnership with HEP Motorsports
through the 2025 season as
Suzuki's premier SMX race team.
"With HEP Motorsports' solid
success in 2023, the partnership
continues with both racing and
joint marketing initiatives, includ
-
ing Suzuki's RM Army Boot Camp
events among other things," said
Suzuki in a release.
HEP Motorsports fields two
teams, Progressive Insurance
Ecstar Suzuki (Ken Roczen) and
Twisted Tea Suzuki, Presented by
Progressive. The 2024 rider lineups
will be announced at a later date.
"Suzuki is immensely proud
of the 2023 race season and
the partnership with HEP Mo
-
torsports. The team has grown
into a podium and race-winning
program, and we are excited to
continue building the partner
-
ship with a multi-year extension,"
said Chris Wheeler Motorsports
Manager at Suzuki Motor USA,
LLC. "Having a dedicated and
fun team for fans to rally behind
while also providing value for
Suzuki customers with innovative
projects like the RM Army Boot
Camps, makes it very rewarding
and motivating to continue push
-
ing forward."
CN
WIND
IN THE
P44
Suzuki and HEP
Motorsports have
extended their
partnership with a multi-
year agreement.
AMA Hall of Famer Passes
D
irt track racing legend Sammy Tanner passed
away on September 21 at the age of 84.
Tanner was one of the top AMA professional
racers from the late 1950s through all the 1960s.
Tanner won a total of seven AMA nationals, includ-
ing the prestigious Springfield Mile. He rode for
the Triumph and BSA factory teams and was one
of the heroes of the famous weekly Friday night Ascot
Park races in Gardena, California.
When Tanner first began racing as a young teen-
ager, he was just five feet tall and weighed barely 100
pounds, earning him the nickname the "Flying Flea." He
was also known for being one of the first riders on the
Grand National circuit to wear white racing leathers.
Tanner retired from racing in 1972 and went on to
operate an Arai helmet distributorship in Southern
California.
Tanner was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle
Hall of Fame in 1999.
CN
Dirt track legend and
long-time Arai Helmet
distributor Sammy
Tanner passed away
at the age of 84.
PHOTO: COURTESY AMA
MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME
