Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1539721
Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Celebrates GSX-R 40th Anniversary Y ou might have noticed a different look for the Vi- sion Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki race bikes at COTA last week, and that's because Suzuki Motor USA and Team Ham- mer are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Suzuki GSX-R with a special com- memorative livery for the final two races of the 2025 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season. The unique livery is inspired by the new 2026 Suzuki GSX- R1000/R introduced at the Suzuka 8 Hours FIM Endur - ance race in August. To date, the Suzuki GSX-R has scored 12 AMA/Mo- toAmerica Superbike titles, along with Supersport, For- mula Xtreme and Superstock Championships, ridden by the likes of Kevin Schwantz, Mat Mladin, Ben Spies, Martin Cardenas, Toni Elias, Roger Hayden, John Hopkins and many more. "Team Hammer has played a key role in Suzuki's success over the years, having raced the GSX-R since they were introduced in 1985," says Suzuki. "The vast majority of the team's 135 AMA/Mo - toAmerica race victories and 11 national championships have come aboard various incarnations of the GSX-R, as did 20 national titles claimed across WERA National Endurance and Formula USA competition." You can get another chance to look at the bikes next weekend at the Mo - toAmerica final in New Jersey. CN WIND IN THE P32 2026 MotoAmerica Schedule Announced M otoAmerica announced its 2026 schedule, which will be celebrat- ing the 50th anniversary of AMA Superbike racing. The Superbike Championship will be made up of nine rounds and 20 races, beginning at Road Atlanta and concluding at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The 2026 Motovation Supersport series will consist of 19 races, as the 84th running of the now points-paying Daytona 200 will be the opening round of the championship, March 5-7, in Daytona Beach, Florida. In the four years since MotoAmerica took over the running of the 200, it has been a standalone race and not a round of the Supersport Championship. CN Next year's MotoAmerica Superbike Championship will be made up of nine rounds and 20 races. The Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki race bikes debuted a new look at the COTA round of the MotoAmerica Championship. They will also be ridden in the special livery at the final in New Jersey next week.