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/456427
IN THE WIND P36 YOSH TEAM SET WITH HAYDEN, LEWIS J oining veteran Roger Hayden on the Yoshimura Suzuki squad for the 2015 MotoAmerica season will be young up-and- coming road racer Jake Lewis. Hayden and Lewis will be on Suzuki GSX-R1000s for the next couple of seasons, the pair hav- ing signed two-year contracts with Suzuki. Don Sakakura, Senior Vice President of Yoshimura R&D of America, said he's happy to have Hayden and Lewis on board with the team for 2015 and beyond. "We know about Roger's abili- ties," Sakakura said. "Those are proven and he'll be the anchor of the team. We're also excited to have a rider like Jake Lewis, who has shown so much promise and ability at such a young age. We're also excited about the new regulations, which allow us to do more with the bikes." Hayden, a former AMA Super- sport Champion, says he is rein- vigorated with the new direction of AMA Superbike and the pos- sibility of earning his first Super- bike championship. "I'm excited about our new program," said Hayden. "It feels good that a team like Yoshimura has enough faith in me to give me a long-term deal. We want to contend for the title, that's our goal. I want to be a contender ev- ery weekend." Hayden said he also looks for- ward to learning the new-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000s, which will now be nearly identical in tech- nical specifications to World Su- perbike. "With the new Superbike regulations the bikes are going to have a little more speed," he explained. "That should help us. So I'm excited about getting to know the new 2015 Suzuki GSX-R1000 and for the new dir- ection the series is going under MotoAmerica. It's a great time to be a part of the road racing in America." Lewis, the 19-year-old from Princeton, Kentucky, is a former Supersport Champion, a runner- up finisher at Daytona SportBike (last year) and was Rookie of the Year in 2013, as well as winner of the prestigious AMA Horizon Award in 2011. "Ever since I was a four-year- old this is what me and my par- ents worked for," Lewis said. "To get to the top level of racing here in the U.S. and having a factory ride, it's the payoff for all of those years of hard work. And to be on a team like Yoshimura Suzuki, it's a huge opportunity for me." Lewis has already had a taste of the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike in testing and said it felt like a whole new world com- pared to the 600cc bikes he's used to racing. "I fit really well on the Super- bike, but it's amazing how much power the bike has," Lewis ex- plained. "There's a lot for me to learn. It's the first time on a bike of this level with all the electron- ics and my first time on a 1000. It's a lot to get used to, but I'm feeling more and more comfort- able every time on the bike." Roger Hayden pictured and Jake Lewis make up Yoshimura Suzuki's 2015 AMA Superbike team. PHOTO COURTESY OF SUZUKI