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M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Signs Sean Dylan Kelly, Alex Dumas, and Lucas Silva for 2020

By February 24, 2020July 20th, 20212020 News

M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Signs Sean Dylan Kelly, Alex Dumas, and Lucas Silva for 2020

Brea, CA (February 24, 2020)-Team Hammer, Inc. is excited to announce that Sean Dylan Kelly and Lucas Silva will contest the 2020 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Supersport Championship on M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600s while reigning Twins Cup Champion Alex Dumas moves up to the Stock 1000 class on an M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000.

“Young Gun” Kelly is fresh off a breakthrough first MotoAmerica season and figures to again be a strong contender in Supersport. The 17-year-old racked up seven podium finishes in 2019, including a spectacular double victory at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.

That impressive rookie MotoAmerica campaign was previewed by an eye-opening performance in the 78th Daytona 200 where he became the youngest pole winner in the prestigious event’s history and ultimately claimed a runner-up finish, and then celebrated with a Moto2 World Championship wild card ride at the season’s end.

“I’m absolutely pleased to be racing another season with Team Hammer and ready for my second year in the Supersport class,” said Kelly. “My goal was to race two years in Supersport and the idea is to take what I learned the first time and do more.

“Last year was great,” added Kelly. “We had some nice accomplishments and also some tough times like there will always be in racing, but overall I enjoyed it and thought it was a really fantastic season. This time, we hope to be even stronger.”

Rising young star Lucas Silva will race in Supersport on an M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R600. The native Brazilian emigrated with his family from São Paulo to Miami, Florida in 2008, and quickly joined the local racing scene with his older brothers.

Building on the experience he gained campaigning his first full MotoAmerica season in 2018 with four consecutive Superstock 600 top-10’s and an eighth-place overall finish, Silva took his game to another level in 2019. Last year, he rode an Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600 (with technical support from Team Hammer) and finished 11th in the MotoAmerica Supersport standings, improving his set-up skills, consistency and overall speed in the process.

“This is an amazing opportunity to race with Team Hammer and my family has worked hard to achieve it,” said Silva. “It is a dream come true for us. I had a good first year on the Suzuki GSX-R600 last year and I have been working hard training this off-season. I fell in love with the Suzuki last year and was more competitive as the year went on. I think my strong suit is being smooth and the GSX-R really suits me.”

Two-time MotoAmerica National Champion Alex Dumas will continue with the Team Hammer squad in 2020, contesting the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Stock 1000 Championship on an M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000.

For his first season with Team Hammer in 2019, Dumas became the MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion. He proved particularly formidable aboard the Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki SV650 down the stretch, stacking up eight-straight podiums to close out the season, including five race wins. And for the second consecutive season, he earned a championship with more than a full race’s advantage in hand, securing the title by a 26-point margin.

“I’m really excited to return to Team Hammer,” said Dumas. “I had a good experience my first season and moving up to the Stock 1000 class should be good for me. Having success last season helped my confidence and it was good to step up my game and achieve some nice results. I look forward to continuing against some fast guys this year.”

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About Suzuki

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories 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 2020 season will mark Team Hammer’s 40th consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 83 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 234 times and have won seven AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships. 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.