Although it was widely reported (including here) that Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante had crashed out of fourth place on the last lap of Saturday’s Superbike race at Circuit of The Americas, that wasn’t the case. Escalante’s Suzuki had failed him, with an electrical issue causing him to coast to a heart-breaking stop.
“I love this track, so I feel really good with the bike and the race is good,” Escalante said. “I think I lose a bit in the beginning, but the pace is amazing. The last maybe five laps I saw Cam (Beaubier), (Josh) Herrin, and Bobby (Fong) a little bit aggressive so I just closed the gap. Finally, on the last lap, I thought, ‘Hmm, I’m here, maybe podium today.’ Then I have electrical problem, and the bike just turn off.”
Escalante will have another chance for a podium today as he goes into race two at COTA with plenty of confidence.
“Today everybody makes a small step normally on Sundays, so I have to make this step too in the warm-up,” Escalante said. “I hope to make a small step today and fight for the podium.”
