Young and West return to Team Hammer

From Team M4 EMGO Suzuki

Team Hammer, Inc. will continue to work with riders Blake Young and Cory West in 2009.

Young, age 20, is in the middle of a two-year contract with Team Hammer, which is currently racing as Team M4 EMGO Suzuki.

"Next year I'm coming back to the team and it should be good," said Young. "Having a year under our belts working together with the team should be a major plus. That's one less thing we need to worry about. We're comfortable with each other and familiar in how we work together, so it should be good."

Young has been the breakthrough rider in the AMA series this year and he's emerged as a young star on Team M4 EMGO Suzuki's machinery since joining the team for 2008. Young won the Elkhart Lake Superstock race in brilliant fashion to register his first AMA victory and has had other great runs as well. He was second at Daytona and Mid-Ohio and third at California Speedway.

"I've just been trying to put in decent results this year and with what we've learned running at the front of the pack, I think we should be a real serious force next season," said the Wisconsin native.

West has been solid in his first year on the team. The Arkansas racer reached the AMA Supersport podium at Miller Motorsports Park on his M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600 and has a bevy of top-10 finishes to his credit in the class.

The former AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year will return to Team Hammer in 2009 after the team exercised a contract option last weekend.

"Blake and Cory have both been fantastic young riders for the team this year," said crew chief Keith Perry. "They both have a lot of talent but they are also racers who are already earning good results. We're enthusiastic about having both of them back next season.

"Along with Martin Cardenas, we have a trio we are really excited about. Blake and Martin have already proven they can run at the front and Cory has been on the podium, too. The team feels it is an exciting time for motorcycle racing in the US and we feel great about our riders returning."