Richie Escalante’s quest for what may arguably be a career-best standing in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship was dealt a heavy blow at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, when mechanical problems in both races of the doubleheader sent him to the pits early, awarding no points in the process.
NBC Sports caught up with Escalante before the penultimate round of the Superbike season. The Mexican National, who hails from a community about an hour outside of Mexico City, greeted those two races with a ton of confidence. Escalante considers COTA his home track, and it has been extremely kind to him throughout his career on the big bike.
“Always, you want more,” Escalante told NBC Sports. “One more finish on the podium; to be a little more competitive. [But] I’m happy with my progress — to always finish the races with points, and now I’m fifth in the championship. It’s important in this championship when you have two riders on the same team, you can stay in the front.”
Consistency vs. Setbacks
Compounding his COTA disappointment, Escalante had one of the best bikes in the first race of the double header on Saturday.
Riding fourth in the second half of the race, he was closing the gap on the lead battle, shaving as much as half a second off their advantage during several laps. And as the lead trio began swapping positions on the final lap, a podium was distinctly possible. An electrical issue on the final lap ended Escalante’s charge.
It would have been Escalante’s third podium at COTA in the past three seasons.
“My first Superbike podium was in 2023, also in Austin,” Escalante said. “My two podiums in Superbike class were always in Austin. It is a special track for myself.”
If he had been able to close on Josh Herrin, Cameron Beaubier, and Bobby Fong, it would also have been Escalante’s third podium of 2025.
“Consistency helps,” Escalante said. “Right now, I’m P5 in the championship. I’m happy with the two podiums, especially with the second one at Virginia; [it] was one of my best races so far in my career. It was super-fun. It’s insane to battle with Cam Beaubier and Jake Gagne, who together have like 10 championships.”
Race 2 was less dramatic. Escalante pulled into the pits on Lap 3. He had lost a cylinder and was unable to continue.
Those issues in COTA cost Escalante dearly. It was only the second time that he failed to earn points in a race. The first time was in the season-opener at Barber Motorsports Park. Since then, he has earned seven top-fives and six more sixth-place finishes.
Escalante entered COTA 66 points behind fourth-place Jake Gagne and needed to gain 13 points per race to take over the position.
Instead, Escalante fell to seventh, but the gap to fifth is manageable, with only nine points separating Escalante from that milestone. New Jersey Motorsports Park will feature three races this weekend, so Escalante controls his fate.
Looking Ahead
Reclaiming that position is important.
Escalante has one Superbike top-five championship finish under his belt. He climbed to fifth in the closing rounds of 2023 after Beaubier was sidelined with injury. But Escalante was unable to capitalize on the momentum in 2024 as he suffered an injury to his left wrist and compression fractures in three vertebrae in his back in an accident at Road Atlanta.
“The most important thing right now is to demonstrate I am very competitive and am ready for next season,” Escalante said. “My third season in the Superbike class, and it’s really a high level on this, and we have made progress every time I go on the track, so I’m happy at the moment.”
This weekend could be Escalante’s biggest challenge. In addition to racing his competitors, Escalante will probably have to deal with a wet track sometime during the weekend. The weather forecast predicts at least a 45 percent chance of rain from Wednesday through Tuesday.
“Normally, the final run in New Jersey, for some reason, one day it always rains,” Escalante said. “When it’s raining, it’s easier to make a mistake and maybe lose points for the championship.”
Then again, the same is true of fifth-place Sean Dylan Kelly (Escalante’s teammate) and sixth-place JD Beach.
