Blistering pace today in hot Race at MotoAmerica VIRginia International Raceway

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Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne set a blistering pace today in a hot Race 1 at the VIRginia International Raceway to take the win and advance his position in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. His teammate Cameron Petersen finished third in the tricky conditions to give the team its second-consecutive double podium.

Gagne came out swinging from day one in Alton, Virginia, topping the timesheets in every session and breaking the track record to keep his perfect qualifying streak in 2022. He got a good start from pole position and just edged his teammate out for the holeshot. The defending champ tried to ride away, but the points leader was hot on his heels. Just after the halfway mark, Gagne was able to break away and rode on to score his 19th-career Superbike victory in the punishing conditions. His second win of the season gave him a valuable 12-point gain and moved up from sixth to third in the points standings.

Petersen qualified third to join his teammate on the front row. He got a great start, but it was a hectic first few turns, and he was ultimately shuffled to fourth. The South African regrouped and closed the gap to the podium around the halfway point. On Lap 12, he advanced to third after the competition made an error and then closed in on his fellow Yamaha rider in second. Petersen continued to keep his cool in the heat and ultimately crossed the line third. He currently sits fourth in the championship and is only one point behind his teammate.

The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team lines up again tomorrow at the VIRginia International Raceway for Race 2 of the third round of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship on Sunday, May 21.

Richard Stanboli

Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager

“It’s been a really good weekend. From the start, the guys have been up and running well, and the bikes are working well. We were able to adjust from some things that we saw earlier in the year, and now we are on a roll. Also, hats off to our team and the Westby Team for making it an Attack Yamaha R1 sweep. We had all three bikes on the front row, and at the end of the day, all three in the winner’s circle.”

Jake Gagne

Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“The race was tough. It’s so much hotter in the afternoon, so the track changes a lot, and it was really greasy. We got off to a good start and then I just tried to stay calm because I knew that it’s easy to make mistakes out there when it’s that different and the grip level is so low. The bike worked great, and after about halfway in the race, this Yamaha started inching away. Then I just tried to keep doing my laps and stay calm to bring it home. It was a good race and great to see three Yamahas on the podium.”

Cameron Petersen

Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing

“It was a great day. I got off to a great start, but I was a little bit erratic the first few laps and ended up dropping back to about two seconds from the guys in front of me. I just reminded myself to take a breath, relax and be smooth. The middle part of the race was really good. I was able to close in on Danilo (Petrucci) and Matty (Scholtz). Although I think Jake was just managing his race, I hear I was able to match his pace, which is really inspiring for me. So yeah, I’m just super stoked with how the day went. I’m going to keep trying to build off this progress and take it step by step. I can’t win every race, but I can definitely lose every race. I think we’re going in the right direction and will keep working.”

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