Crash in Turn 1 at MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta Ends Badly

Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne bounced back from a tough race yesterday to finish second in race two at Road America on Sunday, June 28, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Unfortunately for Cameron Beaubier, a crash in Turn 1 ended his race early.

Gagne was fifth at the start but quickly moved into fourth and then made the pass for third in Turn 8 on the first lap. With Beaubier well up front, the 27-year-old was trying to chase down second. By lap four he was able to close the two-second gap and advanced to second after his teammate’s error. Gagne stayed on the competition for the rest of the race but was unable to make the pass and crossed the line second for his third podium of the season. He leaves Road America second in the championship standings, trailing his teammate by nine points.
It was looking like another repeat performance for Beaubier who grabbed the holeshot and started to build a gap on the competition. On the third lap he set the fastest lap of the race with a 2’11.436 and was looking to keep expanding his lead when he went over the infamous bump in turn one and tucked the front. The four-time Superbike champ tried to rejoin the race, but ultimately had to pull in to the pits with the bike not 100% after the crash.

Next up for the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team is Round 3 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Road Atlanta, July 31 – August 2, in Braselton, Georgia.

Richard Stanboli
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Jake rode well to earn that second-place finish. The team made some good steps forward and Jake continues to build his confidence. I think he will be a strong challenger for the top spot as soon as the next event. Cameron has been in a class of his own and his 2020 R1 continues to give him the confidence he needs. Unfortunately the notorious turn one bump caught him out just as it has done to many riders in the past. Even with a DNF we leave Road America with a comfortable first- and second-place in the championship. We look forward to racing and seeing our fans at Road Atlanta.”

Jake Gagne
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“We made some good progress with the bike in warm up this morning and I figured a few things out. My start was much better today and I was running behind Bobby (Fong) and Cam. Unfortunately Cam went down in Turn 1 trying to make a break. From then on I just tried to keep close to Fong. There were some sections of track he was really pulling me, then I’d pull time back in others. It was close there at the end, but I just wasn’t close enough and brought it home in second. I’m really glad to get the R1 back on the podium and I’m pumped to get to Road Atlanta!”

Cameron Beaubier
Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“The race today started with a good jump off the line and I was feeling good like yesterday, but unfortunately I tucked the front over the bumps in Turn 1. Other than that, I feel great on my bike. We will put it behind us and get going at Road Atlanta.”

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