Gagne Strengthens Championship Lead with Dominant Race 1 Victory at Brainerd
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne executed a perfect race to top the podium in MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at the Brainerd International Raceway. The reigning champ’s fifth-consecutive victory expanded his lead to 12 points. Cameron Petersen kept his podium streak rolling and gave the team a 1-2 finish at the 2.5-mile track in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Once again, Gagne set the tone early in the race. He grabbed the holeshot from pole position and then clocked the fastest time on Lap 2. The Colorado rider continued to throw down some fast laps and built a comfortable gap to manage his race up front and cross the line with a 5.3-second margin of victory. Gagne’s 25th-career superbike victory and eighth win this season strengthened his position in the championship to 12 points with seven races remaining.
Petersen lined up on the front row of the grid next to his teammate and slotted into second after the start but was shuffled to third shortly after. He had few moments in the tricky conditions and was passed on Lap 3 but quickly regained the final podium spot. The South African closed the gap to second a couple of laps later and stayed on the heels of Gagne’s championship rival. In the closing laps, the competition ran off track advancing Petersen to the runner-up spot to give the team another 1-2 finish.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team lines up again tomorrow for MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at the Brainerd International Raceway.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Both riders and our Yamaha R1s performed great today. Brainerd has been especially tricky this year with an unpredictable grip, but our staff quickly found a solution that enabled Jake and Cameron to finish 1-2. With that result, dinner was on me once again! We will make some changes overnight to further improve the bikes and are looking forward to another repeat performance tomorrow.”
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a great day for the team to go 1-2. This track has been tricky all weekend, but the Yamahas are really working great. We’ll try to make some improvements tomorrow and have another go for Race 2.”
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a great day for the team getting another 1-2 finish. I had a couple of moments in those first couple of laps, so I just kind of backed it down, got into my rhythm, and it started coming back to me. Danilo was so good on the brakes. I just tried to stay as close to him as possible and was fortunate to come away with second. We made a lot of progress with the bike, and after getting a race under our belt, we know what we need to work on, so I’m looking forward to another good day tomorrow.”
