Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne rode to a podium finish in yesterday’s Race 2 of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike season opener at the Circuit of The Americas. The defending champion put in a resolved ride to score some valuable points on a challenging weekend in Austin, Texas. His teammate Cameron Petersen finished fourth for a solid debut with the team.
After the MotoGP World Championship completed the Grand Prix of the Americas at the 3.41-mile track in Austin, Texas, the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship took to the grid. Both Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing riders got a good start with Petersen rocketing to the front aboard his Attack Performance Yamaha R1. Sitting in fourth, Gagne jostled for position in the top five on the opening lap and ultimately reclaimed fourth. He soon closed in on his teammate in third and passed him on Lap 3. With Petersen on his heels, the duo started to close the gap on the front runners around the halfway point, but ultimately Gagne crossed the line third to score some valuable points in the championship.
Petersen led the first lap but was shuffled to third a lap later when his teammate advanced. He patiently waited behind Gagne, matching the pace of the reigning MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, but lost some ground after the halfway mark. He then rode on to finish comfortably in fourth and earn his second top-five finish after yesterday’s podium.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing gets a short break before heading to Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, for Round 2 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship on April 22-24.
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“It was an unusual weekend, but we recovered and can take away some positives from it. Jake had little time on the bike but used his skill to change his style and adapt to the unfamiliar feeling of his motorcycle. Cameron was able to follow Jake and match his pace, so it was a good first weekend aboard our R1, and he learned a lot through the weekend. The team will now regroup. We are ready to bring the fight at our next round in Atlanta and look forward to seeing our fans at the podium celebration.”
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It’s been a tough weekend. We were dealing with a lot of weird little things, and we missed out on some good track time. I knew it was going to be tough to fight for the win after the warmup lap – a new bike and some different things that I wasn’t used to. After being out of the race yesterday, the priority was bringing it home and getting some points. I’m just happy to get on the podium and to roll on and get out of this place. So yeah, it was a rough start, but I know we are ready to rock the rest of the year.”
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a better race than the first one. I was more consistent and was a little bit closer to the front. So it was a good starting point, but I’ve got to be on the podium every single race. I’m not happy with finishing fourth, but I’m happy to walk away with two race finishes and have some solid points under our belt. Now we are going to some of the tracks that I really love going to and that I go good at. I think the rest of the season is going to go well; it was a great first weekend with the team.”
