Gagne’s Hot Streak Continues at VIR
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne scored his third-consecutive victory to sweep the weekend and make championship gains in today’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at the VIRginia International Raceway. Cameron Petersen finished fourth to close out another solid weekend at Round 3 of the championship with his new team.
Gagne continued his dominant form on the 2.25-mile track in Alton, Virginia, and grabbed the holeshot from pole position. He then executed his trademark disappearing act by setting a hot pace early and managing his race to remain unchallenged. The Colorado rider’s perfect weekend also bolstered his championship bid, moving him to within 13 points of the leader.
Petersen had a solid start in fourth and rode another smart race in the challenging conditions. On Lap 7, he reeled in the riders battling for the final podium spots and claimed third in Turn 1 on the following lap. He kept pushing, trying to make a pass for the runner-up spot, but in the final laps was shuffled to fourth, where he would finish.
After a weekend break, the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team heads to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for Round 4 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship on June 3-5.
Richard Stanboli
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“The weekend went as planned. Our Yamaha R1s ran great, and Jake continued to lead the way and win as he does. Cameron has also been progressing nicely and has been mixing it up with the front runners all race long. We are looking forward to seeing our fans and racing at our next event at Road America.”
Jake Gagne
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was good to get some points back and to get my first double since last year. We’re trying not to think about that right now and just take it one race at a time, but it’s good to have a great weekend like this. We’re still learning and understanding more about the bike. We made a couple of improvements to go a little bit faster today, so hats off to the team because we’re just inching our way forward and getting a little bit more comfortable with every little change.
“It was another hot one today, not quite as hot as yesterday, but the track was still really greasy and slick. I think the main thing was that we got a better feel with the tires, and it was just enough to have a better first half of the race, and I was able to pull away with a little bit of a gap there. From there, it was just managing my race and limiting mistakes. The competition’s high this year, so I’m happy to make some progress today.”
Cameron Petersen
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was a good race, but honestly, I’m a little bit disappointed with the outcome. Once again, Jake in those first few laps was unreal, and we all just played catch-up for the rest of the race. In the middle part of the race, I felt like I had some good pace, but unfortunately, I didn’t have anything on the brakes to make a pass. I learned a bunch this weekend, though, so I’m super excited going into our next race. I’m just going to keep building off this progress. We’re getting closer and closer and will hopefully get that win soon.”
