Gagne Scores Pair of Podiums in Sunday’s Superbike Doubleheader
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne keeps podium streak rolling at Laguna Seca to strengthen his MotoAmerica Superbike title defense / Jul 9, 2023 /
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne’s podium streak continued with a second and third-place finish in today’s MotoAmerica Superbike doubleheader at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The reigning champ’s 1-2-3 score on the weekend has him leaving the iconic Monterey, California, track with a 34-point lead in the championship with nine races remaining. Teammate Petersen bounced back from yesterday’s tough Race 1 to conclude the weekend with a pair of top-five finishes.
On the heels of yesterday’s victory, Gagne put in another championship ride at the doubleheader. In the first race of the day, he got a great start to claim the lead and put in some fast times early to try and break away, but he had his championship rival hot on his heels. The duo built a comfortable gap up front, and Gagne continued to knock down consistently fast laps but was passed with five laps to go and rode on to a runner-up finish
In the final race of the weekend, Gagne was fourth and laid in wait behind a three-rider fight which included his teammate and championship rivals. On Lap 6, he passed Petersen, but the frontrunners had amassed a healthy gap ahead. Undeterred, Gagne picked up the pace to close the gap and was right behind them with four laps to go. On the final lap, he set the fastest lap of the race and advanced to the runner-up spot. Gagne crossed the line .118 of a second behind the leader but was ultimately credited with third after a two-second penalty was assessed for exceeding the track limits.
After a tough opening race of the weekend that saw him crash out of the lead on the exit of Turn 2, Petersen got a good start in today’s Race 2 from the second row of the grid in fifth. Although he was shuffled to seventh on Lap 3, he kept pushing and made his way back to the top five. In Race 3, Petersen executed another flying start to take the lead into Turn 2. It was an eventful opening lap that turned into a three-rider battle, with the South African putting in a good fight for the lead before being shuffled to third. After Gagne made his way through, he was holding down fourth but was passed with five laps to go, ending the day with another solid fifth-place finish.
Next up for the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team is Round 6 of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, on July 28-30.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager“Throughout the event, we made good progress and a significant step forward on the new surface and tires. We are happy with our progress. Jake rode well to catch the leaders in Race 3. I think the track limits penalty was extreme, considering the actual advantage that would be gained by jumping the green. If the goal is to emulate the world championship, then it should follow the world standards by giving track limits warnings to the riders and exacting punishments that fit the infraction.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing“We had some good races on Sunday and made some great progress. In Race 3, those guys were messing around, and I was able to reel them in. I feel like I rode my butt off in that one, so regardless, I’m happy with how I rode. I’m happy for this team. They really helped me step it up this weekend. It definitely was some exciting racing today, and I’m excited to get to the next round!”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing“It was another tough weekend for me. The bike felt good, and so did I, but unfortunately I had a crash in Race 1. Race 2 and 3 were way better, and I was happy with my pace and got some good starts. At the end of the day, I just need to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and we will be fighting at the front.”
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Laguna Seca Resultshttp://www.motoamericaregistration.com/2016-results/
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