Jake Gagne Takes Runner-Up Finish at MotoAmerica Superbike
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne and Cameron Petersen finish second and fourth, respectively, in the first race of 2023 at Road AtlantaFresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne and Cameron Petersen finish second and fourth, re / Apr 22, 2023 /
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne kicked off the 2023 MotoAmerica Superbike season with a runner-up finish in today’s Race 1 at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. His teammate Cameron Petersen also had a solid start to the opening round, narrowly missing the podium with a fourth-place finish.
Gagne set the pace early, topping both sessions on Friday and taking the first pole position of the season. From there, the defending Superbike Champion got the holeshot and worked on building a gap up front. Unfortunately, he started to have issues with arm pump early in the race, and the competition was able to close the gap, passing him on the back straight before the start of Lap 8. The Colorado rider rode a smart race and tried to pass the leader but would finish second to score some valuable points early in the title chase.
Petersen had a rough start to the weekend with a big get-off on Friday, but still qualified third to join his teammate on the front row. The South African got a solid start in fourth and was shuffled to fifth on the first lap. He made his way back to fourth on the next lap and was locked in a three-rider battle for the final podium spot. As the race wore on, it was a two-rider battle for third, with Petersen right on the heels of the competition. He tried to make a pass but ultimately finished shy of the podium in fourth.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team lines up again tomorrow for Race 2 of the opening round of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, on Sunday, April 23, at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Our R1s were working great. Unfortunately, Jake had some arm pump which he hasn’t had a problem with in the past. The past two years, Jake didn’t finish the first race, so we’re off to a good start in the points. Cameron was still getting back to his pace after that big crash in QP1 yesterday. He feels pretty good for tomorrow, and the bike is good. We’re going come back stronger and get back on top.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It’s the first race of the year, and I got off to a good start. The bike was working really well, and I was happy to put in some solid first couple of laps. I just really struggled with arm pump, which I haven’t really dealt with in the last couple of years. By Lap 3, I was so pumped up I really couldn’t squeeze the lever any harder. When Cam (Beaubier) came by me, I figured I’d try to chill behind him and see if I could try and make a move, but, yeah it was just tough from there on out. In the last two years, we didn’t get any points at the first race, so it’s still a good start to the season. We brought it home and got some points, and we’ve got another one tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
““Yeah, it was a good first race at Road Atlanta. I got off to a fairly decent start, but those first few laps I rode around a little bit tentative after the get-off yesterday. Unfortunately, I just kind of got stuck where I was, but I felt great towards the end of the race and felt like I had some decent pace. All in all, it was just a positive day, especially with how the weekend started. I’m looking forward to Race 2.”
2023 MotoAmerica Superbike Road Atlanta Race 1 Results
http://www.motoamericaregistration.com/2016-results/
