More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Gagne Wins, Takes Over MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Points Lead With Perfect Weekend
Pole Position, A New Lap Record, Two Race Wins And The Series Points Lead For Jake Gagne At Pittsburgh International Race Complex
WAMPUM, PA (August 21, 2022) – There are perfect weekends and then there are perfect weekends. Jake Gagne’s weekend at Pittsburgh International Race Complex was as immaculate at it could be. The defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion and his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Superbike didn’t put a wheel wrong at Pitt Race and the result was pole position, a new lap record, two victories and the points lead in the championship.
After snatching everything he could on Saturday, Gagne came back on Sunday and did the same thing. This time, however, the big bonus that came with his 10th win of the season and 27th of his career was a one-point lead in the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship.
Gagne stormed away at the start, built a lead, and maintained it to the end of the 17-lap race. Behind him, he was getting help from Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz as the South African tore through from sixth on the grid to pass then-championship leader Danilo Petrucci and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R for second place, a spot he would hold to the finish. And that gifted Gagne an extra four championship points, which translated to a one-point lead over Petrucci, 290-289.
Scholtz, who was racing with three broken bones in his left wrist, ended up 4.8 seconds behind Gagne and 1.9 seconds ahead of Petrucci, who earned his 14th podium in 16 races with his third-place finish.
Early on it was Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen who was tussling with Petrucci, but the South African couldn’t keep pace and slipped to fourth at the finish.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen finished fifth, barely besting Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante with both riders bouncing back from crashes in Saturday’s race one.
Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim ended up seventh, which made up in small part for his crash in the Yuasa Stock 1000 race. Gillim was just under a second ahead of Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera with the Spaniard being hit with two five-second penalties – one for jumping the start and the other for running straight in the chicane.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis was ninth with Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates rounding out the top 10.
With Gagne now leading Petrucci, 290-289, Petersen is third with 241 points, 22 more than Scholtz. Barbera is still fifth with 150 points.
The MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship resumes at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, September 9-11, with the ninth of 10 rounds.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“On paper, it was a great weekend. I’m happy. We worked great as a team, even starting on Friday. Most of these tracks this year, our goal has been to go faster than last year. On Friday, I thought it would be tough. Like these guys said, we had the rain this morning. The track was pretty slick there for that second race. I think no rubber. It was really green. It got really hot really quick. So, I’m happy where we’re at. Obviously, we’ve got two rounds left, four races, and it’s as tight as you could be in the points chase. So, I’m happy. It’s an honor to be racing these guys and be in the championship hunt with Danilo (Petrucci). I think it’s going to come down to us for a couple more races. For me, that’s exciting. For the series, it’s exciting. I’m enjoying it. I keep saying I’m not trying to think about the points, just race by race do the best we can and that’s all I can do. So, I’m not going to stress out about anything else. Hats off to the team. I’m looking forward to Jersey and Barber. I think everybody really likes those tracks. The Yamaha is going to go good there. Hats off to Matty (Scholtz), too. That guy is a warrior. I know he was pretty beat up and that wrist was gnarly. I can’t even believe after seeing that thing a couple weeks ago that he’s out here up on the podium. So, roll on to the next one.”
Mathew Scholtz – Second Place
“We have a joke that the team are going to break my wrist before every single race, and hopefully we’ll just finish it like this now. But honestly, when I was out there racing and stuff, I don’t really notice the wrist too much. The only problem for me today was the last four or five laps my fingers began going numb. That was the worst part of it, really. After the race finish, I could feel the wrist throbbing a lot, but when I was out there riding, I didn’t notice it. So, I can’t blame it on that. Jake (Gagne) was definitely the quickest guy today. I reeled him in a couple laps towards the end there. I think he knew he had a couple seconds’ gap, so he was just chilling, really. But I know that I definitely have to sort the first couple laps out. That always hurts me bad. That’s something that we’re going to have to look at.”
Danilo Petrucci – Third Place
(Was he hoping for a wet race) Yeah, but it’s a story of my life. When you hope for something, it never happens. So, it was even hotter than yesterday. For me, the track conditions were really, really difficult. I don’t know why we didn’t have any change on the bike, but really, I was struggling on braking to stop the bike. The worst part was releasing the brake and opening the throttle was really like zero traction. I think I just did the 41 just one time, because I was really, really in trouble. We cannot complain. We did our best, but it was not enough. For sure, New Jersey will be another tough race for us, but we’ll see. I’m happy to make it through the heat to the end of the race because I was really, really in trouble today.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne Reclaims Championship Lead in Pittsburgh
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne dominated today’s second MotoAmerica Superbike race at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex, notching his 10th victory of the season to reclaim the championship lead. Cameron Petersen took home another fourth-place finish on a challenging weekend in Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Although the morning warm-up was a wash with wet conditions, the rain stayed away for the final superbike race of the weekend. Gagne picked up where he left off with his perfect Saturday and grabbed another holeshot from pole position. The reigning superbike champ then executed his trademark disappearing act with the fastest lap of the race on Lap 2 and kept a hot pace to amass a comfortable six-second lead by Lap 10. He continued to manage the race up front, securing his 27th-career superbike victory and 10th this season. Gagne’s sweep in the Keystone State moved him back into the championship lead, giving him a one-point advantage as the series heads into a three-week break.
Petersen got off to another great start in second behind his teammate but soon found himself under pressure from Gagne’s championship rival. He tried to hold him off but was passed before the halfway mark. A few laps later, his fellow Yamaha rider Mathew Scholtz made his way through and then charged to a second-place finish. Petersen rode on to score another fourth-place finish at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
After the break, the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team heads to Millville, New Jersey, for the penultimate round of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at the New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 9-11.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“It was another good day for Jake and the Yamaha R1. We are once again in the points lead and will continue to work hard for the next two events to secure enough points to wrap up the championship. Cameron also did a good job with another great start, allowing Jake to get a bit of breathing space from his championship competitor. We look forward to seeing our fans at the next event in New Jersey.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“We thought we were in for a rain race for sure, but luckily the weatherman got it wrong, and we were able to get another dry race. I got off to a great start and pushed hard at the beginning to build a gap and manage my race. I’m happy to bring home another win for the team!”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It was not the best weekend for me. I was off the mark all weekend, but I can’t thank the team enough for all their hard work. We definitely had a bike to run up front. We’re going to keep working and come back stronger in New Jersey. It’s time to get this Yamaha back on the podium!”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Close quarters for Danilo Petrucci and Ducati in Pittsburgh
A double podium closes the fight in the championship
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 21, 2022 – Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) claimed a second and third place finishes behind double winner, Jake Gagne (Yamaha), at the eighth round of the 2022 Medallia MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Pittsburgh International Race Complex this weekend.
The double podium has made the championship effectively a two-round battle between Petrucci and Gagne, with just one point separating the due heading into the penultimate round at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 9-11.
Petrucci leaves Pittsburgh full of confidence heading to New Jersey, another track that he has previously ridden.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Standing – Top 5
P1 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 290
P2 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 289
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 241
P4 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 219
P5 – Hector Barbera (BMW) 150
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It was a tough weekend, more than I expected,” Petrucci said. “Regardless, we are still in the fight for the championship and we need to step up our performance. I have ridden at New Jersey before, so it’s not entirely new, and we will try our absolute maximum to get back into the championship lead.”
Petrucci and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati will rejoin for the last two rounds of the 2022 Medallia MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 9-11.
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Scholtz Is Runner-Up In Sunday’s Superbike Race At Pittsburgh
Wampum, PA – August 21, 2022 – After finishing on the podium with a third-place finish in Saturday’s Superbike race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, shrugged off the pain in his triple-fractured left wrist and put in another heroic effort on Sunday. In his encore performance, The Scholtz Kid outdid himself and finished second in Superbike race two.
Starting from the outside of row two on the grid, Mathew started moving towards the front on lap two. He went from sixth, to fifth, to fourth where he stabilized his position until lap 10 of the 17-lap race. He then made a brilliant pass on Cam Petersen with seven laps to go, which put him into third. Then, on lap 12, he overtook Danilo Petrucci for second and began pulling a gap on the former MotoGP race winner. Mathew ultimately crossed the finish line less than five seconds behind race winner Jake Gagne.
What a Sunday it was for Mathew Scholtz and his hard-working Westby Racing team. After the well-earned podium celebration, he reflected on the accomplishment:
“When I was out there racing, I didn’t really notice the wrist too much,” Mathew said. “The only problem for me today was, on the last four or five laps, my fingers began going numb. That was the worst part of it, really. After the race finish, I could feel the wrist throbbing a lot, but when I was out there riding, I didn’t notice it. So, I can’t blame it on that. Jake (Gagne) was definitely the quickest guy today. I reeled him in a couple laps towards the end there. I think he knew he had a couple seconds’ gap, so he was just chilling, really. I know that I definitely have to sort the first couple of laps out. That always hurts me bad. That’s something that we’re going to have to look at.”
After a well-deserved rest, Mathew and the Westby Racing team will be back in action for round nine of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, on September 9 through 11.
MotoAmerica Superbike Standings
1. Jake Gagne – Yamaha – 290
2. Danilo Petrucci – Ducati – 289
3. Cameron Petersen – Yamaha – 241
4. Mathew Scholtz – Yamaha – 219
5. Hector Barbera – BMW – 150
For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com
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