Precision Track Days brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
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Cameron Petersen won wet and wild MotoAmerica Steel Commander Superbike Race One at rainy Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Petersen tried to pass his teammate Jake Gagne in the final corner, and the two Attack Performance/Progressive Yamaha Racing riders ended up racing to the finish line side-by-side. Petersen had just enough to beat Gagne by 0.004 second, or half a wheel, to take his second win of the season.
Gagne came up painfully short in second place but took over the Championship point lead.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati rider Loris Baz raced with the lead duo until two laps from the end when he took a shot at passing Petersen for second and ran wide at Turn Five. From there, the Frenchman said he focused on finishing on the podium after the rough start to his 2024 season.
JD Beach was a distant fourth on his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Brandon Paasch rounded out the top five finishers on his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Danilo Lewis finished sixth and won the Superbike Cup category on his Team Brazil BMW.
Benjamin Smith took a lonely seventh-place finish on his FLO4LAW Racing Yamaha.
Bobby Fong brought his Wrench Motorcycles Yamaha home in eighth.
Baz’s teammate Josh Herrin ran off the track in Turn Six early in the race but was able to salvage ninth.
Gabriel Da Silva got 10th on his Jarritos Racing/Team GMR Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
The challenging race conditions led to some significantly crashes.
Sean Dylan Kelly crashed his TopPro Racing BMW at high speed while leading into Turn 12 on lap three. His condition was not known at post time.
Paasch’s teammate Xavi Fores was running strong in fourth on lap seven when he crashed in Turn Six. Fores walked away from the scene.
Cameron Beaubier was coming back from an off-track excursion and running two seconds per lap faster than the leaders when he crashed out of fourth place on lap eight of 10. Unfortunately, Beaubier suffered an unknown injury to his right leg that required him to be carried away.
We will report more details as they become available.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Petersen Over Gagne By .004 Of A Second In Steel Commander Superbike At Road America
Teammates Battle To The Finish, Beaubier Crashes Out Of Championship Lead
ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 1, 2024) – Attack Performance/Progressive/Yamaha Racing teammates Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne battled to the bitter end of the Steel Commander Superbike race on Saturday, with Petersen winning the battle of Yamaha YZF-R1s by just .004 of a second in horrendous conditions at Road America.
Steel Commander Superbike race one was held in a rainstorm and riders were faced with conditions many of them claimed were the worst they’d ever raced in. While the Road America surface had good grip despite the rain, it was puddles in bad places that caused the most concern with some riders crashing without any lean angle.
When all was said and done, it was Petersen winning his second race of the young season and the fifth of his MotoAmerica Superbike career. Petersen led early, lost the lead to TopPro Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly, got it back and then spent the majority of the remaining laps looking at Gagne’s rear wheel. Until the final lap. The pair went into the last turn side by side and came out of it side by side. With both Yamahas spinning their way up the hill, it was Petersen who got his hooked up better and nipped Gagne at the line.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Loris Baz was with the two Yamahas for most of the race and his one error came with two laps to go when he tried to make a pass on Petersen in turn five. The out-braking move didn’t work with Baz getting in too hot and losing touch with the two Yamahas. Still, it was an impressive third-place finish that left the Frenchman smiling.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s JD Beach was a somewhat lonely fourth after inheriting the spot from his teammate Cameron Beaubier. The five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion had led the race early before running off track in turn five. He rejoined and started to charge forward. However, soon after getting past Beach for fourth and starting to make inroads into the lead trio, he crashed his BMW M 1000 RR. The crash left Beaubier limping away before ultimately getting helped to the ambulance. He was transported to undergo X-rays on his heel.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch ended up fifth, less than a second ahead of Team Brazil’s Danilo Lewis. Those two were well clear of FLO4LAW Racing’s Benjamin Smith. Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong; Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, who led early before running off track in turn five; and Jarritos Racing/Team GMR’s Gabriel Da Silva rounded out the top 10.
Beaubier wasn’t the only one to crash out in the difficult conditions as Kelly crashed out of the lead early on and Xavi Forés crashed his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki while battling for fourth place.
With his second-place finish combined with Beaubier’s non-finish, Gagne moved to the lead in the championship point standings after six races by seven over Beaubier, 102-95.
Petersen jumped up to second in third in the title chase and he trails his teammate Gagne by 19 points. Kelly drops to fourth with 73 points and is now just five points ahead of Fong and 14 ahead of Baz.
Herrin, Real Steel Motorsports’ Hayden Gillim, Beach and Paasch round out the top 10 heading into tomorrow’s race two at Road America.
Cameron Petersen – Winner
“Last thing you want to do is knock your teammate down. Like these guys said, just a crazy race. I led a few of the opening laps and I saw SDK go down in front of me. Kind of when I saw that, he was straight up and down and lost the front. I didn’t really know what pace we could go, so I think I was kind of holding the guys up for the first few laps there. Then once Jake (Gagne) got past me, he definitely dropped the pace a little bit. I just followed him around, to be honest. He was good in kind of all the right places. Then last lap, I’ve been so reserved in the past. I had a good feeling underneath me. The last corner, at least on the front, felt really good. I just got a really good run through the second-to-last corner. I was like, ‘man, if you don’t take a shot, then you don’t deserve this ride.’ So, I just kind of had a go. Like Jake said, it was so funny the drag race to the line. He rolled around me, and I could hear his bike. I could hear the TC kicking on in his bike, and then the TC would kick on my bike. We kind of see-sawed there for a little bit, and we went up over the rise. There was kind of like a dry spot – well, a drier spot in the middle of the track. I was on that line, so I think coming up over the rise his bike just spun up a little bit and that gave me that little bit of an edge. Just so stoked. I think this is the first time I’ve got more than one win in a season, and especially after crashing in qualifying this morning. It’s a nice way to repay the team. Congrats to these two guys. We were all together the whole race. I look forward to battling tomorrow.”
Jake Gagne – Second Place
“Like Loris Baz said, the craziest race I’ve ever been a part of. Just the hydroplaning everywhere. The new surface makes it hard to tell. Everything is so shiny and nice. It’s hard to kind of even really tell where the big puddles are. But the straightaway down into the corner, we were at like 10 percent throttle, just trying to figure out how to get the thing to not spin up. I’m happy we’re here on the podium. Yamaha one-two is awesome. I hope everybody that went down is okay, because that was insane. After those first couple laps, I got passed by a couple of guys. I’m like, I’m just going to try to finish this thing. I think SDK (Sean Dylan Kelly) went down, and Cam (Beaubier) ran wide and went down. Just a freaking wild one. Then I got by Cam (Petersen). I knew him and Loris were right there because I could see it on the big screen. That last lap, tried to be smart and not give Cam any opportunity to stick it up in there, but I just was a little wide entering into the final turn. I saw that Yamaha come up underneath me. I tried to roll around the outside and then it was just a drag race. Seriously, it was the first time in my life, when me and Cam got together before the finish line, I was literally laughing in my helmet. I was like, at least we survived this thing and one of us is going to cross the line first. Either way, good day for the team. I’m pumped for CP and to race with him and to race with Loris again. I’m just glad. Hopefully, everybody got through that thing, and hopefully SDK is all right and Cam B. is all right. I’m shivering right now. I’m cold.”
Loris Baz – Third Place
“I think it’s the worst conditions I’ve ever raced a bike on in all my career. I remember my first win in Superbike there was a lot of water on the track. I was racing injured. But that was just another level. I think we were 20 percent throttle on the back straight, and you have those walls. It’s just the bike spinning. I don’t know how fast we go. I’ve never been scared on the bike, and I was scared going into that back section for the whole 10 laps. I normally have a lot of fun in the rain, but this one was just trying to be really clever and not make any mistakes because it was so easy to have a big, big one. But I felt good on the bike. Those guys, my mechanic and all the crew from Ducati did a good job because the only time I rode the bike on the wet was in Atlanta and I had a broken ankle. So, I didn’t really push there. I had no idea setup-wise. In those seven minutes before the race, I didn’t feel good on the bike. They did some adjustments really quick before the race and I felt better straightaway. So, it was just a race where I was improving and trying to learn all the race, coming back behind Jake (Gagne). Just waiting, but I couldn’t see how many laps were remaining, so it was really tough. Then Jake went in front, and he just made a big step and improved the pace. I tried to overtake Cameron (Petersen), but it wouldn’t stop. It was two laps remaining in that moment. The only time I saw my pit board was L2. I said, ‘just try to be clever,’ because I could not increase my pace at that moment and bring it home. I’m happy. It’s the first podium. We had a tough beginning of the season with injury in Atlanta, injured in Barber again. So, happy to be here. Thankful for Ducati New York and the Warhorse. They did a lot of sacrifice and hard job to have me back here, and I just want to thank them, and all the people involved to have me back here in America. I had a lot of fun in ’21 and I want to have as much fun this year. It’s just the first podium and it will bring the big smile to the team. We have so much fun with Josh (Herrin) and I just hope we can share a podium soon.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp, U.S.A.:
Petersen and Gagne Score Thrilling 1-2 Finish at Road America
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen and Jake Gagne finish 1-2 in drama-filled MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 2, 2024 – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Cameron Petersen returned to the top step of the podium yesterday in a thrilling photo finish to MotoAmerica Superbike Race 1 at Road America. His teammate Jake Gagne finished second, reclaiming the championship lead in the tricky, rain-soaked conditions on the four-mile track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
After a tough beginning to round three of the championship and a crash earlier in the day during the final qualifying session, Petersen came back swinging in the first Superbike race of the weekend. The South African got a great start from the third row of the grid to inside the top five. He quickly made his way to second and then passed his teammate to claim the lead on that opening lap. Petersen rode a calculated race in the challenging conditions, and although he was shuffled to third on Lap 3, he reclaimed the lead on that same lap after the frontrunners crashed. With around three laps to go, he was passed by his teammate, but he stayed on Gagne’s heels and passed him in the final corner. From there, it was a drag race to the finish line, with Petersen coming out on top by .004 of a second to earn his second win this season and fifth career victory in the premier class. Looking at the bigger picture, he advanced to third in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship standings and to within 19 points of his teammate.
Gagne also bounced back from a tough start to the weekend with a much better Saturday at Road America, qualifying third. Sitting third after the start, he advanced to the lead in Turn 5 before ultimately being passed by his teammate on that opening lap. Although he was shuffled to fifth on the following lap, the defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion rode his own race and moved back into the runner-up spot with the attrition on Lap 3. He took over the lead in the final laps and set a strong pace up front but was passed by his teammate in the final corner and ultimately crossed the line just shy of the victory. Gagne’s third podium of the season reclaimed the number-one spot in the hotly contested Superbike title chase and gave him a seven-point advantage.
It also marked the Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing team’s third double podium so far this season, and they look forward to battling for top honors again in this afternoon’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Richard Stanboli – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Race 1 in the wet showed the competitiveness of the Yamaha R1 and our riders and crew in any condition. To finish 1-2 was a testament to what can happen with hard work and perseverance. We look forward to a great dry race tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #45
“It was a crazy race and crazy conditions. I had a good battle with Jake. I think I was holding him up a little bit because he dropped the pace straight away, and I think that kind of broke up the field a little bit. Going into the last lap, I got a really good run coming off the second to last corner and thought to myself that I had to make a move. It was pretty funny going to the line. We were just going back and forth, back and forth; I don’t think it gets any closer than that. I’m glad to actually finish the race in those conditions and looking forward to tomorrow in the dry. I think it should be a good battle.”
Jake Gagne – Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing #1
“It was crazy conditions. We were hydroplaning down the straightaways and trying to find lines where we were out of the puddles. I was pretty calm in the beginning. I got passed, but I tried to be smart about it and not lose touch with the leaders. (Cameron) Beaubier got into the lead and dropped the hammer right away, and then we saw him go off in Turn 5. The same with Sean Dylan Kelly, we saw him go down into Canada (corner) in just a crazy straight up-and-down crash. Then Cam got into the lead and set a good, solid pace. After a while, I figured I’d try to pass him to see what I could do, and it came down to the last lap. Going into the last turn, I was hoping to keep it a little tighter so that I didn’t give him any room but I was a little wide on the entry, and I saw that Yamaha come up the inside. I was literally laughing in my helmet to the line because, at that point, I knew at least for the team, it was going to be a 1-2 finish, and it was just a matter of who was going to be on the drier track or with less puddles.
“It was a great day for the team after a tough day yesterday, and a photo finish is always cool. I haven’t been part of one of those in a long time. We’ve got some dry racing tomorrow. We’ve got to make a couple of little improvements, but we learned a lot this morning, so I think we can step it up again tomorrow. It will be another battle in the dry because it’s really close here.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars [sold, serviced, and distributed by Yamaha Golf-Car Company], Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.
YMUS has a corporate office in California, three corporate offices in Georgia, as well as facilities in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida. YMUS subsidiaries Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC), based in Georgia, and Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing U.S.A. (YJBM) based in Tennessee, each assemble and manufacture selected Yamaha brand products. YMUS owns Skeeter Boats [Texas] with its division G3 Boats [Missouri]. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company, Inc. (YMSC) with subsidiary Siren Marine [Rhode Island] and divisions Bennett Marine [Florida], Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders [Wisconsin] and Yamaha Precision Propeller Inc. [Indiana].
Yamaha Motor Finance Corporation, USA, dba Yamaha Financial Services, is an affiliate of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA offering financing solutions to support Yamaha Dealers and loyal Yamaha Customers nationwide.
