KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California.
Riding his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1, Gagne led the restarted and red-flag-shortened race from start to finish and won by 5.368 seconds.
Josh Herrin hung with Gagne at the beginning, maintained second place through the middle of the race, and then fended off PJ Jacobsen at the end to take the runner-up spot.
Jacobsen, riding his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR, caught up to Herrin but lost any opportunity to make a move on him when a crash by Mathew Scholtz brought out a red flag that ended the race.
Scholtz was in the battle for second with Herrin and Jacobsen when he highsided coming out of Rainey Curve (Turn Nine). The South African was able to walk away from the crash.
A technical issue caused Richie Escalante to miss the sighting lap for the restart, and he was forced to take the restart from the back of the grid. He got up to fifth place on the first lap of the race and ended up finishing fourth.
Escalante’s new Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Brandon Paasch came home fifth in his debut race for the team. Paasch and most of the field were scored as one lap down because the top four racers took the checkered flag before the red flag came out and stopped the race.
The original race start was halted when Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen got the holeshot and then crashed in front of Jacobsen’s teammate Cameron Beaubier, taking him down with him. Neither were able to make the restart.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Gagne Wins First Of Three Medallia Superbike Races At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Gagne Wins Race-One Crashfest In MotoAmerica Superbikes At Monterey
MONTEREY, CA (July 8, 2023) – Jake Gagne cast a lonely shadow on the front row of the grid for the second part of the red-flag-interrupted Medallia Superbike race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday as the other two front-row starters were nowhere to be seen.
A scary crash on the exit of turn two on the opening lap of the first start had taken out pole sitter Cameron Beaubier and Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen. Prior to the restart, Richie Escalante – the third fastest qualifier – had a brake issue and missed the sighting lap and was put to the back of the grid. Thus, a lonely Gagne was the only rider on the front row while the second row also lacked Petersen who, like Beaubier, was unable to make the restart.
But first things first. The crash. With Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Petersen nabbing the holeshot from the second row, he led the field through turn two and then highsided on the exit. Beaubier and the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR had nowhere to go, and he slammed into Petersen’s crashed Yamaha YZF-R1 and also went down. At that point the race was stopped.
On the restart, Gagne wasn’t challenged, and he led every one of the 19 laps, eventually crossing the finish line 5.3 seconds clear of second place. The victory was the fifth of the year for the championship points leader and his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 and the 34th of his career.
A battered and bruised Josh Herrin finished second on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, besting a fast-closing PJ Jacobsen on the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR. The red flag cost Jacobsen any chance of a late-race attack on Herrin and he finished just .368 of a second behind the
Ducati.
Considering he started from the back row of the grid, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante continued to show that he’s a top-tier Superbike racer as he carved his way through the field to latch on to the back of the Jacobsen/Mathew Scholtz battle for third. When Scholtz crashed out of the race with two laps to go, Escalante inherited fourth place just hours after earning the first Superbike front-row starting spot of his career in the second qualifying session on Saturday morning. Scholtz’s crash in Rainey Curve brought out a second red flag and the race was called complete.
Escalante’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Brandon Paasch finished an impressive fifth in his debut on the factory Suzuki GSX-R1000R. It was also Paasch’s comeback ride after he suffered a broken back in an off-season motocross crash.
Wrench Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong ended up sixth with Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim seventh. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Corey Alexander, Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders and Aftercare Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates completed the top 10.
Superbike Race One
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Josh Herrin (Ducati)
- PJ Jacobsen (BMW)
- Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
- Brandon Paasch (Suzuki)
- Bobby Fong (Yamaha)
- Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)
- Corey Alexander (BMW)
- Max Flinders (Yamaha)
- Ashton Yates (BMW)
Quotes…
Jake Gagne – Winner
“I had a feeling that it would be some carnage in today’s race, just because especially when Cam (Petersen) went down in the beginning I was shocked. Then both Cams (Petersen and Beaubier) are tumbling on the road. I kind of swerved, and I was just hoping nobody got… The worst thing to see is somebody sliding down the road in front of you. Obviously, I wasn’t surprised to get a red flag. I want to win races. I want to get points in the championship, but it sucks doing it like that. With Beaubier going out like that and Cam P., my teammate. So, I hope those guys are all right. Then after the restart. I just knew the wind is really chilly today. I knew from sitting on the grid before that crash even happened that the first couple laps, we had to be patient on those tires to get the heat in them. So, I was surprised, but I wasn’t surprised to see some of that carnage right in the beginning. We’re going to have to be patient on those tires with the cool breeze and sitting on the grid. So, I just tried to do that and build heat in these Dunlops. It seems like they get a little bit better after a couple laps. Just being patient. I was keeping an eye on my pit board. I knew Josh (Herrin) was behind me in the beginning. I could hear that Ducati roaring. I was just trying to be smooth. I think the big thing was trying to be easy on that front tire, because we’ve all been struggling with tearing a little bit on the front tire. It’s getting better throughout the weekend, but I tried to focus on just using different parts of the tire and I was happy with how that came in and happy with the team for helping me out and showing me what I need to do better, especially yesterday to today. So, good day and I’m looking forward to a good battle with those guys. Hopefully we can all keep it upright tomorrow and put in some good two races and put on a show for everyone.”
Josh Herrin – Second Place
“I think I ended up fourth and I was trying to go on the outside of Jake (Gagne) in, I call it one, but two, and then cross over to the inside right there where they went down. As I was starting to get on the throttle coming out of two, I decided I’m going to sneak back behind Jake because I wasn’t going to make it. I didn’t really see. I saw some movement, but I was focused a little bit further ahead on the track. As I was driving out of two picking it up to lean right a little bit, Jake just peeled off really quick to the left. Those guys were sliding right in front of me. I had nowhere to go. I kind of just checked up and got really lucky that they slid out of the way when they did. But it was pretty spooky because it’s like when you’re out on the freeway and somebody just peels off in front of you because there’s trash in the road and you’ve got nowhere to go. It was a really scary moment. I had a feeling they were going to red flag it. I was surprised that they waited as long as they did, just because it looks like they were in the middle of the track. It was a scary moment, for sure.”
PJ Jacobsen – Third Place
“It was a crazy race. It sucks for Cam P. and Cameron Beaubier, my teammate. Just that whole situation. Then after that it was weird. I was lining up on the grid and it was just so empty. So, it was kind of a strange race. I’m just a bit lucky to be up here. The other guys would have obviously been in this whole fight and stuff like that, but I guess at the end of the day it’s motorcycle racing. This morning, I completely totaled my bike. Destroyed it for the guys. So, I was really just disappointed in myself and for my side of the crew to put that back together. I was just going around not too happy this morning and it put me in a bad qualifying position for the race today. But the race was going pretty good. (Mathew) Scholtz passed me and at the end there I started to catch Josh (Herrin) and was trying to push with that two laps to go, or whatever. Unfortunately, the red flag came out because of Scholtz. I hope he’s okay. I’m just happy to be up here and be on the podium for the Tytlers Cycle Racing team.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne Expands Points Lead with Laguna Seca Victory
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne fires the first shot with a win in the opening race at the Laguna Seca tripleheader
MARIETTA, Ga. – July 8, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne returned to the top step of the podium in today’s opening race of the MotoAmerica Superbike tripleheader at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The defending champ’s fifth victory of the season and 34th of his career also made championship gains, expanding his lead to 39 points. Teammate Cameron Petersen was on track for another top performance, but unfortunately, his race ended on the opening lap with a crash in the tricky conditions.
There were some unknowns regarding tire wear with the newly repaved track surface at the iconic 2.238-mile track in Monterey, California, which presented challenges. The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team went to work and made progress, with Gagne claiming the number two spot on the grid in the final qualifying session. When the lights went out, he got a great start and slotted into third, but the red flag was drawn after a crash in Turn 2. The Colorado rider grabbed the holeshot after the restart and never looked back. Gagne threw down some consistently fast laps to build a healthy lead before the second red flag, securing his fifth victory of the season by over a five-second margin.
Petersen also made progress and qualified fourth. From there, he got a great start from the second row of the grid to grab the holeshot. Unfortunately, he high-sided on the exit of Turn 2, and the rider behind got caught up in the crash, bringing out the red flag. Petersen was unhurt but, unfortunately was unable to line up for the restart.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team returns for twice the MotoAmerica Superbike action tomorrow as the tripleheader concludes at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“The team did a great job finding a solution for the increased tire wear that is indicative of a freshly paved track. Unfortunately, Cameron crashed after getting the holeshot. Jake, however, went on to run a great pace to win decisively. We will continue to improve our Yamaha R1 and be ready for Race 2 & 3.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“Today was a wild start! It was a bummer to see Cam (Petersen) go down in the lead in Turn 2. The temperature made things tricky the first few laps, but we learned from today and are ready for the doubleheader tomorrow.”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“Man, that was a tough one. I was feeling good going into the race and got a great start, but unfortunately went down while leading the race and was unable to restart. We’re going to put today behind us and focus ahead to tomorrow’s doubleheader and will try and get back to the front.”
About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (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, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) 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, two corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida), Kracor Systems (Wisconsin) and Siren Marine, Inc. (Rhode Island), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).
