Two-time and defending Champion Jake Gagne won MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, in Shelton, Washington. Gagne led from the start on his Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1 and was holding off Cameron Beaubier on lap 14 of 16 when Beaubier crashed his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR going into Turn One.
Beaubier’s BMW hit some haybales and put some debris onto the racetrack, causing the race to be stopped and called complete.
Westby Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz was scored second and Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin was awarded third.
Beaubier quickly ran to his motorcycle, picked it up, and rode it back to the pits — other words he was still actively competing, but the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion was given a 20-second “time adjustment” under new-for-2023 Rule 1.27.d., which demoted him to seventh. The 20 seconds was the amount of time from when Beaubier crashed until he remounted his motorcycle and is the time he would have lost if the race had continued, according to MotoAmerica.
The new rule applying to races stopped by red flags is shown in the photo below.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Gagne Wins A Tough One Race One At Ridge Motorsports Park
Jake Gagne Wins His Fourth Of The Year, His Fifth In A Row At Ridge, And The 33rd Of His Career
SHELTON, WA (June 24, 2023) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne won his fourth MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike race of the season on a sunny Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, but it wasn’t as easy as the misleading 8.6-second margin of victory would have you believe.
With 13 of 16 laps in the books, Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW’s Cameron Beaubier had tracked Gagne down, trailing the two-time and defending series champion by less than a second and setting up what looked to be a thrilling finish. But going into turn one to start the 14th lap, Beaubier lost the front of his BMW M 1000 RR and crashed with hay bales and other debris from the incident bringing out the red flag.
The race was called complete, and the win was Gagne’s by 8.6 seconds over Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz. Beaubier, meanwhile, was given a 20 second time adjustment and that dropped him to seventh in the final standings.
A brave third place went to Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin just hours after a big crash in Q2 that left him battered and bruised and forced to use his back-up Panigale V4 R. Herrin had briefly led Gagne in the left-right chicane off the start but ended up running wide a few laps later while trying to keep Beaubier at bay. The mistake put Herrin back in seventh place, but he battled through to fourth, which became third with Beaubier’s crash.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Corey Alexander had the best Medallia Superbike race of his career, the non-defending Stock 1000 Champion riding his BMW M 1000 RR to fourth and just .441 of a second behind Herrin.
Almost a second later came Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante with the Mexican barely ahead of the third Tytlers BMW ridden by PJ Jacobsen.
With Beaubier seventh, eighth fell to Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim with Aftercare Scheibe BMW’s Ashton Yates and Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders rounding out the top 10.
Gagne’s win was the 33rd Superbike win of his career, and it moved him out of a tie with Miguel Duhamel and Toni Elias and into fourth on the all-time AMA Superbike win list. Gagne trails Mat Mladin, Josh Hayes and Beaubier on that list.
With his fourth win of the year and his fifth in a row at Ridge Motorsports Park, Gagne now leads the championship by 28 points over Beaubier, 136-108, with Beaubier now just two points ahead of Herrin. Scholtz is fourth, just five points behind Herrin with Jacobsen fifth and 54 points adrift of Gagne.
Notables not scoring points in the race were Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen, who crashed out of second place early in the race, and Wrench Racing’s Bobby Fong who was disqualified for ignoring a black flag.
Superbike Race One
- Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
- Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
- Josh Herrin (Ducati)
- Corey Alexander (BMW)
- Richie Escalante (Suzuki)
- PJ Jacobsen (BMW)
- Cameron Beaubier (BMW)
- Hayden Gillim (Suzuki)
- Ashton Yates (BMW)
- Max Flinders (Yamaha)
Quotes…
Jake Gagne – Winner
“I was keeping an eye on my pit board. I got off to a great start. The Yamaha gets off to a good start. I went inside because I know Josh (Herrin) is always going to be deep on the brakes. Then, somehow, he runs around the outside of me. I’m like, ‘I don’t even know how he got there.’ Fortunately, it’s tough to make that line so I squared him up and put my head down. I was really happy with the bike. Everything was working good. I was a little bit surprised to see, I know Josh was hurting and I was a little bit surprised to see the gap just kind of going a couple tenths a lap, and then it was up to a second and a half about halfway, and then it started dropping. Honestly, I thought it was Josh. I didn’t know with how fast he was going earlier. I thought it was him. I couldn’t see who was behind me. I was surprised. I could hear the lap before the red flag up over the top chicane, I’m like, ‘Whoever is behind me is on me now.’ It was not a half second, or whatever it was. So, I was ready for a banger for the last three laps. I was going to try to put my head down. I was kind of riding everything I had to keep it on. Trying to get a couple more tenths a lap would have been pretty risky, I think. Unfortunately, it was a bummer to see Cam (Beaubier) go down and the red flag come out. I didn’t know until I got back who had crashed and who was second. A little luck on our side points-wise, but it would have been nice to bring that thing down to the last couple laps. I think that would have been fun racing. Tomorrow it will be the same. Everybody is going to step it up, so we got to step it up a little bit too. But I think we learned a lot from today’s race. I’m just stoked. Of course, after the last couple years, it’s nice to win all these races but I’m a racer and it’s awesome to see the class so stacked and so close. Practice here this weekend, all these guys within a couple tenths. So, it really comes down to figuring out how to do it consistently in the race. Just keep doing our job and look forward to more good racing.”
Mathew Scholtz – Second Place
“The first couple laps, I just was struggling. I felt like I was pushing the front end really hard. There were a couple spots where the bike was backing in. I felt like I nearly ran off the circuit a couple times, so I just had to steady everything and made a couple passes. It seemed like Jake (Gagne), Cameron Petersen and (Cameron) Beaubier and Josh Herrin were kind of going backwards and forward, so I knew that that was going to help me slightly. Then Josh (Herrin) ran wide. Cam Petersen crashed. I was kind of a couple seconds back and the next four laps or so I put down some pretty quick lap times. I managed to catch up to Beaubier a little bit then, but I think that he kind of noticed that and turned it up. I had a couple moments after that. I think the rear tire dropped off a hell of a lot more than I thought. So, it’s certainly something we have to look at now. But, after last race out, barely getting eighth in the first race and sixth in the second race, sitting up here in second place, this is a massive win for me and the Westby crew. We made a complete change on the front end of the motorcycle. Definitely seems to help me turn better than we have been. So, considering this is the first race on that setup I’m very, very pumped. I know that we have a lot more to gain there. So really looking forward to the second race. Hopefully I’ll be challenging Jake up at the front. I know Josh is going to pick up the pace. Beaubier will be there. Petersen will be there. I’ll be there. Richie (Escalante), Corey (Alexander), PJ (Jacobsen)… So, I’m looking to bang some bars tomorrow.”
Josh Herrin – Third Place
“On that sighting lap before we came to the grid with the crew, I told Bobby, (Shek), “I’m screwed.” He said, “Well, if it gets too bad, come in. It’s not worth it.” I think that fired me up. I’m like, “What? No, I’m fighting for it.” After the warmup lap, I took a bunch of tape off that the medics wrapped my foot up with and it actually helped it. I think that it was maybe too tight in the boot, and it was making it hurt worse on the sighting lap. So, I took all the tape off and I think it helped a lot. It was worse like twisting on the peg, but at least I could move, and I didn’t have pain. I got up there in the beginning and then I had some shifting problems at the top of the hill. That’s where I lost all the time. I just couldn’t get the gear to shift down. It happened a couple times in the race. I’m not sure if it was the bike or if it was just my foot. My left foot is a little banged up too, so maybe not being able to put enough pressure or something. But once I battled my way back up to fourth, I was kind of settled in. I was going to keep charging, but I settled in. Just got lucky with Cam (Beaubier) going down. Happy that he’s okay, but we really needed those points. I’m stoked to be up here. Just hoping that if we can ice it up enough tonight and take care of it that maybe the swelling will go down a little bit tomorrow and it will be better.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Mathew Scholtz Is Runner-Up In Superbike Race One At Ridge Motorsports Park
Shelton, WA – June 24, 2023 – Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz has never finished outside the top five at Ridge Motorsports Park. And now, he can add a second runner-up finish to his repertoire. In Saturday’s Superbike race one at Ridge, Mathew matched his second-place finish in 2020 with another runner-up result.
Starting the race from the outside of row three in seventh position, Mathew moved up to sixth on lap one, and then, on lap two, he was in fourth. He held onto fourth for three laps, and then moved into a podium position on lap five. Mathew then maintained his position all the way until the race was red-flagged on lap 14 and declared complete. Also, the red flag ended up benefitting Mathew because he was moved up to the runner-up position in the final results.
“The first couple laps, I just was struggling,” commented Mathew. “I felt like I was pushing the front end really hard. There were a couple spots where the bike was backing in. I felt like I nearly ran off the circuit a couple times, so I just had to steady everything and made a couple passes. It seemed like Jake (Gagne), Cameron Petersen, and (Cameron) Beaubier and Josh Herrin were kind of going backwards and forward, so I knew that that was going to help me slightly. Then, Josh (Herrin) ran wide. Cam Petersen crashed. I was kind of a couple seconds back, and the next four laps or so, I put down some pretty quick lap times. I managed to catch up to Beaubier a little bit then, but I think that he kind of noticed that and turned it up. I had a couple moments after that. I think the rear tire dropped off more than I thought it would. So, it’s certainly something we have to look at now. But, after last race out, barely getting eighth in the first race and sixth in the second race, sitting up here in second place, this is a massive win for me and the Westby crew. We made a complete change on the front end of the motorcycle. Definitely seems to help me turn better than we have been. So, considering this is the first race on that setup, I’m very, very pumped. I know that we have a lot more to gain there. So, I’m really looking forward to the second race. Hopefully I’ll be challenging Jake up at the front. I know Josh is going to pick up the pace. Beaubier will be there. Petersen will be there. I’ll be there. Richie (Escalante), Corey (Alexander), PJ (Jacobsen)… So, I’m looking to bang some bars tomorrow.”
Superbike race two will go green on Sunday afternoon at 3:10 PT, and the race will be broadcast live on MotoAmerica’s YouTube Channel. For all the action from Ridge Motorsports Park, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.
Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More
Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:40 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Ridge Motorsports Park. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA and Pro-Bolt USA are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Gagne’s Hot Streak at The Ridge Continues
Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne makes championship gains with fifth-consecutive victory at the Ridge Motorsports Park
MARIETTA, Ga. – June 24, 2023 – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne returned to the top step of the podium with his fifth-consecutive MotoAmerica Superbike win at the Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington. It also marked his fourth win of the season and 33rd-career victory in the class, expanding the reigning champ’s lead to 28 points in the hotly contested premier class championship. His teammate Cameron Petersen was running a great pace but unfortunately crashed out of the race while battling up front.
Gagne got the weekend off to a great start and topped the timesheets in both sessions on Friday. Although he was shy of the pole position in today’s final qualifying session, he got a great start from the number-two spot on the grid and quickly claimed the lead. The defending champ was putting in some fast times, including the fastest lap of the race with a 1:40.195 on Lap 5, and started to build a little gap up front but was unable to break away. Gagne continued to run his own race up front even as his championship rival slowly reeled him back in and went on to score his fourth victory of the season in the shortened red-flagged race. In addition to expanding his lead in the championship, the victory added to his personal win streak and maintained Yamaha’s perfect score in the Superbike class at the Washington State 2.5-mile track.
Although Petersen had a rough start to the weekend with some food poisoning the night before round four of the championship, he rebounded with a solid qualifying effort in fourth. From there, he got a great start into third and advanced to the runner-up spot on the second lap. The South African was on the heels of his teammate and putting in some fast times, but unfortunately tucked the front on Lap 5 and ultimately withdrew from the race.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team looks to keep the R1’s win streak rolling in tomorrow’s MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at the Ridge Motorsports Park.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Our Yamaha R1 once again proved to be the rage at The Ridge. Even though Jake did not start from pole, we knew that we had the pace for the race. He did a great job and had the grunt to win from the front. We are looking forward to tomorrow, and our goal will be a Yamaha 1-2-3.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“I got off to a great start and was able to get some clean laps out front with Cam (Petersen) on my tail. I had a small lead for a bit, but it was getting close towards the end, with (Cam) Beaubier closing in. I was bummed to see him go down and the red flag come out. It will be another fight tomorrow, and we are looking to improve some things for Race 2.”
Cameron Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It’s been a tough start to the weekend. I’ve been dealing with a bit of food poisoning, but we rallied back and had a good qualifying. We got a great start and got into second, and I was reeling Jake in and then, unfortunately, went down. It’s really disappointing because we had the pace to be up front, but we’re going to focus ahead on tomorrow and come back stronger.”
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).
