Yamaha Unveils 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Team
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. is pleased to announce the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team, which will head its efforts in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship aboard the Attack Performance Yamaha R1s for the next two seasons. The team will field a two-rider effort led by the reigning MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne and new addition Cameron Petersen.
Fresh N Lean, America’s #1 Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meal delivery company, returns as the title sponsor and will continue to fuel the team for championship-proven performance on the track with quality nutrition that is easily prepared, organically sourced, and available in a variety of diets; all focused on optimizing human potential. Coming on board this season is another industry leading sponsor – Progressive Insurance, a leader in the commercial auto insurance industry and the #1 motorcycle insurer in the United States. Returning to the team’s powerhouse line-up of partners is Yamalube and Yamaha Financial Services.
Yamaha also extends its partnership with Attack Performance, one of the sport’s leading manufacturers of high-performance components and services for modern sportbikes. Since 2020, Attack has carried on the winning tradition of the Yamaha R1, enjoying two dominant seasons with 33 victories and two titles in the premier class. Attack Performance principal Richard Stanboli will also return as the team manager.
Gagne enters his third season with the team and aims to keep the #1 on the front of his Attack Performance Yamaha R1. Last year was a standout season for the Colorado rider who added several record-breaking accolades en route to claiming his first title in the premier class a weekend early. He notched an impressive 16-consecutive race wins, and then added one more victory to score the most wins in a season, putting him tied on the all-time win list with Nicky Hayden and making him the active leader in Superbike wins heading into the 2022 season. Gagne also has a pair of support class championships to his credit – the 2014 Daytona Sportbike Championship and the 2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Championship.
Petersen joins the team in 2022 and also has a championship-proven history in the support class category, taking the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 crown in 2020. The South African had a solid return to the premier class in 2021, scoring his debut Superbike victory at the season finale in Barber and ended the year third in the points standings with a total of five podium appearances. He looks to build on his progress in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship as he returns to the Yamaha brand.
In addition to the 10-round MotoAmerica Superbike season, the team will race the Daytona 200 aboard the Attack Performance Yamaha R6 as the series makes its debut at the legendary Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 10-12.
The team would like to also thank its technical partners for their continued support of the championship-winning program: Akrapovic, Braking, TrackDaz, Capit, HHR-Carbonin, Suter, OZ, DID, NGK-NTK, and Zero Gravity.
Jim Roach – Yamaha Racing Department Manager for YMUS
“Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, is excited to announce the return of Fresh N Lean as the title sponsor of our MotoAmerica Superbike effort for 2022 and 2023. The 2021 season was a resounding success, and we are looking to continue our winning tradition in the future.
“Also joining the team in sponsorship for 2022 and 2023 is Progressive Insurance. Yamaha is thrilled to have this new relationship with Progressive and is looking forward to the start of the season and some great racing.
“Returning for two more years is our 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion, Jake Gagne. With 17 wins last year, Jake had a record-breaking season en route to claiming his championship. New to the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha team for 2022 and 2023 is Cameron Peterson. In addition to great speed, Cameron has shown continued growth over the years. We look forward to going racing with Jake and Cameron.”
Tom Halverson – Yamaha Racing Assistant Department Manager for YMUS
“We are very proud to announce that we are continuing our partnership with Attack Performance for 2022 and 2023. We are very proud of the professionalism, skill, and passion the entire Attack Performance Team brings to the effort. Everyone on the team from 2021 will be back in 2022. Each of these team members played a vital part in our 2021 success, and we are looking forward to working with them all again.
“We are also very proud of Jake Gagne, who will be running the #1 on his Attack Performance Yamaha R1 Superbike after a record-breaking season in 2021. Cameron Petersen has a lot of talent and great potential and will be a fantastic addition to the team. We look forward to working with him to reach the next level in his career.
“We are very excited to continue with Fresh N Lean and bring on a new partner, Progressive Insurance. Along with Yamaha Financial Services and Yamalube, we have some great partners that provide us with the support to make this happen.”
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Speaking for the entire Attack Performance team, we are very excited to continue our collaboration with Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, to race the Yamaha R1 in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. We couldn’t have asked for a better companion in this racing journey. When we first accepted the responsibility as the official Superbike team, Yamaha’s in-house team had already recorded a decade of nearly continuous Superbike Championships. This was a very high bar to meet, and we feel fortunate to have delivered on the challenge. We now look forward to the future and continuing to build on our high level of performance.
“We are also very grateful to have Fresh N Lean back as the title sponsor. They have been a great partner to the team, and also provide the meals that fuel the staff and riders, helping us to perform at the highest level. We would also like to welcome our new sponsor, Progressive Insurance. They are also an industry leader and understand the needs of motorcyclists. We look forward to delivering them the #1 plate to match their #1 insurer status.
“Of course, we can’t leave out our riders who battle on the track. Jake Gagne has truly stepped up his craft to become the winningest rider in our series with his amazing 17 wins out of 20 races last season. A team could not ask for a more professional, easy-going, yet aggressive rider on the track. We look forward to helping him defend his title. Cameron Petersen, our newest rider, has shown great potential. At our first test, he wasted no time getting comfortable on the Yamaha R1 and getting up to speed on the racetrack, and we feel that he will be racing for the win at every event. His positive attitude is refreshing, and he has the same demeanor and professionalism as Jake, which we feel will be a winning combination for the team. We look forward to seeing our fans at Daytona and at every podium on the MotoAmerica calendar.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“This is my third year now with Yamaha, and I really feel a part of the family. I’m just so thankful that I’ve got a couple more years of racing superbikes here on the R1. It’s the best bike I’ve ever ridden and the best crew I’ve ever had, so for me, I’m just really enjoying it. Especially coming off of that amazing year last season, we want to keep doing our job and try to win as many races as we can and try to win that championship. I know it’s not going to be as easy to pull off what we did last year, as the other guys are really going to try and not make that happen. We’re going to keep fighting and do what we can. I’m just so happy to have such a great group of people around me. “
Cam Petersen – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing
“It’s been a dream of mine to ride for Attack and Yamaha. I’m so grateful that Tom and Richard believed in me and gave me the opportunity. I know that this is the kind of opportunity that comes around once in a lifetime, so I’m prepared and ready to make the most out of it. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season and want to grab this opportunity with both hands and make Yamaha and everybody proud. I feel like I’ve got two good years under my belt now with positive things happening in the sport, so I’m ready to keep that forward momentum going and win some championships.”