Gagne & Petrucci share NJ MotoAmerica wins

2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship
Round  9 – New Jersey Motorsports Park

Images by Brian J. Nelson

MotoAmerica Superbike Race One

Fresh N’ Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne took a big step towards a second MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship on Saturday at New Jersey Motorsports Park with the defending champion stretching his advantage in the title chase from one point to 13 points on Saturday.

Gagne won his 11th Medallia Superbike race of the year and the 28th of his career on a sunny afternoon in New Jersey. With his latest victory, Gagne moved into a tie on the all-time AMA Superbike win list with former AMA and World Superbike Champion Ben Spies. Not bad company, especially considering that Gagne didn’t win his first race until last year.

Gagne bested his teammate Cameron Petersen by 4.88 seconds with Mathew Scholtz coming out second best in his battle with countryman Petersen, the Westby Racing rider finishing less than half a second behind Petersen in third place.

Jake Gagne – P1

“It was a great day. It’s been a good weekend. We learned a lot. Like Cam (Petersen) said, me and Cam were both doing some things with the bike yesterday we hadn’t tried all year. We learned some. We both went out this morning in Q2 really happy with the bike and happy with the progress that we made. I got a better start the second time around. I could see Cam looking over into turn one to see if I was coming and threw it up in there. If he didn’t give me extra room in the carousel in that first start and got it up in there, when you’re hanging off the right side, I almost don’t know where he is. Like he said, we’ve got a job to do. Hats off to both of these guys. It’s been a while, I feel like, since we’ve had a Yamaha one-two-three podium. That’s just great for the team. That’s obviously great for points. It’s great for Yamaha. It was a good day. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Looks like we got some weird weather coming. We know how this place is in the wet, so it could get interesting tomorrow. Obviously, I know all those other guys are really strong in the wet, too. Danilo (Petrucci), PJ (Jacobsen), and Mat (Scholtz) and Cam (Petersen). So, it will be an interesting day tomorrow.”

The podium finish was Petersen’s 10th on the year with Scholtz landing on the podium for a ninth time in 2022.

Gagne’s championship rival Danilo Petrucci was fourth on the Warhorse HSBK Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R, with the Italian finishing off the podium for just the second time all season. Petrucci came into NJMP trailing Gagne by just a point, but his title chase took a hit with Saturday’s result, and he now trails by 13 with three races remaining.

Pole sitter PJ Jacobsen was fifth after losing out on his race-long battle with Petrucci, finishing just .051 of a second behind the Ducati at the finish line.

Jacobsen’s teammate Hector Barbera was sixth, some 10 seconds behind his teammate and just 1.2 seconds ahead of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim.

Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates was eighth with Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis and Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Travis Wyman rounding out the top 10.

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There were seven non-finishers, including Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki’s Richie Escalante with his GSXR-1000 suffering a mechanical failure.

MotoAmerica Superbike Race One Results

MotoAmerica Superbike Race Two

Petrucci raced away in the rain at New Jersey Motorsports Park to score his fifth race win of the season and perhaps his most important. The win, combined with championship leader Jake Gagne’s third-place finish, moved the Italian to within four points of Gagne in the championship with just one round and two races left to run at Barber Motorsports Park, September 23-25.

Heavy rain fell prior to the start of the 14-lap race at NJMP, leaving no doubt that the field would be using rain tires. There was also little doubt that Petrucci would be fast in the conditions as he came to the MotoAmerica with a reputation for being a rain master. And that he was. After slip sliding around for the duration and doing so more capably than the others, Petrucci crossed the line with 6.6 seconds in hand.

Second place went to Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, the South African also impressive after charging through the field from behind after being relegated to the back of the grid after missing the sighting lap.

Gagne was a timid third, the defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion in the unenviable position of having little to gain and plenty to lose in the tricky conditions.

Gagne stayed out of trouble and gained a spot late in the race when his teammate Cameron Petersen crashed out of his battle for second with Scholtz. Gagne could also breathe a bit easier when Ashton Yates crashed the Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing BMW with two laps to go while hounding the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing rider.

Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera was fourth, some 25 seconds behind Gagne and four seconds ahead of Petersen with the South African remounting and riding his Yamaha to fifth without a left handlebar.

Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis was sixth with fellow Kentuckian Hayden Gillim seventh on the Disrupt Racing Suzuki. ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony, Triple M’s Jeremy Coffey and Altus Motorsports Brandon Paasch rounded out the top 10.

With two races remaining in the championship, Gagne leads Petrucci, 331-327. Petersen is third on 272 points, 17 points clear of Scholtz. Barbera strengthened his hold on fifth and now leads his teammate Jacobsen by 32 points.

Danilo Petrucci – P1

“Yesterday maybe was the hardest race of the championship. Really, we struggled hard in this track. It’s so narrow, so bumpy, low level of grip. It’s the worst conditions for us. But I knew that this bike is working perfectly in the rain. I always like to ride under the rain. I just tried at the beginning of the race, I was not sure if the rain was coming or not, but it was so tricky to decide. I tried to make my pace, but without using too much rear tire. It was just enough because one lap more and we were in trouble. Not for winning the race, but for finish the race. I don’t know if it was shown on the camera, but I almost crashed three laps to go. I stayed in the track by I think one inch. I almost highsided. It was so tricky because at the end the rain was coming harder. Then whatever it will go, I’m so happy to bring the championship to the last race, even if I finish first or second because I’m so happy to bring all this excitement to this championship. I think it has been good whatever if I win or not to follow this championship and this fight to the end. I’m so happy to race here. For sure, today the rain was for us like water into the desert. I’m so happy. We go to Barber. I know the track. I had one day of test there in May. We will try.”

Jake Gagne – P3

“It was tough. I just knew coming down to this thing I couldn’t throw it away. I wanted to be patient and take my time. I knew Danilo (Petrucci) would be fast. I knew Mat (Scholtz) would be fast. I knew Cam (Petersen) would be fast. So, it was tricky. This track is always really, really tricky in the wet. Every turn has a different feel, different amount of grip. Got off to a decent start and those guys kind of took off right away. I was kind of in that point where I’m like, ‘I just got to keep the thing up and not do anything stupid.’ Unfortunately, I saw Cam and Danilo was gone right away. He put the hammer down. Mat and Cam were battling hard ahead of me. Unfortunately, Cam fell down in that left-hander and then it got really tough at the end just to keep it upright once it kind of started raining again. But we’re up here on the podium. We brought it home on a tough day. We’re bringing this championship down close to the end. So, I’m excited about that.”

MotoAmerica Superbike Race Two Results

MotoAmerica Superbike Standings

YUASA Stock 1000 Race

The 2022 Yuasa Stock 1000 Championship was also decided on Sunday at New Jersey Motorsports Park with Corey Alexander clinching the title on the strength his fifth-place finish aboard his Tytlers Cycle RideHVMC BMW.

The race was won in damp conditions by Disrupt Racing Suzuki’s Hayden Gillim, while Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman finished second, and Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Brandon Paasch was third.

Corey Alexander – Stock 1000 Champion

“I wanted to be up there with Travis and Hayden, and I think we had the bike to do it today,” title-winner Alexander said. “We made a lot of changes last night, but it just wasn’t worth it for me (with the damp track). At a certain point, I’d rather have the gap there in fifth and I knew that was all I needed. So, I settled in. One of these times, I’d like to win at home. That would be really cool, or at least be on the box. We seem to be having a string of bad luck, but this makes up for it.”

Hayden Gillim – P1

“Yeah. It was an awesome year. To not really be racing full-time the past two years and then to be able to come in and do this has been really cool. Luckily, it was on a bike that I know really well. I’ve had a lot of laps on Suzukis over the years, so I know the bike really well. We were able to get it up to speed pretty quick. These guys were flying all year. Corey was unreal. A couple little mistakes on my part, and we let him have a little bit too early. It was an awesome season for Corey. Travis was still right on my butt for second, so we got to keep fighting at Barber. I had a couple races where my starts were good, and then today they went back downhill. So, I don’t know. I got to figure that out. Luckily, turn one I think Brandon (Paasch) came in a little hot and gave me a couple extra positions and I was able to get on Travis (Wyman) and Stefano (Mesa) pretty quick. Once we got to the front, I tried to push. There were little raindrops and we kind of would go fast, go slow, kind of ease up. I didn’t want to be the one that crashed right out of the lead in the rain. So, it was a really good race. Travis kept me honest. I was waiting for that draft move at the end, but I knew with how tight the last couple sectors are, it would be really tough for him to pass me anywhere else leading up to the last corner. It would take some balls to really try and go for something up the inside into the last corner, so I knew if I could get out of the last corner good, I felt like I had a pretty good shot at it. It was an awesome weekend for us.”

YUASA Stock 1000 Race Results

YUASA Stock 1000 Standings

Supersport Race 1

In Supersport race one, two Joshes had memorable days. First of all, four-time Superbike Champion Josh Hayes won the battle when he took the victory aboard his Squid Hunter Yamaha.

It was, appropriately, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin who won the war. Aboard his Ducati Panigale V2, Herrin clinched the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, the third AMA-sanctioned professional road racing title of his career.

Herrin did what he needed to do, which was to finish ahead of Landers Racing Yamaha’s Rocco Landers. While Hayes pulled a gap at the front to win by a little over four-and-a-half seconds, Herrin and Landers diced back and forth until Herrin got in front of Landers for good and cemented his title with a second-place finish, while Landers came home in third.

Josh Hayes – P1

“I wanted to come out here and fight the best that I could and give it the beans,” Hayes said. “First off, congrats to Josh (Herrin). We’ve been around this racetrack together for a long time. I’ve been on track with him this year, like at Virginia. His riding has really come around. He’s always been fast, but he’s kind of filled in a few gaps. I think that he’s doing a fantastic job. Really happy. I’ve been watching from the side of the track when I haven’t been on track, and he’s been steady. Every week, he finds a way to be there. That’s what you’ve got to do. Today, it doesn’t matter how things are going. It’s always hard when you’ve got something on the line.”

Josh Herrin – Supersport Champion

“I’m super-stoked to wrap the title up today,” Herrin said. “That was our goal this weekend. We needed to finish in front of Rocco Landers to get the championship and luckily, we were able to do that. It was a hard fight, and this wasn’t something that came easy. Now, we can go into the last three races with that weight off our shoulders and have some fun. It will be interesting to see how the weather is tomorrow with the rain forecast, but either way, I’m looking forward to a few stress-free races and then to get home and have some family time and let this all soak in.”

Aussie Luke Power raced to a respectable eighth place.

Supersport Race 1 Results

Supersport Race 2

History was made in Supersport race two at New Jersey Motorsports Park when Squid Hunter Yamaha rider Josh Hayes won the race and tied AMA Hall of Famer Miguel Duhamel at 86 victories for the most all-time road racing wins in AMA history.

Forty-seven-year-old Hayes was masterful in the rain-shortened race, which started out in the dry. On lap two, Hayes passed race leader Josh Herrin going into turn one, and Herrin went wide, which shuffled him back to 10th.

From there, Hayes pulled a gap at the front, which was nearly 11 seconds at the finish line over second-place finisher Stefano Mesa abord his Mesa37 Racing Kawasaki. Completing the podium in third was North East Cycle Outlet Racing Yamaha’s Benjamin Smith.

Josh Hayes – P1

“They’re all pretty special,” Hayes said about his 86 career AMA race wins. “The only thing missing is I didn’t have to beat Miguel to get it. That’s kind of a bummer. I wish he was here. When Jake (Gagne) got 17 (Superbike wins) in a season, I was like, the only thing that upsets me is I won 16 in a season, and you didn’t have to beat me to get my record. I’m sure Miguel will be looking for a Twins (Cup) ride or a Supersport ride here next weekend at Barber. I have a lot of respect for the man. I think it’s incredible that a guy that I looked up to in racing, now I’m on the record books up there with that name. I think that’s incredible. I’m so fortunate. I’ve been lucky in racing. It took a while. The first decade was hard, and then the next one has been pretty special. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Australia’s Luke Power once again claimed eighth place, and now sits sixth in the overall standings.

Supersport Race 2 Results

Supersport Standings – Top 15

Twins Cup Race

The day concluded with the REV’IT! Twins Cup class’s one race of the weekend, and it was a good one.

Blake Davis notched his third win of the season aboard his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha, and he did so in surprisingly dominant fashion.

The 16-year-old stretched out a gap of more than three seconds by the time he took the checkered flag.

Meanwhile, Robem Engineering Aprilia teammates Ben Gloddy and Teagg Hobbs finished second and third, respectively.

For Liam MacDonald, an 11th place result was impressive given his crash in the previous round, the flying Kiwi riding through shoulder discomfort to secure his ninth points scoring result of 2022

Liam MacDonald – P11

“It was a tough race as I was still riding in a bit of pain and discomfort. I felt like I was in a gladiator ring at the end if I am honest. I ran a decent pace in the beginning but as the race went on, I started to feel my shoulder and there was nothing I could. In the end I used my head and brough it home for some decent points. I thought I was further back as I only saw the board once, so it was a pleasant surprise to almost finish in the top ten. I will be ready to give it everything in the final race of the season at Barber in two weeks.”

Twins Cup Race Results

Twins Cup Standings – Top 10

Junior Cup Race 1

Home-track advantage definitely came into play in SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race one as the podium was made up of riders who are all from the Northeast and consider New Jersey Motorsports Park their local track.

Hammonton, New Jersey’s Gus Rodio prevailed with the victory aboard his Rodio Racing Kawasaki, while Bauce Racing/JL62 Team Kawasaki’s Joseph LiMandri Jr., who hails from Garden City, New York, was second.

Third place went to new BARTCON Racing Kawasaki team member Spencer Humphreys, who is from Easton, Pennsylvania.

There was a lot of dicing for the lead, as is usually the case with MotoAmerica’s class of entry-level road racers, but on the final run to the checkers, Rodio had a clear path to the front, and he took advantage of it to win the race by just .016 of a second.

Junior Cup Race 1 Results

Junior Cup Race 2

SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race two concluded the weekend’s race action at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Sunday, and Pennsylvanian Kayla Yaakov won her third race of the season.

The race was red-flagged and restarted with just a four-lap sprint, but Yaakov, aboard her Altus Motorsports Kawasaki, crossed the finish line nearly three seconds ahead of Rodio Racing Kawasaki’s Gus Rodio in second place. Alpha Omega Kawasaki rider Cody Wyman rounded out the podium in third.

Kayla Yaakov

“I don’t have a ton of track time here,” Yaakov said. “I’ve been here a couple of times here and there, but never in the rain. So, I didn’t really know what to expect. But I kind of just went out there and with that small warmup, I honestly thought I was going to be mid-pack. It felt really slow because I’m just trying to get the bike to stay under me and not crash. But I ended up being pretty solid. It was good motivation going into the race. I think the biggest thing for me was just to stay up and be comfortable, stay comfortable on the bike. Don’t push too far out of my limit because I know that I’m still in it for the championship, and I could still be there in the end. So, I just wanted to stay up. I’m really happy with this result.”

Junior Cup Race 2 Results

Junior Cup Standings

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race

The ladies of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program held their penultimate round at New Jersey Motorsports Park, and they kicked off Saturday with their feature race.

Crystal Martinez was the fastest rider in Saturday morning’s Practice 2, and it portended things to come for the Californian, who also earned the pole position for the race.

Martinez had her hands full in the race, and it looked like Illinois rider Chloe Peterson was going to get the victory.

However, on the final lap, Martinez took advantage of a missed shift by Peterson and overtook her right before the finish line. Washington-based rider Jennifer Chancellor completed the podium in third.

Crystal Martinez – P1

“I was going to try and catch the draft,” Martinez said. “But I was a little too far at that moment. So, when I heard her miss a shift, I took that opportunity. I’m like, ‘Just go, just go, just go.’ So, I just full-pinned and full send, and off I went.”

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race Results

Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race Standings