Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Gagne Takes Second Place in Dramatic Race One at The Brickyard in Indianapolis
ottobre 12, 2020 - Yamaha Racing

Gagne Takes Second Place in Dramatic Race One at The Brickyard in Indianapolis

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Jake Gagne took podium honors for the Monster Energy Attack Performance on Saturday in an incident-packed Race One at the #indianapolismotorspeedway in Indiana, which saw two red flags and three restarts. Teammate and championship points leader #cameronbeaubier had an eventful race in which he led but ultimately crashed out. 

After a tough qualifying which saw Beaubier line up fourth ahead of Gagne in sixth, the four-time Superbike Champion got a rapid start and moved up to second by the third corner. Gagne held steady in sixth, while Beaubier wasted no time in his charge and dived past into the lead before the end of the lap. However, before he could stretch his legs, the race was stopped on the second lap after a rider crashed coming out of the final turn. The red flags were brought out to clear debris, and the field went into the pits. 

More drama followed just before the restart when Beaubier had an issue and narrowly missed the restart warm-up lap. He had to start at the back of the field, with Gagne starting from his sixth place. Undeterred, Beaubier charged through the pack immediately after the restart, his supreme pace taking him up to seventh by Turn 4 on the first lap. Gagne made a strong restart also, moving up to fifth by the second lap with Beaubier just behind after making the pass for sixth. By the third lap, the champion-elect was up to fourth and hounding the leaders, but the red flags came out again after he and Mathew Scholtz both went down after hitting oil on the track dropped by another rider’s bike. Beaubier was able to return to the pits, and his mechanics worked hard to carry out quick repairs to enable him to return for the second restart. 

As the lights went out, Beaubier was on fire again and took over the lead on the first lap. Gagne made progress of his own and was up to fourth, engaged in a tight battle with two riders for those final podium spots. Out front, Beaubier was controlling his pace and looked set to continue lead before an unfortunate crash out of the last corner damaged his bike and forced him to retire from the race. 

Gagne meanwhile began to reel in the leaders and light up the timing screens. After the race leader went wide and off track, Gagne moved up a spot and pushed all the way to finish, just 0.228 behind in a hard-fought second place for twenty points with five races left in 2020. 

The Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha team return to action for Sunday’s doubleheader at The Brickyard, looking for a strong result for both riders.  

Richard Stanboli – Monster Energy Attack Performance #yamaharacing Team Manager

“It’s been a very atypical weekend so far. Cameron started on the second row after crashing out of qualifying yesterday and then crashed in the race when another rider oiled the track, and then again while leading the race after the third restart. It was just a bizarre race. I think the fans will have to watch it to understand it fully. 

“Jake, on the other hand, had a good ride after starting from the second row. He continues to improve his pace, and he came up just short of the win in a challenging race. Tomorrow we will regroup and work toward putting our Yamaha R1s at the top of the podium.” 

Jake Gagne – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing

“It was definitely a crazy day! Three restarts made for interesting #racing, but finally, my third start was a bit better. The two riders up front got away quick, and it took me a bit to reel them in. In the end, I just wasn’t quite close enough to make a run on Bobby (Fong) for the win, but I’m happy with my race overall and excited for the doubleheader tomorrow!” 

Cameron Beaubier – Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha Racing

“The guys worked really hard to put together a strong package for today, but I could never really find my groove. The race was chaotic, and just when I started to find my flow after the restarts I made a small mistake while leading on the exit onto the straight and put the bike down. I’d like to thank the team and I am confident we can come back tomorrow with a strong pace for the win.”