Attack Performance Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha's Cameron Petersen came close to winning the MotoAmerica Supersport in a photo finish at the Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Jake Gagne suffered a fall during the morning warm up and tried to run but ultimately gave up (see the race summary here).
There were many first times Cameron Petersen during the 80th edition of the Daytona 200; his first race with the new team, his first race at the legendary circuit, his first endurance race and his first race on a Yamaha R6, but the South African impressed straight away. He took provisional pole on Thursday and had a strong result in sixth position in qualifying, with limited track time.
Cameron Petersen made a good start from the second row of the grid and was in good tempo with the leading group. He was third when the red flag was waved on lap 7, and so he lined up on the front row for the restart. Cameron Petersen got another good start, turned fast and consistent laps, and kept his composure as the drivers jostled and exchanged the lead several times. After a quick second pit stop he found himself with a lead of over four seconds, but in the final laps the competition closed the gap. The race went down to the wire with a thrilling battle of slipstreams all the way to the finish line, with Petersen crossing the line 0,007 seconds from victory.
His teammate Jake Gagne did a good job securing third position in qualifying to put Attack Performance's Yamaha R6 on the front row of the grid. Unfortunately, the day of racing got off to a bad start for the reigning MotoAmerica Superbike champion, who crashed during warm-up after his pit stop. He lined up in the race to try to get a good result, but he was too sore and retired before the red flag.
The team now has its eyes on another Superbike title and will travel to Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, April 8-10 for the MotoAmerica season opener at the Grand Prix of the Americas.
Richard Stanboli, Attack Performance Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Director: “ It was a sort of workshop project to show how good the R6 is, even with the new rules, and to see if it is really competitive. It turned out pretty good. The Yamaha was very, very competitive; I think it was one of the fastest bikes on the circuit. She led almost every lap until the end, and we got trapped at the line. So, we're pretty happy with how things went.
It was definitely a very difficult weekend with very limited track time and a schedule that was constantly changing with the weather, but we adapted really well. Our team did a great job, and Cameron had a great race. It was his first time racing here and driving an R6, so with the little track time we had, finishing second in the Daytona 200 is impressive. We are really looking forward to the Superbike season and we are expecting big things. »
Cameron Petersen, Attack Performance Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing: “ Honestly, it's the most fun I've had on a motorcycle. I didn't know what to expect for my first endurance race, but I didn't expect it to be like this. The first part of the race was like a sprint race. There was overtaking all over the place, but it was a lot of fun.
The team absolutely mastered the second pit stop and that put us in a very good position to win the race. Then it was just a little unfortunate; I got stuck in no man's land and I didn't have a trailer or inspiration or anyone to work with, and then two pursuers got in my way. At that point, I knew they (Sheridan Morais, Josh Hayes, and Brandon Paasch) were going to be there at the end of the race, so I might as well relax a little, play it safe, and start working on my strategy to see where I wanted to place myself on the last lap in order to get a draw to the line. I honestly thought I maneuvered to perfection, and at the last second, Brandon had a double draw and had me right on the line. I think I'll lose a little sleep thinking about this race for a while, but I'm super happy to be on the podium for my first Daytona 200. I'm already thinking about next year. »
Jake Gagne, Attack Performance Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing: “ It was a tough end to the weekend because we felt better with each session, and it was good to qualify well. This morning, during the warm up, we practiced pit stops and I crashed, I had no brakes and I hit the wall quite violently. I just felt sore in several places in my body and I knew it would be difficult to get back on the track and run, but I wanted to at least try. I didn't have the strength to fight at the front and I didn't really want to do 57 laps at the back of the pack or anything like that. We're ready to race superbikes, and luckily we're in good shape for that. I can't wait to start the season at CoTA. »
