Gagne grabbed another holeshot from pole position, but he had a fight on his hands this time around. He made an uncharacteristic error on the second lap and went off track exiting Turn 5. With the lead group right behind, he came under attack and was passed by Loris Baz and Mathew Scholtz going into the Corkscrew. As the other two riders jostled for the lead, Gagne reclaimed it in Rainey Corner. Although he went unchallenged for the rest of the race, Baz stayed right on his heels. The Colorado rider kept his cool under pressure and went on to sweep the weekend. Gagne leaves his native state of California with his win streak intact and a 65-point lead in the championship.
Herrin was fifth at the start of Race 2, but he kept pushing and quickly moved into fourth in Turn 5. That gave him a front-row seat to the chaos on Lap 2 and eventually an open door. He first made the pass on Scholtz and then Baz to take the runner-up spot in the final turn. The Frenchman immediately countered, and Herrin tried to make the pass on the outside of Turn 2 but was pushed wide and shuffled back to fifth. He found himself under pressure as the race wore on and was passed with three laps to go. On the final lap, he reclaimed it to score his second top-five finish of the weekend.
The Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team heads to Brainerd, Minnesota, on July 30-August 1, as MotoAmerica makes a long-awaited return to Brainerd International Raceway for Round 6 of the championship.
