Gagne got a great start from the third spot on the grid and slotted into second behind Petersen. He quickly moved into the lead and started to build a gap on the competition before the red flag was drawn. It was a complete restart with Gagne taking the holeshot this time. Around Lap 8, he started to build a comfortable gap and ultimately crossed the line with nearly a five-second lead over his teammate. The Coloradan’s victory was an important 12-point gain in the hotly contested championship fight giving him a 13-point lead with three races remaining.
Petersen also had a great day with a runner-up spot in qualifying and then backed that up with a holeshot in the opening race of the penultimate round. After being passed by his teammate on that first lap, he was holding down second before the red flag. Slotting behind Gagne after the restart, Petersen was once again riding strong in second and kept his teammate in sight for several laps with fellow Yamaha rider Mathew Scholtz right behind in third. Around the halfway mark, he was locked in battle with his countryman for the runner-up spot. They would exchange the position a few times with Petersen reclaiming it with five laps to go and holding him off to secure another 1-2 finish for the team.
The Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team lines up again for MotoAmerica Superbike Race 2 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, on Sunday, September 11.
