In parallel with the MotoGP Grand Prix of Assen, MotoAmerica is launching an attack on Ridge Motorsports Park, to compete in the fifth round of its 2024 championship. The race in Washington will mark the comeback of Cameron Beaubier after an injury to the foot which made him miss the last four events.
MotoAmerica Round 5 Schedule at Ridge
Qualification 2 :
After placing an option on pole, Loris Baz confirms and takes it at Ridge Motorsports Park. The Frenchman completed a 1:39.478 lap, which allowed him to snatch first position from Cameron Petersen.
After the first sessions, dominated by both Yamaha and Ducati, the fight for victory looked intense.
Baz’s teammate Josh Herrin took third place on the grid, to put two Bologna machines on the front row. He was a tenth behind the Habs.
Bobby Fong, and Jake Gagne placed their Yamahas in fourth and fifth positions with times four tenths slower than the leading men, which did not allow them to fight for pole position.
Difficult start to the weekend for Cameron Beaubier who is making his comeback this weekend after a leg injury. He finished the Qualifications with eighth place in the table.
Ranking credit: MotoAmerica.com
Course 1 :
Race 1 didn’t go as planned for poleman Loris Baz. The weather conditions got in the way of the festivities, and the Ducati rider made a bad choice of tires. He managed to limit the damage with eighth position. Finishing the race as the first rider equipped with slicks.
Cameron Petersen won Race 1 in the wet at Ridge Motorsports Park. He took his teammate Jake Gagne along to break away from the pack. The two men engaged in a few cautious exchanges of arms before crossing the finish line with a gap of 30 thousandths.
The race was not actually contested in its entirety as a red flag on the eighth lap compromised the rest of the event. This does not detract from Petersen’s success, who thus took his third victory of the season.
Xavi Fores, Richie Escalante’s replacement at Vision Wheel, took advantage of his stint to secure his first podium in MotoAmerica. He finished nine seconds behind the leaders, and naturally benefited from a judicious choice of tires to secure such a result.
Cameron Petersen, winner of Race 1 at the Ridge:
“As Jake (Gagne) said, as a team we made the decision to go with the wets. It was definitely the right call. It’s really fun to race with JG because you know he’s not going to try anything dangerous. The team did an incredible job, putting the bike on wets. A good day overall. Third win of the season. Super happy to get that in a season. Looking forward to a dry race. I’ve felt good all weekend here, so I think tomorrow should be a good fight and a dog fight. Congratulations to Xavi on his first MotoAmerica Superbike podium.”
Ranking credit: MotoAmerica.com
