Gagne, Petersen Head Yamaha's 2022
MotoAmerica Superbike Team
Y
amaha USA unveiled an-
nounced an alteration to their
MotoAmerica Superbike Champi-
onship-winning team with defend-
ing champ Jake Gagne joined by
South African Cameron Petersen.
Gagne will start the 2022
season wearing the number-one
plate for the first time in his Mo-
toAmerica Superbike career after
a record-breaking season in 2021.
The Colorado resident took 17
race wins, putting him tied on the
all-time win list with Nicky Hayden
and making him the active leader
in Superbike wins heading into
the 2022 season.
Gagne also has a pair of sup-
port class championships to his
credit—the 2014 Daytona Sport-
bike Championship and the 2015
MotoAmerica Superstock 1000
Championship.
"I know it's not going to be as
easy to pull off what we did last
year, as the other guys are really
going to try and not make that hap-
pen," Gagne said. "We're going to
keep fighting and do what we can.
I'm just so happy to have such a
great group of people around me."
For Petersen, his appointment
comes after a solid year on the
M4 Ecstar Suzuki in which he
took third in the standings and
scored a debut win in the torren-
tial rain at Barber. The South Afri-
can has also tasted MotoAmerica
Championship success after
taking the 2020 Stock 1000 title
for Altus Motorsports.
"I know that this is the kind of
opportunity that comes around
once in a lifetime, so I'm pre-
pared and ready to make the
most out of it," Petersen said.
"I'm really looking forward to the
upcoming season and want to
grab this opportunity with both
hands and make Yamaha and
everybody proud. I feel like I've
got two good years under my belt
now with positive things happen-
ing in the sport, so I'm ready to
keep that forward momentum
going and win some champion-
ships."
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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 7 FEBRUARY 15, 2022 P21
Cam Petersen (left)
joins champion
Jake Gagne (right) in
the factory Yamaha
team for 2022.