MotoAmerica, It's straight up Gagne vs. Beaubier on the first day of the challenge at Road Atlanta

There are still many question marks on the eve of the opening round of the 2023 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta but defending champion Jake Gagne showed that he’s not one of them.

Gagne earned provisional pole position for this weekend’s two Medallia Superbike races with the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing rider lapping at 1:23.453 on his YZF-R1 on his fourth lap of the 40-minute session. Gagne’s best lap was .928 of a second faster than the returning Cameron Beaubier, the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion lapping at 1:24.381 on the Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR in his return to the series after two years in the Moto2 World Championship.

Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen completed the provisional front row despite a crash, the South African lapping at 1:24.542 – just a tick over a second off Gagne’s best.

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz completed the opening day of the Superbike season with the fourth fastest time with Beaubier’s teammate PJ Jacobsen fifth and the last rider to crack into the 1:24s. Josh Herrin, in his debut on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R, was sixth at the end of day one and ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Richie Escalante and Toni Elias.

Corey Alexander, third member of the Tytlers Cycle Racing team, was ninth with Wrench Motorcycles’ David Anthony rounding out the top 10.

“We started with a new tire and didn’t want to put another one on,” Gagne said. “Like always, the beginning of the race is important but that second half of the race and the tires being a new generation, nobody is going to know what to expect. We tried to get the best idea we could, and I had some good close calls in that session, enough so I know what’s going to happen after a couple of laps. Still, the second half of the race will be like who knows? Dunlop has done a good job, though, and I’m happy with the tires. It’s just a little different. How they wear is a little different, temperature and pressure is a little different. It’s kinda fun though, something new. We were so dialed in on the old stuff so it’s another challenge.”

Photo MotoAmerica courtesy by Brian J. Nelson