Supersport rider and MotoAmerica veteran Josh Hayes will fill in for the injured Cameron Petersen this weekend at Brainerd. The move comes after speculation about who would fill Petersen’s shoes. Petersen announced last week that he is focused on recovering from a wrist injury that will require surgery. The Surgery effectively will end his 2023 campaign which left a vacancy at with Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha. Give the point in the season this move seemed like a natural progression. Hayes had already made a guest appearance for the Yamaha side at Road America earlier this year. As to whether a decision was made on Hayes then is unknown. However, its clears the Yamaha side saw something they like and felt this was the right move for the team. Yamaha released the following statements in a press release regarding the matter.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“We welcome Josh Hayes to our team this weekend. His record of success and commitment to Yamaha speaks for itself. I know it will be difficult to jump in and immediately be competitive, but we are confident he will meet the challenge. We also wish Cameron a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. The last time we replaced a rider mid-season due to injury was in 2001, Jason Pridmore, and he came back to win a championship. We look forward to meeting our fans and putting on a good show at BIR.”
Josh Hayes – Squid Hunter Racing/Yamaha
“It’s unfortunate that this is the circumstance and Cam is missing so much riding, but I’m excited to stand in and contribute in any way I can for Yamaha and the team. Hopefully, I can learn and adapt to the Superbike quickly and maybe even contribute to its development with some significant time on the bike. I’m still really focused on success in Supersport on my Squid Hunter R6, and I appreciate their dedication every weekend. We’re looking to have a great weekend at Brainerd.”