Moto2 American Contingent for Red Bull Indy GP Growing

Henny Ray Abrams | August 17, 2011

The American Moto2 contingent for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix is four-strong, with three one-time riders joining a series regular.Jake Gagne, who’s currently racing in Spain’s CEV Buckler championship, will ride the GP Tech/Fogi Racing/FTR machine in the Moto2 race. The bike is the same one that Jason DiSalvo last year rode to an impressive ninth in the 38-rider field in his lone Moto2 appearance. This year DiSalvo will be racing in the Vance & Hines XR1200 class for Latus Motors Racing, his Daytona SportBike sponsor.

Gagne tested at Gingerman Raceway in Michigan earlier this week and will take part in the AMA Pro Road Racing test at Indy August 18-19.”The bike was really good straight away. We made some little changes, but it was really close from what the team learned last year,” Gagne said. “Hopefully, we’ll get even faster in testing at Indy. So far, it’s been really positive. We’ll keep working to earn the best result we can get in the race.”Gagne, who will turn 18 on the Saturday of the GP weekend, added that “the Brickyard is an awesome track, and I’m excited to go back.”JD Beach will swap his Attack Racing Kawasaki ZX10 for the Aeroport de Castello/Cartellon Mediterraneo Blumaq team FTR M211 for the race. Beach isn’t a wild card-he’s riding in place of the injured Tommasso Lorenzetti. Because he’s a substitute rider, he won’t be allowed to take part in the AMA test at the Speedway.South American Martin Cardenas was recently confirmed as a Moto2 entry. Cardenas, who races AMA Superbike for the M4 Suzuki team, will substitute for Yonny Hernandez, a fellow Colombian who suffered multiple injuries in the Czech Grand Prix at Brno. Hernandez suffered a broken wrist and fractured ankle, with his other ankle also heavily damaged.Cardenas attended the early July Italian Grand Prix at Mugello to gauge interest in his services for next year’s Moto2 field, but found most of the teams were most interested in riders who brought money to the team.The three one-time riders join Kenny Noyes, the ex-pat American who lives in Barcelona and races full-time for the Avintia-STX, FTR team.