GAGNE & JACOBSEN IN, BRADL OUT…
Just prior to us going to print, it was announced that American Jake Gagne would be joining Leon Camier in the Ten Kate Red Bull Honda squad for WSB in 2018. Now, did this take us by surprise? A little bit of yes, and a little bit no, if we’re completely honest.
Stefan Bradl looked lost at sea during 2017, and the woes of the new Honda Fireblade can’t have helped at all either. Most GP refugees take a while to acclimatise to WSB (it took Biaggi and Checa five seasons to win their first WSB titles), the bikes, tyres, and the fact that the riders there are pretty good, but Bradl was woeful, only showing the briefest of glimpses and even then, usually outside of the top ten. He was hit by injury during the year, too, so when you add all of that up and include the bike’s issues, this does not a happy Stefan make, not one bit...
Had he jumped on something a little less underdeveloped, a different manufacturer perhaps, this could be an entirely different story right now. But he didn’t, and fromwhat we hear is now looking to be a test rider for Honda rather than race. Which is a huge pity, because he is undoubtedly a talent and someone who could go well in WSB on the right bike. It’s also a pity, as we would have assumed that he’d want to try and prove to all that his miserable debut Superbike season isn’t what he’s all about. But then signing for another team (when all the top rides are gone) is another risk, and perhaps one too far for Bradl. What a shame, but we won’t rule out a racing return for him entirely, at least not yet.
Meanwhile, Gagne deputised for Bradl on a few occasions and the team were apparently impressed with him and his work ethic, even if the results weren’t what one would describe as brilliant. He is a multiple champion in the US of A though, in several classes and he won the Red Bull Rookies a few years back, too. Added to that, he’s already a Red Bull ‘athlete’, so losing another Red Bull man, Bradl, hasn’t quite hurt the title sponsor as much as it could have.
And thus we have an American back in WSB, but wait, for there is another! PJ Jacobsen has also joined the ranks on yet another Honda Fireblade, with the Triple M squad. After a few years fighting for (and losing…) the World Supersport crown he’s decided to jump in with the big boys. He has of course raced litre bikes before, winning in British Superstock before a so-so season in BSB, both with the (then) TAS Suzuki bunch. In fact, PJ could be a dark horse for top Honda next year although beating Camier will be a tough ask.
In fact, Camier has taken to his new role at Ten Kate with verve, and even in testing he and the bike were looking good, moving in the right direction. Could this be the year Honda come good again in WSB? Time will tell…