Jake Gagne, on the Attack Yamaha, is a difficult opponent in MotoAmerica, even for Danilo Petrucci : The Californian has progressed thanks to his break in World Superbike.
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For those who know Jake Gagne exclusively for his (far from memorable) past with Ten Kate Honda in World Superbike, the question is legitimate. How is it possible that a rider who has struggled in this championship category finds himself monopolizing the scene in MotoAmerica Superbike? Before a MotoGP rider of the caliber of Danilo Petrucci, what’s more. Low level ? A case of homonymy? Different contexts? Moto-missile available? Yes and no. Or rather: As always in these cases, the truth lies somewhere in between. Between one professional experience and another, runners grow, change, improve on all levels. And that's not all: The realities are different, even diametrically opposed. If a pilot fights in a context, in a dimension that is more favorable to him, he can show his value. Jake Gagne knows it and, despite themselves, so do his opponents.
JAKE WINS IS NOT A BAD
Let's start right away with a basic consideration: No, Jake Gagne is not bad. No way. Leaving aside his last two years as a MotoAmerica star, he has often proven his speed during his career. Not in the Superbike World Championship, that's true (we'll come back to that later), but in other contexts, he has amply demonstrated that he has significant talent. On the old continent, as on the new continent. It is enough to remember that in 2010 he was crowned champion of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, a hotly contested category which runs in parallel with the MotoGP World Championship during the main European rounds, beating in one fell swoop two future World Champions like Danny Kent (2nd) and Brad Binder (5th in his debut).
HE WON EVERYTHING IN THE UNITED STATES
As a general rule, a Rookies Cup champion, American in addition (an interesting passport for the promoter Dorna), should have the way clear to race in MotoGP. It didn't happen like that for Jake (or rather Jacob, his first name). Due to a lack of budget and other unfortunate situations/choices, he was forced to fall back on CEV Moto2, making only a few appearances in the world championship as a wild card and/or substitute . Not the best life, so much so that in 2012, he decided to return to his native country, managing to win everything there was to win (excluding the Daytona 200 miles) in 10 years.
TOWARDS THE WORLD SUPERBIKE
Through Red Bull's association with the RoadRace Factory team, he won the title in the now-defunct Daytona SportBike in 2014, then the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 title the following season. With the same structure, in 2017 he tried the bet of a move from Yamaha to Honda: unhappy in terms of results, but due to a series of circumstances his luck changed. As an American Honda rider, he was called up by Ten Kate Honda to race at Laguna Seca in World Superbike. Complicated by the tragic death of Nicky Hayden and Stefan Bradl's string of injuries, Gagne fought more rounds than expected and, thanks to support from Red Bull, joined Leon Camier full-time at the start of the 2018 world championship.
PARENTHESES FROM THE WORLD SUPERBIKE TO FORGET
Like it or not, his CBR wasn't exactly the best bike of the bunch. Furthermore, Gagne arrived at the world championship with a team at the end of its run with Honda and, himself, as a rider who had not yet reached the current level. A few top 10 finishes failed to save a deficit, so much so that for 2019 he had to return to his native country for the second time in order to relaunch his career. By espousing the cause of a prestigious team (Scheibe Racing), but with a “historical relic” BMW. Enough to show some good results and receive the call from Attack Yamaha for 2020.
FROM BEAUBIER’S TEAMMATE TO CAPTAIN
Back in the saddle of an R1, Gagne finds himself at ease. After serving for a year as sidekick to unapproachable teammate Cameron Beaubier, he obtained the MotoAmerica Superbike title in 2021 as the undisputed leader: 17 victories in 20 races, including 16 consecutive. Finding himself with teammate Josh Herrin and, in the last rounds, Toni Elias, he wanted to win with a challenge within the challenge: rewriting records. Historical and timing records, aiming on each track to beat the benchmarks established the previous season by Beaubier.
HOW DOES IT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MOTOAMERICA SUPERBIKE?
Coming back to the initial question, why is Jake Gagne the rider to beat across the Atlantic? It is thanks to the experience it has acquired over the years, being historically in tune with the R1. And it is supported by a team (Attack Performance) which has an invaluable database on MotoAmerica circuits. As soon as they put the wheels on the track, the staff led by Richard Stanboli already have the ideal setting. Few reworks, fine adjustments to the already optimal chassis and electronics mean that Gagne and his teammate Cameron Petersen only have to open the accelerator. Jake, in a context that is favorable to him, knows how to do it well. In addition, it has its own particularities: It starts well and immediately finds the right rhythm. Just take Race 2 at Laguna Seca: Comfortably in 1'23"4 on lap three (front row qualifying time), with Petrucci struggling to post a 23"6. With an R1 that allows him to ride as he wants, manage and handle throughout the race.
IT REMAINS BEATABLE
In MotoAmerica, Jake Gagne has clearly found his dimension. There's a lack of evidence of what it might do in other contexts today, but in the United States it's rolling like a charm. However, in some ways it is one-dimensional. When put under pressure, he sometimes makes serious mistakes. In the clinch (also because he has had very few fights in the last two years), he struggles. A fighter like Danilo Petrucci, now 3 points behind in the standings, is for all intents and purposes the right driver (and the only one, today) who can challenge and beat him, which he has already done successfully. The Italian has a prestigious track record, extraordinary speed, but a colossal lack of experience in MotoAmerica compared to the Gagne – Yamaha – Attack trio.
Brainerd at the end of the month will be a new challenge for Petrucci – Ducati versus Gagne and an R1 that runs on rails. Especially because it’s Jacob “Jake” himself who makes everything go so quickly…
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