Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) arrives at the Pirelli Riviera di Rimini Round having just taken his two best results in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in back-to-back races at Laguna Seca. After several close attempts, the American showed in front of his home crowd that he has the tools to place his Fireblade amongst the top ten. At the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, that will again be the goal.

This weekend will be the first time Gagne races at Misano in WorldSBK, but the 25-year-old already has experience and pleasant memories of the Italian track. It was here that Gagne took home the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2010, a second-place finish enough to secure the title ahead of current Moto2™ rider Danny Kent. The Red Bull Honda rider was also on track here once in Moto2™, one year later.

There are just five rounds left in the 2018 season, and the American will be eager to impress ahead of the summer break. Without the same ‘home advantage’, does the American think he can match his Laguna Seca performance in Rimini?

“I think the Honda Fireblade will get along well with the track so I hope we continue our momentum and get some strong results before the summer break”, he says. “I’m really excited to continue making progress at Misano”.

Watch all the action from the last round before the summer thanks to the WorldSBK VideoPass.