Magny-Cours awaits the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team

The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team heads to France’s Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours this weekend and is targeting a return to form at the final European round of the 2018 season.

After a challenging round last time out at Portimão, Leon Camier and Jake Gagne are aiming for more consistent performance on their CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 machines in France.

Camier is a fan of the French circuit and after some notable performances there in recent years, the Briton is confident of a resurgence this weekend. Gagne is also in high spirits as the American has shown strong race pace and has prior track experience of Magny-Cours after being drafted into the team for the French round last season.

Magny-Cours is defined by a mix of slow hairpin corners and quicker chicanes and sweeping corners. Overtaking opportunities aren’t as widespread as at some other circuits, although the Adelaide hairpin after the very fast first sector is one prime overtaking spot.

The eleventh round of the WorldSBK championship commences with Free Practice 1 at 0945 local time (GMT +2) on Friday. Race 1 will start at 1300 local time on Saturday, while Race 2 on Sunday kicks off at 1515.

Source: Media @ Red Bull Team

Gagne caps successful WorldSBK homecoming with ninth place in Laguna Seca Race 2

Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team rider Jake Gagne scored a career-best ninth place in Race 2 at Laguna Seca while Leon Camier fought back from an early crash to recover to P13 and secure valuable championship points.

After claiming his first ever WorldSBK top-ten finish in Race 1 yesterday, Gagne lined up in P15 for today’s race and in carbon-copy style to yesterday, showed great pace in the early laps on his CBR1000RR SP2.

Gagne worked his way up into the top ten by lap five and maintained a strong pace throughout the second half of the race, bringing his Fireblade over the finish line with an emphatic wheelie in ninth place.

For Camier, it was another frustrating race with the Briton crashing at turn 2 on the third lap, however he recovered brilliantly to catch up to the pack and made several passes to ultimately finish in the points in P13.

With five rounds remaining in the 2018 WorldSBK season, Camier is twelfth place on the championship table with 75 points while Gagne is in seventeenth place with 37 points.

The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team will next be in action at the Pirelli Riviera di Rimini round at Misano Circuit from July 6-8.

Credit: Red Bull Media Team

Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team aims for gains on American roadtrip

The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team head to Laguna Seca this weekend where hometown hero Jake Gagne returns to the circuit he made his WorldSBK debut, while Leon Camier gets his first chance to ride the legendary American circuit on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.

At approximately 3.61 kilometres (2.223 miles) in length, the Laguna Seca circuit is the shortest on the WorldSBK calendar however packs numerous challenges within its 11 corners, including the ultra-fast Turn 1 and the world-famous Corkscrew which plunges almost twenty metres from entry to exit.

This circuit is where Gagne made his WorldSBK debut with the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team in 2017 where the American rider grabbed a pair of point-scoring finishes in a fine performance. With half a season of WorldSBK racing experience now under his belt, Gagne is aiming for his best race weekend of the year at a circuit he loves.

For Camier, the Laguna Seca round comes off the back of strong performances at Donington and Brno and with the summer break fast approaching, the British rider is aiming to move closer to the front runners at a circuit where the sublime handling and braking stability of the Fireblade should prove advantageous.

The WorldSBK action at the United States round starts this Friday at 0945 local time (GMT -7) with Free Practice 1. Race start on both Saturday and Sunday is at 1400 local time.

Credit: Media Team @ Red Bull Honda Wordl Superbike Team

Camier seventh, Gagne twelfth in roasting Race 2 at Brno

The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team concluded their Czech WorldSBK adventure with a double point-scoring finish as Leon Camier crossed the finish line in seventh place and a resurgent Jake Gagne took twelfth in hot conditions at Brno.

Camier started Race 2 in P6 on the grid but needed a couple of laps to find his feet, settling into P9 in the opening laps. As other riders struggled in the warm conditions, Camier adapted and was able to improve his pace to work his way ahead of his competitors and climbed to seventh place with five laps remaining, the position he held until the chequered flag.

Further back, Gagne got a good start from the seventh row of the grid and quickened his pace as the race went on, setting his quickest lap of the race on lap 9. A last lap push nearly brought the American his first top-ten finish in WorldSBK, but ultimately he just missed out although he still equalled his best result of the year with P12.

The Race 2 result sees Camier move up one place in the championship standings to tenth on 72 points, while Gagne stays in seventeenth overall but increases his points tally to 24.

The United States hosts the next WorldSBK round at Gagne’s home circuit of Laguna Seca from June 22-24.

Camier and Gagne relishing WorldSBK return to Brno

The Czech Republic returns as a host nation for the FIM World Superbike Championship for round 7 this weekend, with Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team riders Leon Camier and Jake Gagne relishing the chance to ride the undulating Automotodromo Brno circuit again.

The Brno circuit is a technical 5.4 kilometre track characterised by its huge elevation changes where the difference between the lowest and highest points of the circuit is over 70 metres – the height of a twenty story building. These elevation changes, coupled with many left-right corner combinations split by a series of straights – including the steep, uphill straight in the last sector colloquially known as ‘Horsepower Hill’ – make the track a stern test for man and machine.

Camier has ridden the circuit numerous times during his illustrious WorldSBK career and although the Briton is still not 100% fit following his injury, given the progress he made during the Donington race weekend he is positive about maintaining his momentum on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 this weekend at one of his favourite circuits.

Gagne has fond memories of the Czech circuit, with the American having won a race here during his time in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and is confident that his riding style and the sharp handling and braking stability of the Fireblade will help him secure a good result this weekend.

The first WorldSBK session of the #CzechWorldSBK round is Friday’s Free Practice 1 at 0945 local time (GMT +2). Race One and Race Two are set to start at 1300 on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Credit: Red Bull World Superbike Media Team