Coming off the back of his best race weekend at Aragon, Gagne will be the sole rider for the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team as Leon Camier recovers from injuries sustained in an incident in Race 1 at Aragon. The Assen round is very much the home event for the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, who are based in Nieuwleusen in the Netherlands – just a short drive from the Assen circuit.
For Gagne, Assen is one of the venues on the WorldSBK calendar where he has enjoyed previous success, with the American rider winning a Red Bull Rookies race at the 4.5 kilometre long circuit in 2010. More recent experience came in the form of a private test at the circuit with the team last month, meaning Gagne is well prepared heading into the weekend.
The first session of the Assen WorldSBK round, Free Practice 1 starts at 0945 local time (GMT +2) with the two races taking place at 1300 local time on Saturday and Sunday. The current weather forecast suggest fine and warm weather for the entire race weekend.
Jake Gagne 45
I’m really excited to get started in Assen, its nice to just have a few days off between races so me and the team can get straight back to work and continue the progress we made in Spain with the CBR1000RR and keep pushing towards the top ten. I got to ride the track a few weeks ago during our test so this will help us get in the zone quickly. It’s going to be a bummer not having Leon with us this weekend, I really hope he gets well soon and I’ll do my best to make him and the team proud.
Kervin Bos
Back-to-back races are always a busy time but we’re all looking forward to our home race at Assen. I think for Jake Assen could be his strongest round of the year as he is coming off a positive result at Aragon, he has had success at the circuit before and he also had the chance to ride the track on a Fireblade a few weeks ago. It’s a shame we will be at our home round with only one rider, however I’ve been in communication with Leon and he’s in a good frame of mind and we look forward to welcoming him back as soon as he has completed his recovery. For now, we will put all our efforts behind Jake and go for the best possible result.
Dutch RoundTT Circuit Assen, Netherlands
WorldSBK 2018, Round 4
| # | Rider | Num | Nationality Nat. | Points Pts. | Team | Constructor Constr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan REA | 65 | GBR | 114 | Kawasaki Racing Team | Kawasaki |
| 2 | Chaz DAVIES | 7 | GBR | 102 | Aruba.it Racing | Ducati |
| 3 | Marco MELANDRI | 33 | ITA | 96 | Aruba.it Racing | Ducati |
| 4 | Xavi FORES | 12 | SPA | 76 | BARNI Racing Team | Ducati |
| 5 | Alex LOWES | 22 | GBR | 70 | Pata Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 6 | Michael VAN DER MARK | 60 | NDL | 67 | Pata Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 7 | Tom SYKES | 66 | GBR | 63 | Kawasaki Racing Team | Kawasaki |
| 8 | Leon CAMIER | 2 | GBR | 42 | Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team | Honda |
| 9 | Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU | 54 | TUR | 32 | Grillini Racing Team | Kawasaki |
| 10 | Loris BAZ | 76 | FRA | 27 | Althea BMW Racing Team | BMW |
| 11 | Román RAMOS | 40 | SPA | 23 | Team Go Eleven | Kawasaki |
| 12 | Jordi TORRES | 81 | SPA | 22 | MV Agusta Reparto Corse | MV Agusta |
| 13 | Lorenzo SAVADORI | 32 | ITA | 18 | Milwaukee Aprilia | Aprilia |
| 14 | Michael RINALDI | ITA | 17 | Aruba.it Racing | Ducati | |
| 15 | Jake GAGNE | 45 | USA | 17 | Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team | Honda |
| 16 | Eugene LAVERTY | 50 | GBR | 16 | Milwaukee Aprilia | Aprilia |
| 17 | Leandro MERCADO | 36 | ARG | 16 | IodaRacing Team | Aprilia |
| 18 | PJ JACOBSEN | 99 | USA | 10 | Triple M Honda World Superbike Team | Honda |
| 19 | Yonny HERNANDEZ | 68 | COL | 7 | Team Pedercini | Kawasaki |
| 20 | Davide GIUGLIANO | 34 | ITA | 3 | Milwaukee Aprilia | Aprilia |
| 21 | Ondrej JEZEK | 37 | CZE | 1 | Grillini Racing Team | Kawasaki |
