Jake Gagne raced from pole position to a perfect win in the German Grand Prix round of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. It was anything but an easy win for the 16-year-old Californian though, with 14-year-old South African Brad Binder and 16-year-old Briton Danny Kent following him across the line.
The win could have come from any one of 10 teenagers who traded places at every corner in what has become the accepted Rookies Cup style. Towards the front of the lead pack from the start, Gagne did have that important little something up his sleeve at the end of the 19 laps.
“I was just in the group for most of the race and watching what the other guys were doing. With about 3 laps to go I got to the front and tried to get away. I knew that Brad (Binder) had gone with me but over the last few corners I knew I was pretty strong and I braked pretty deep so I didn't think he'd be able to get by.”
It was a fine ride from Binder who had made up a lot of ground coming from the third row of the grid. “My start was pretty good but then I bumped early on and was well back in about 13th," he said. "So I had to ride hard to catch up. When I did that I really wanted to get on the podium and I got up the front when Jake took the lead. I went with him and I was looking for a way past to win but he was braking at the very last millisecond and there was no way past.... this time.”
Kent was another who had to work hard for his place on the roster, coming from 10th on the grid. “I knew I could do better than qualifying because I had oil on the rear tire towards the end of the session," he said. "We also made a few adjustments to the bike so it was working better.”
Alex Kristiansson, the 16-year-old Swede, lost a podium place by just seven-thousandths of a second but still managed to smile and had the consolation of a new lap record. “It was a great race, a little crazy at times but a lot of fun. I thought I'd managed to get on the podium but Danny just came past at the line.”
Similarly, 15-year-old Italian Kevin Calia enjoyed running at the front, as well as his 5th-place finish. “It was good to lead but not easy. I tried to break away but it was impossible, and as soon as the other guys overtake it slows you down again.”
Ride of the day could arguably go to Josh Hook who took a superb 6th having fought through from a 15th place start on the 4th row of the grid. “I just don't seem to be able to qualify, once the race starts I am OK,” explained the 17-year-old Australian. “With 10 laps to go I thought the gap to the lead group was too big but I managed to catch them. I thought I might be able to get on the podium but on the last lap it all got a bit too much of a mess. I'm happy though, at last I've got a half decent result.”
He finished just ahead of 18-year-old Spaniard Daniel Ruiz who had the Cup lead going into the race. “I made a mess of the start and even when I got into the group I just could not ride the way I wanted. I get so frustrated with such races. I know I can go quicker but with the other guys passing everywhere it is just impossible.”
Kent has seized the Cup lead with a six-point advantage over Ruiz with Gagne a single point behind him. There remain 4 races in the season with 100 points on offer, the first 25 of those up for grabs on Sunday.
Race 1 Classification
1. Jacob Gagne (USA) 29 minutes 10.099 seconds (143.475 kph)
2. Brad Binder (RSA) +0.066
3. Danny Kent (GBR) +0.929
4. Alexander Kristiansson (SWE) +0.936
5. Kevin Calia (ITA) +0.995
6. Joshua Hook (AUS) +1.403
7. Daniel Ruiz (ESP) +1.465
8. Tomas Vavrous (CZE) +1.652
9. Taylor Mackenzie (GBR) +10.021
10. Florian Alt (GER) +18.813
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