Honda World Supersport Team boss on PJ Jacobsen and the year in World Superspor
American PJ Jacobsen joined the Ten Kate squad at the beginning of 2016
after coming runner-up in the title in WorldSSP the season before, with
aspirations of another push at the title. Having been challenging at
the front and for the podium all season, some early mistakes have
undermined the points total the New Yorker now counts on, and he is yet
to snatch that elusive first win. But the title is not over yet and
Jacobsen once again has proved himself a key protagonist in WorldSSP.
Ahead of the summer break, Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate talked to
WorldSBK.com about the season so far.
“We’ve always been frontrunners this season although it has
unfortunately been a bumpy road for us,” says Ten Kate. “Not finishing a
few times and crashing out when battling for the lead doesn’t help but
it’s an exciting season so far. We’re still waiting for the win to come
but I’m quite confident it will come this season.”
A crash at MotorLand Aragón out of the lead of the Race, and a similar
incident in difficult conditions at Assen have been lows of the season
for the squad, but the pace shown by the American rider is consistently
quick – and since then, the podium has been a regular pit stop for
Jacobsen.
“At the start of the season we were having some problems with the setup
because we changed some things over the winter,” explains the Dutchman.
“But once we found our way we have been up at the front all the time.
It’s just been lacking consistency in the first couple of Rounds; it’s
not like we have been missing a lot. But we could have done with some
more testing in winter I believe.”
Interest in both team and rider is high, with Jacobsen also sharing Ten
Kate with 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, who was another
incoming rider from the USA at the beginning of the season.
“There’s a big USA flavor in the team now, that’s clear,” says Ten Kate
of the two Americans. “They are friends and they talk to each other but
it’s not that they are constantly pushing each other around. You want
the excitement that comes from winning Races, but certainly having
riders like PJ who bring so much interest to the team is always good.
And if they’re doing good on track and showing great winning potential,
then yes. In a way PJ is already getting senior in the team and in the
class, and he’s growing and growing. We’re very happy with what we’ve
seen from him – but he’s only forgotten to win!”
All three Ten Kate riders are set to ride at the Suzuka 8h in the
summer break too, with Hayden and van der Mark sharing a team and
Jacobsen also riding. So the break before Lausitzring will see plenty of
track time for the three, with hopes for a test before the Pirelli
German Round and then a last push through the last four Rounds of the
season.
“We want to see if we can test at Lausitzring before, although we’re
pretty tied up with our riders in the Suzuka 8h,” the Team Manager
explains. “So we want to and we’ll see what we can do. With the pedigree
the team has and with a rider the quality of PJ, you’ve got to aim for
the title. It ain’t over yet – just one DNF from the green boys would
mean we were very close up again. We’re counting on our own strengths to
become winners, but it’s not over.”
Those last four Rounds to cap off another thrilling season begin in
Germany in September, before Magny-Cours and Jerez lead the way to the
finale at Losail International Circuit in Qatar, with 100 points in
WorldSSP still up for grabs.
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