Red Bull Rookies Cup
Road Racer Jake Gagne on his Pro Motocross Debut
We chat with the US road racing star about his move from pavement to dirt at the Utah National.
Jake Gagne at the 2015 Utah National
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
At the penultimate round of the 2015 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, some big things happened. As Ryan Dungeywasclinching his third 450 title, in dominating fashion another rider accomplishing something that no other racer on the 450 gate has ever done. Jake Gagne is a professional motorcycle racer, but not in motocross.
Gagne races the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000cc Championship for RoadRace Factory Yamaha, and is currently leading the series. But during a break in that schedule, Gagne decided to pursue yet another two-wheel accolade: racing an AMA Pro Motocross National. Not only did the San Diego native qualify, but he almost finished in points-paying position against some of the best 450 racers in the world. We talked to the newly-discovered double threat of two-wheel racing about his budding motocross career:
Gagne taking his gate at Miller Motorsports Park
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
RedBull.com: Obviously, the motorcycle world knows you as a road racer. But you raced motocross before all of that, right?
Gagne: Definitely, motocross has always been my roots. My dad was into motorcycles his whole life, so when I was around five or six I got him to get me a dirt bike and we started racing local motocross races right away. We raced almost every weekend from then on out with 50s, 65s and 85s so we were full on moto.
Did you ever do any big amateur MX races back in the day? What were some highlights?
My biggest highlight for sure was winning a Ponca City championship on 65s. I had some good results in some of the more West Coast nationals like the World Mini Grand Prix. It was different for me, because around that time all the dudes I was racing against started getting homeschooled and got to ride a few days during the week, while I was stuck in school and just riding on the weekends with my dad when he wasn't working. I feel like that was awesome for me though because I was always stoked to go ride and never felt burnt out from it.
Gagne nearly cracked the top 20 in the 450 class
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
When did you start to make the transition to road racing?
In 2007, we heard about the Red Bull Rookies Cup and my dad just signed me up and we didn't think much of it. Then all of a sudden, we get a call to come out to Alabama for the tryouts. I ended up making the cut and so we decided to take the year off moto in 2008 and see how the asphalt treated us for the year. We ended up getting some amazing opportunities and it just took off from there.
Was pro motocross still an option when you first started racing on the pavement?
Honestly, racing pro moto hadn't crossed my mind at all ever since I made the transition until just a couple months ago.
But you obviously still rode MX a lot. Is it tough to mix riding dirt and road racing, or do you have a good routine going to keep the balance?
People always ask if it's tough to make the transition, but I guess I'm so used to it now it doesn't bother me. I only get to ride my Superbike a few tests before the first race and then only race weekends from then on out, so I have to stay sharp riding something and I think moto is the perfect training. Whichever bike I swing a leg over I just automatically get into that zone.
So is there a lot of cross-over from road racing to MX (and vice-versa) in terms of skills and/or techniques?
There's actually a ton of skills and techniques that can be applied to either motorcycle. Even though the body position between the two is completely different, there are unique things you can pick up about how to maneuver a motorcycle that will definitely cross over. It's all about feeling that balance between front and rear and getting the power down on either bike.
What did the RoadRace Factory Yamaha team think when you told them you wanted to race a Pro Motocross National? Were they hesitant or all for it?
My team was pumped. That's why it was so cool, because my team owners Danny Walker and Jeremy Latrasse and even my road race mechanics Scotty and Danny were fully behind it. They trusted me to go out and play with the best dudes in the world even when we're in the middle of a championship hunt.
Jake Gagne at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2013
© Erik Voake / Red Bull Content Pool
You even got some help from Yamaha on a fully dialed-in race YZ450, right? How did that come into play?
Getting all the support from Yamaha made this deal happen for sure. As soon as my team and I discussed it, we talked to Keith McCarty at Yamaha and right away he already had a testing schedule on the beast planned the next week. So that bike was amazing. I had only ridden completely stock moto bikes since I was a kid and that was a huge help riding a bike that dialed-in.
Could there ever be a day when you can actually mix racing road and motocross consistently on a professional level?
Who knows, maybe if they didn't put any races on the same weekend! I'm fully committed to road racing, but without a doubt I already want to get to another National next year if possible. The last time I was behind a gate drop was 2007, so I definitely missed it.
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