MotoAmerica/GeoCrash Photography

The Genuine Broaster Chicken/Honda team headed to Circuit of The Americas to participate in the MotoAmerica Dunlop Tire Test. This was the first official test of the 2017 and, for many, it was also the first opportunity to shake down new equipment obtained during the off-season. For the team, it was also the first time our brand-new Honda CBR1000RR SP2 has seen any significant track time with some race components. Prior to this test, Jake Gagne had the all new CBR bike on the track only twice and those track days were in completely stock trim. As parts continue to be delivered to the race shop, the new motorcycle would be mostly stock, so the goals of this test were based around rider setup and suspension. Because this is a completely new platform with very little worldwide knowledge to draw from, the team had their work cut out for them.   How insane is this bike... we're gonna have a good time with this beast this year @roadracefactory @honda_powersports_us @broaster_racing @geocrashphotography A post shared by jake gagne (@jakegagne) on Mar 28, 2017 at 5:11pm PDT More than anything, the primary goal was to just get Jake as much time in the seat as possible. With a disciplined approach of 5-7 laps then pit-in and repeat for as many times as the session allowed, the team achieved that objective. Each pit-in became a scramble to make suspension adjustments and minor setup changes to get Jake more comfortable. That methodical tactic proved extremely valuable in defining the baseline rider setup ahead of the delivery of new components. For their efforts, the team racked up critical seat time with a fastest time of 2:11:122, which put them on solid footing as they progress towards Round 1, which will take place back at COTA the weekend of April 21-23. Jake Gagne - Rider "This test was an absolute blast. This is the most time I've had on the bike, and I'm getting pretty comfortable on it. Honda has really put out a great package as we showed this weekend by running a pretty stock motorcycle against some really developed Superbikes, and the CBR1000RR SP2 held it's own. I'm really excited to see how it will do once we've got a complete and proper racebike to work with. I know that Scotty, Danny Anderson, and Evan will be working around the clock with the parts that are showing up this week so we can put in some more laps at our home track and continue the development of the race kit. Overall, I'm pretty stoked to be back racing again. It's our second year with Genuine Broaster Chicken and they've upped the support to ensure we have a great season. I'm confident that, with the crew we have and the support from our sponsors, we'll put together a great season and work our way toward the front."