IN
THE
WIND
P38
PJ JOINS MV FOR 2017 WORLDSSP CHALLENGE
A
merican Patrick "PJ" Jacob-
sen, from Montgomery, New
York, will compete in the 2017
FIM Supersport World Champion-
ship after all, on an MV Agusta
Reparto Corse F3, having been a
Kawasaki then Honda rider over
the previous three seasons.
Jacobsen has joined the official
MV Agusta Reparto Corse effort,
which fielded Jules Cluzel and
Lorenzo Zanetti in 2016.
"I'm really looking forward to
this new adventure with MV Agus-
ta," he said of his new role. "To be
joining with the Italian manufac-
turer is a privilege. Already having
a test on the bike in Jerez, I felt
really comfortable after a few ses-
sions. I'm really looking forward
this year with MV and seeing what
we can accomplish. I'm excited
to get to some more tests on the
bike and then [get] ready to go to
round one."
Jacobsen tested the MV for
one day at a slightly damp Jerez
circuit in Spain on Tuesday, No-
vember 22. For Jacobsen, it was
a fruitful session.
"I wanted to see what I could
do and what the bike could
do," said the 13-time WorldSSP
podium rider. "I had never ridden
an MV Agusta before the test at
Jerez. I could feel the difference
in the engine as it had a lot of
torque. It is quite nice around the
corners, like a 250 two-stroke."
The Jerez test was seen by
some as a kind of shootout at that
time, as young ESS rider Ales-
sandro Zaccone alternated on the
lone official MV with Jacobsen,
with the official MV team seem-
ingly evaluating both riders and
their own machine.
"I was just there to get my feel-
ing and see what the future holds
for me," said Jacobsen of that two-
rider/one-bike test at the time.
That immediate future has now
become a positive reality and
Jacobsen will be an official MV
rider in 2017.
Jacobsen, now 23, has scored
two race wins in WorldSSP and
was runner-up in the 2015 cham-
pionship while riding a Kawasaki
at the start of the year, moving to
a Honda halfway through.
The first WorldSSP round will
take place at Phillip Island in Aus-
tralia over the weekend of Febru-
ary 24-26.
Gordon Ritchie
Can a third make of
machinery in two
years push Jacobsen
to a world title?
