Jake Weimer Joins RCH Suzuki Factory Racing Team
Weimer, who has more than 50 Supercross starts to his credit, had been riding a Kawasaki KX450F for Team Tedder through the first three rounds, and is 9th place in the Supercross 450SX standings, with two Top 10 finishes. Although Tickle is expected to return before the season is over, Weimer’s deal is for the remainder of the Supercross series.
“I think Jake will be a great fit,” RCH co-owner Ricky Carmichael opines. “I know he’s worked with several members of our technical group in the past and knows just about everyone on the team so that should make it a smooth transition for everyone. We will give him our best. He’s going to be fun to watch. At the same time, we want to wish Broc a speedy recovery. He had a great off-season and worked his butt off so everyone is really bummed about his injury. We’ll have his bike ready to go when he’s ready to get back after it.”
“It’s a good opportunity for me to be on a team of this caliber,” Weimer said. “I know most of the guys on the team and have worked with some of them before. I have a lot of respect for both Carey [Hart, co-owner of RCH] and Ricky so when the opportunity presented itself, it was really something I wanted to do. RCH is a team that I’ve been interested in for the last few years, but the opportunity hadn’t come along so when it did, it was pretty easy for me to say yes.”
As far as the rest of the 2016 Supercross 450SX Series goes, Weimer is expectedly optimistic. “As of now, my best finish this year is 8th. I just want to keep raising that bar, grab another gear, and try to be a little more competitive with the next little group of guys. This is a big, big change for me. I’ve been on a Kawasaki for the last seven years, so this is a huge move for me, but it’s an opportunity I’m excited about and couldn’t pass up.”
Until Tickle returns, Weimer’s sole teammate at RCH will be Ken Roczen, who sits 6th in the Monster Energy Supercross 450SX standings, two positions and 18 points ahead of Weimer. Unable to ride the last round, Tickle has slipped to 15th place in the standings.