Source: Supplied.

American PJ Jacobsen will make the move to the Superbike World Championship in 2018 after clinching a deal with the new Triple M Racing satellite team aboard a Honda-supported CBR1000RR SP2.

Jacobsen, who finished sixth in this year’s World Supersport standings aboard an MV Agusta, returns to Honda following a year’s absence to lead the single-rider Triple M Honda WSBK Team.

“I’m very excited to be making my World Superbike debut with Triple M Honda WSBK Team,” 24-year-old Jacobsen said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to be finally racing in this class and I want to thank the team and Honda for making this possible.

“Both the team and I will be rookies in the WorldSBK championship, so there’ll surely be a lot to learn, but it’s a challenge that stimulates me and I can’t wait to get started. I enjoyed racing the Fireblade in the Endurance World Championship two years ago and I love riding 1000cc bikes, so I’m looking forward to trying the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.”

Honda’s WorldSBK operations manager Marco Chini commented: “We’re happy to welcome back PJ in the Honda family. He’s a young and very talented rider who has a good amount of experience across different championships, so it will be good to see him riding the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 in World Superbike.

“I reckon the TripleM Honda WSBK Team is the perfect fit for him because they can learn and grow together in the series during their first year. We look forward to seeing PJ out on track in Honda colours again.”

This is a welcome return to the Honda family for Jacobsen, who in the two-year period from 2015-2016 was able to put together a tally of two wins, 11 podiums, two pole positions and three fastest laps with Honda machinery in World Supersport, along with the runner-up spot in 2015. The following year, Jacobsen also impressed aboard the previous model of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade in EWC, riding for TSR Honda at Portimao and Suzuka.