MotoGP has a storied historical past in the USA, starting with the nation’s very first premier class race winner Pat Hennen in 1975 earlier than the likes of Kenny Roberts Sr, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz celebrated title success for America throughout the Nineteen Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.
In 2000, Kenny Roberts Jr took the 500cc crown, earlier than the late Nicky Hayden beat Valentino Rossi to the 2006 MotoGP title.
That is still the final highpoint for US illustration in MotoGP. Hayden wouldn’t win a race once more after 2006, whereas the ultimate premier class victory for an American rider stays Ben Spies’ 2011 Dutch TT success.
The final American to race full-time in MotoGP was Hayden in his last 12 months in 2015, whereas Garrett Gerloff was the final US-born racer to begin a premier class occasion when he was an damage alternative at Petronas SRT in 2021 on the Dutch TT.
The web page, nevertheless, does look like turning. On the finish of the 12 months, following the collapse of RNF Racing, MotoGP introduced NASCAR squad Trackhouse Racing can be becoming a member of the grid for 2024.
Decked out in a stars and stripes assertion livery, Trackhouse has lofty ambitions of being a lot greater than a easy buyer Aprilia staff. A number of months after Trackhouse was confirmed as an entrant for 2024, information got here of US media large Liberty Media’s transfer to purchase MotoGP for a deal price €4.2 billion.
With increasing MotoGP’s attain in America already outlined as a key battleplan for Liberty – who hopes to shut the deal on the finish of the 12 months – one rider in Moto2 is completely positioned as a possible poster boy for the USA.
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing Staff
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Joe Roberts has had “my journey” in grand prix racing since getting into the Moto2 class full-time in 2018. On an uncompetitive NTS chassis, he scored simply 5 factors that 12 months, whereas an equally underwhelming KTM body with the American Racing Staff noticed him handle one much less level in 2019.
A change to a Kalex body for 2020 yielded higher type, with Roberts kicking off the season in Qatar with a fourth having certified on pole earlier than scoring a breakthrough podium within the Czech Republic later that 12 months.
Picked up by Italtrans for 2021, who gained the Moto2 title with Enea Bastianini the 12 months earlier than, noticed him rating a primary grand prix win in Portugal the next season. However just one extra podium adopted earlier than he elected to return to American Racing – helmed by Eitan Butbul and MotoGP podium finisher-turned rider coach John Hopkins.
“To be sincere I don’t remorse it,” Roberts stated of his transfer to Italtrans. “What’s a life in the event you reside with regrets, man? You gotta reside it, make errors and issues. However on the finish of the day, I’ve grown lots as an individual, as a rider, and I do know for a truth the group of men that I’m working with wouldn’t have been out there for me for that subsequent 12 months. And all of the people who find themselves round me proper now have come from environments they’ve not been proud of and we’ve simply discovered one another.”
Roberts, 26 – and no relation to these Roberts’ – has made a robust begin to 2024. A gradual experience to seventh in Qatar gave technique to back-to-back-to-back second-place finishes in Portugal, on dwelling soil in America, and final outing in Spain. The latter got here from beginning eleventh on the grid, with a greater qualifying maybe placing him in a greater place to breach the highest step of the rostrum once more.
However the philosophical Californian didn’t stew over that truth. Second at Jerez, behind Ducati MotoGP-bound Fermin Aldeguer, moved him into the lead of the Moto2 standings for the primary time in his profession. Coincidentally, the tally of factors he now stands on after 4 rounds in 69 – the quantity Hayden rode in his profession, who was the final American to guide a grand prix championship desk and likewise the final in any class to have three podiums in a row.
“The motto that we all the time stated was ‘perhaps these items all occur for a purpose’,” provides Roberts. “It’s humorous how the universe works. The race right this moment [at Jerez] I may have gained, however I wouldn’t have had that statistic of 69 factors. The world’s a humorous factor and all you are able to do is your greatest every day and we’ll see – get these factors and see the place we tally up on the finish of the 12 months.”
Joe Roberts, American Racing Staff
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
A number of issues have come collectively for Roberts in 2024 which have seen him following up on his potential. He credit the staff he has at American Racing, specific a brand new information engineer from Pace Up and with the ability to deliver crew chief Mario Martini with him from Italtrans.
Whereas he acknowledged that on the face of it, bringing somebody from a staff he didn’t have a lot success with, Roberts famous that it was Martini who was in a position to get the bike pointing in the correct route for him within the second half of final 12 months which led to a podium return in India.
The opposite key factor for Roberts has been the change to Pirelli tyres for 2024.
“To me, I want that really feel within the entrance,” he defined. “You get extra suggestions and I keep in mind the primary time I rode them in Barcelona proper after the race final 12 months. Flip 5, it’s a infamous nook for tucking the entrance. I imply, I crashed out of the lead there. I keep in mind simply getting into there considering ‘oh shit, shit, I’m not going to make it’, and I simply held the brake and it simply went [makes bike noise] and turned.
“And instantly at that time I knew that with these tyres you can maintain the brake a bit longer and have that final little bit of turning. So, yeah, I believe it provides you that potential to regulate, transfer your traces spherical if it is advisable to. I felt prior to now that no matter I’ve, I can’t transfer from doing. I’ve to brake on the similar level, flip on the similar level, open the identical level. And if I blew it by like a few ft, it was carried out, I used to be simply going to lose about half a second. So, there’s simply much more playability and much more really feel.”
Sturdy from pre-season testing, Roberts has been essentially the most constant frontrunner in Moto2 in what he’s branding a “no-bullshit” 12 months. Regardless of not having a win, he’s the one rider to have scored three podiums in 2024 to this point. Requested the place he may count on a win to come back, he responded, “Shit, the following one man! And the one after that,” earlier than noting that the following run of races by means of Le Mans, Barcelona and Mugello are among the greatest for his driving model.
What’s most spectacular about Roberts’ begin to the brand new marketing campaign is that the expectation and rumours of a MotoGP transfer in 2025 with Trackhouse haven’t distracted him. Whereas it may simply be seen as a foregone conclusion that an American rider will find yourself at an American staff, Trackhouse’s profitable mentality means will probably be in search of the best choice out there – and the present MotoGP grid is filled with them.
Joe Roberts, American Racing Staff
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
However Roberts is doing one thing an American rider hasn’t for a very long time in establishing themselves as a real contender for a MotoGP seat. That’s commendable given not even extremely rated five-time MotoAmerica Superbike champion Cameron Beaubier may try this in his change to Moto2 from 2021 to 2022.
America’s lengthy, profitable historical past in MotoGP has considerably light into the background during the last decade and that, as Roberts admits, has made it tough every now and then “to maintain the passion”.
However his surge in type is coinciding with a serious altering level in America’s MotoGP story.
“Nicely, there’s not been an actual aggressive American for some years,” Roberts concludes. “I’ve been right here and had years which have been good and had nice outcomes. However to battle for the title, that was simply Nicky, proper? So, generally it’s onerous to maintain the passion. I believe America’s a sleeping large that must be woken up… is {that a} good title? I believe that works, proper?”