Joe Roberts (motorcyclist)

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Joe Roberts
Joe Roberts CEV Valencia II 2017.jpg
Roberts in 2017
NationalityAmerican
Born (1997-06-16) June 16, 1997 (age 24)
Malibu, California, United States
Current teamItaltrans Racing Team
Bike number16
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Moto2 World Championship
Active years2017–
ManufacturersKalex, , KTM
2021 championship position13th (59 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
72 0 1 3 0 168

Joe Roberts (born June 16, 1997) is an American professional motorcycle racer.[1][2] Roberts competes in the FIM Moto2 World Championship in 2021 with Italtrans Racing Team aboard a Kalex chassis bike.[3]

Career[]

Early career[]

Roberts' introduction to motorcycles was at a young age. He first rode a 50 cc motorcycle just shy of his 4th birthday. Roberts's earliest competition was in youth flat track and Supermoto.[1] From there he transitioned to mini-road racing on kart tracks and then to full sized tracks on a Honda RS125. He competed successfully for two seasons in the USGPRU (United States Grand Prix Racer's Union) finishing 3rd in points in 125GP in 2010. At the end of 2010 he was invited to the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup try-outs for the 2011 season and was one of 12 selected from 100 applicants.

Roberts spent 3 seasons[4] (2011–2013) with the Red Bull Rookies. In his first season he recorded a win and a track record at Brno,[5] a track he had never seen before. He improved his results in 2012 with best finishes of 2nd, 4th, 5th[5] and was one of very few riders to be invited back for a 3rd year in 2013 to ride the new KTM Moto3 bike. Roberts showed good promise on the 4 stroke machine leading races in Jerez, Brno and Silverstone but some bad luck saw him fail to finish a number of races which lowered his final standing. That same year, just 6 days after his 16th birthday, he competed back in the US in the AMA aboard a Honda CBR600RR, recording a sensational double win at Barber Motorsports,[6] setting a record for the youngest win in AMA Pro Road racing. He won again at Laguna Seca and scored another double win at Miller Motorsports Park,[7] thereby scoring 5 wins from the 5 AMA races he entered.

In 2014 he returned full-time to the US to ride for Team Hammer[8] in AMA Daytona Sportbike on a Honda CBR600RR. However, the combination of an uncompetitive package and some injuries meant he wasn't able to continue his run of success from 2013. For 2015, Roberts returned to his winning ways aboard a Yamaha R6 in the new AMA/FIM MotoAmerica Stock600 class with 9 wins and a 2nd from 11 starts, sealing the championship at Laguna Seca,[9] before the final round of the series at New Jersey, where he moved up to the Supersport class.[10] There, he dominated practice and qualifying, had a runaway victory in Race 1 and finished a close second in Race 2. Finishing 3rd in Superprestigio in Las Vegas at the end of the year. 2016 saw him compete in AMA/MotoAmerica Supersport[11] on a Yamaha R6 where he climbed the podium 3 times and scored 3 pole positions. He was unfortunately forced to miss several races due to injury.[12]

Moto2 World Championship[]

AGR Team (2017)[]

2017[]

In 2017 Roberts returned to Europe[13] to compete in the FIM CEV Moto2 class with the AGRteam. Mid-year due to his strong performance on the Kalex machine, he was invited by AGR to join the World Championship Moto2[14] team and made a sensational debut in Brno coming from 29th on the grid to finish 10th[15] in his first race at the world level.

NTS RW Racing GP (2018)[]

2018[]

American Racing (2019–2020)[]

2019[]
2020[]

In 2020 Roberts qualified on pole position at the opening round of the season, becoming the first American rider to do so since Ben Spies at the 2010 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix and the first one in Moto2 since Kenny Noyes at the 2010 French motorcycle Grand Prix. He finished the race in fourth, after never having finished better than 13th over the previous two seasons. He would qualify for pole again in the fourth round and finished the race in third, becoming the first American driver on the podium since Spies at the 2011 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix and the first in mid class since John Kocinski at the 1993 Dutch TT. A documentary was made by Dorna following Roberts and American Racing titled Behind The Stars And Stripes.

After the 2020 season Roberts was seen as a hot commodity in the Grand Prix World Championship. Roberts was offered not only deals with multiple front running teams on the Moto2 grid but was even offered a MotoGP ride with Aprilia to partner Aleix Espargaro in 2021, a move that was endorsed not only by Roberts manager and American Racing team principal Eitan Bitbul but also his mentor John Hopkins and was even endorsed by Espargaro himself.[16][17]

Italtrans Racing Team (2021–present)[]

2021[]

Roberts ultimately declined the offer to move up to MotoGP for Aprilia upon consulting with Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso and instead chose to race for Italtrans Racing Team, whom Moto2 series champion Enea Bastianini raced for before moving up to MotoGP himself.[18][19]

Italtrans Racing announced on September 27, 2021 that they had resigned Roberts for another season.[20] Roberts suffered a broken collarbone at Misano on October 22, 2021 and underwent surgery the following Tuesday, forcing him to miss the last two rounds of the 2021 season.[21]

Career statistics[]

Grand Prix motorcycle racing[]

By season[]

Season Class Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2017 Moto2 Kalex AGR Team 5 0 0 0 0 6 30th
2018 Moto2 NTS RW Racing GP 18 0 0 0 0 5 27th
2019 Moto2 KTM American Racing 18 0 0 0 0 4 28th
2020 Moto2 Kalex American Racing 15 0 1 3 0 94 7th
2021 Moto2 Kalex Italtrans Racing Team 16 0 0 0 0 59 13th
Total 72 0 1 3 0 168

By class[]

Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
Moto2 2017–present 2017 Czech Republic 2020 Czech Republic 72 0 1 3 0 168 0
Total 2017–present 72 0 1 3 0 168 0

Races by year[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Pos Pts
2017 Moto2 Kalex QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER CZE
10 		AUT
19 		GBR
21 		RSM
Ret 		ARA
26 		JPN AUS MAL VAL 30th 6
2018 Moto2 QAT
25 		ARG
25 		AME
23 		SPA
Ret 		FRA
19 		ITA
14 		CAT
22 		NED
21 		GER
22 		CZE
18 		AUT
19 		GBR
C 		RSM
16 		ARA
24 		THA
13 		JPN
18 		AUS
18 		MAL
18 		VAL
Ret 		27th 5
2019 Moto2 KTM QAT
22 		ARG
22 		AME
Ret 		SPA
20 		FRA
14 		ITA
Ret 		CAT
20 		NED
14 		GER
25 		CZE
DNS 		AUT
21 		GBR
22 		RSM
16 		ARA
30 		THA
Ret 		JPN
18 		AUS
16 		MAL
19 		VAL
18 		28th 4
2020 Moto2 Kalex QAT
4 		SPA
17 		AND
17 		CZE
3 		AUT
10 		STY
12 		RSM
10 		EMI
Ret 		CAT
5 		FRA
6 		ARA
8 		TER
10 		EUR
Ret 		VAL
11 		POR
7 		7th 94
2021 Moto2 Kalex QAT
6 		DOH
Ret 		POR
4 		SPA
8 		FRA
Ret 		ITA
4 		CAT
10 		GER
Ret 		NED
Ret 		STY
Ret 		AUT
16 		GBR
10 		ARA
13 		RSM
23 		AME
18 		EMI
DNS 		ALR
24 		VAL
DNS 		13th 59

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Profile: MotoAmerica Supersport Racer Joe Roberts". Sport Rider. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  2. ^ Sports, Dorna. "Introducing Joe Roberts: the new American on the block". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  3. ^ "Moto2: American Joe Roberts Will Race Full-Time In 2018 World Championship (Updated)". www.roadracingworld.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  4. ^ Cup, Red Bull MotoGP Rookies. "Joe Roberts | Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup". Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  5. ^ a b Aitken-Cade, Stewart (2018-03-15). "USGPRU > Rider Profile: Joe Roberts". usgpru.net. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  6. ^ "16-Year-Old Roberts Sweeps Barber AMA SuperSport Round". Ultimate Motorcycling. 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  7. ^ "MotoAmerica Sunday Race Report From Miller Motorsports Park". Motorcyclist. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  8. ^ "Joe Roberts Signs With Team Hammer for 2014 - Cycle News". Cycle News. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  9. ^ "Joe Roberts Crowned Champion At Laguna Seca - Cycle News". Cycle News. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  10. ^ "Meen Yamaha Rider Joe Roberts Conquers Supersport Class – MotoAmerica". motoamerica.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  11. ^ "MotoAmerica 2016 Season Finale Race Results and New Champions". Motorcyclist. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  12. ^ "Injuries Will Keep Joe Roberts Out Of MotoAmerica Action This Weekend At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca". www.roadracingworld.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  13. ^ "American Joe Roberts Interview: "Moto2 Is The Hardest Championship In The World" | MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks". motomatters.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  14. ^ "American Joe Roberts Promoted To AGR Moto2 World Championship Team". www.roadracingworld.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  15. ^ "American Joe Roberts Scores Top-10 Finish In Moto2 Debut At Brno". Cycle World. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  16. ^ McLaren, Peter. "Portimao MotoGP: Joe Roberts 'good option for future' as Aprilia rumours grow". Crash.com. Crash Media Group.
  17. ^ "Joe Roberts "on the list" for Aprilia in 2021". MotoGP.com. Dorna.
  18. ^ Racing, American. "Moto2: Joe Roberts Signs With ItalTrans Racing For 2021". Road Racing.com. Road Racing. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  19. ^ Patterson, Simon. "MANAGER DISAPPOINTED IN ROBERTS FOR REJECTING APRILIA OFFER". The Race. The Race Media.
  20. ^ Carruthers, Paul. "JOE ROBERTS RENEWS MOTO2 DEAL WITH ITALTRANS RACING". MotoAmerica.com. MotoAmerica. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  21. ^ Swarts, David. "Moto2 Roberts Undergoes Successful Surgery on Broken Collarbone". Road Racing World & Motorcycle Technology. Road Racing World Publishing. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

External links[]

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