Trackhouse: The next American MotoGP champion is probably three years old now
Winning in MotoGP with an American rider is the Trackhouse team's “holy grail”, but Justin Marks warns finding and developing that talent will take years.
Trackhouse owner Justin Marks acknowledges that winning in MotoGP with an American rider remains the “holy grail” for his US-based team.
However, he also warned that it is unlikely to happen in the near future, suggesting “the next American MotoGP champion is probably three years old now”.
Starting with Kenny Roberts in 1978, American riders won the premier-class title 13 times in 16 years.
Kenny Roberts Jr then took the crown in 2000, before Nicky Hayden claimed the country’s most recent MotoGP title in 2006.
But there are currently no American riders on the MotoGP grid and only one, 29-year-old Joe Roberts, competing in any grand prix class.
By contrast, Trackhouse is enjoying its strongest MotoGP season, with multiple podiums and a grand prix victory each for Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez, who are both in the title chase.
“As far as American riders, I grew up as a huge fan of Nicky. And the holy grail for us is winning in MotoGP with an American rider on the bike,” Marks said after the team’s Silverstone victory with Fernandez on Sunday.
“But the point is that the infrastructure in America is not there to produce that talent right now.
“So, we would certainly love to be a part of finding and developing that talent.
“That's just probably the longest-term thing that's in front of us. Because the next American MotoGP champion is probably, like, three years old right now.”
A more immediate target is to help build American interest in MotoGP.
“100% we want to represent this sport in America,” Marks said. “And what I didn't know when we first came in is that the Liberty deal was happening behind the scenes.
“So, when we learned about Liberty, then we kind of slowed down a little bit because whatever strategy Liberty has for growing this sport in North America, we need to be aligned with them.
“That's starting to develop. We're starting to get a clearer picture of how Liberty wants to activate this sport, promote this sport in America.
“I was talking to the Liberty folks and just saying, we need to be your partner in your North American strategy. So, there's a lot I can talk about the conversations we're having and the things that we're doing.
“But the point is that there's 350-400 million people in America and almost none of them know about MotoGP.
“And we have a platform to be able to educate them and bring the excitement of the sport to them.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
