Trackhouse: Next American MotoGP Champion May Be a Toddler

Trackhouse owner Justin Marks has admitted that winning in MotoGP with an American rider remains the "holy grail" for his US-based squad. However, he also warned it will not happen anytime soon, 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 title in 2006.

Currently, there are no American riders on the MotoGP grid and only one, 29-year-old Joe Roberts, competing in any grand prix class. This contrasts with Trackhouse's strongest MotoGP season yet, as Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez have both claimed multiple podiums and a race win each, keeping them in the title fight.

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"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. "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 alignment is now developing. "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."

With such a vast market at stake, Marks' comments underline that MotoGP's journey in the US is still long, but Trackhouse is ready to lead the charge.