Looking at the current MotoGP grid, there are no riders from the United States. The last full-time competitor was Nicky Hayden, who retired at the end of 2015 (though he made two sporadic appearances in 2016).
More recently, Garrett Gerloff substituted for the injured Franco Morbidelli at the Dutch GP in 2021. Currently, Joe Roberts is fighting for the Moto2 title, with rumors strongly linking him to Trackhouse Racing in 2025.
Reflecting on the history books, it’s hard to conceive a MotoGP grid without American riders. Consider these numbers: 15 premier class titles (500cc and MotoGP) have been won by riders from the USA. Only Italy (22) and the UK (17) have more titles.
Individually, the USA leads the list of countries with the most champion riders, tied with Italy (seven, compared to the UK’s six). The names are illustrious: legends like Kenny Roberts, Kevin Schwantz, Nicky Hayden, and Wayne Rainey were champions.
Building a career to reach MotoGP is not easy for riders from other continents, not merely a matter of talent or its lack. The necessary move at a young age is something not accessible to everyone, either financially or logistically.
The major junior championships are all based in Europe, such as the FIM JuniorGP or the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Even from Asia, where the Asia Talent Cup has been implemented for several years, it has not been common to see riders progress far on the ladder to MotoGP.
In fact, in the current grid, there are only three non-European riders: Brad Binder (South Africa), Jack Miller (Australia), and Takaaki Nakagami (Japan). This number rises to 17 out of 78 across MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3.
In the case of the USA, steps are being taken to foster the emergence and development of more talent. Recently, the creation of the MotoAmerica Talent Cup was announced for 2025, integrating the Road To MotoGP program. The goal is to go further than the North America Talent Cup, which ended after just one season in 2022 due to a lack of entries despite strong support from Dorna and the FIM.
The new Talent Cup will provide the opportunity for up to five of its riders to participate in the annual selection for the Rookies Cup, in addition to incentives for participation from the national Mini Cup riders.
Naturally, it will take several years to reap the fruits of this work. With Liberty Media’s entry into MotoGP, it is expected that interest in the championship in the USA will be highly fostered, similar to what has happened in Formula 1 since the business group acquired the championship in 2017.
With increased interest, more young riders should aspire to pursue this path in the future. For now, Joe Roberts is the the one who is closer to making the jump, fighting for this year’s Moto2 title. He may not be the greatest American talent, but he could become an example to follow and inspire young Americans to chase the dream of reaching MotoGP.