| Joe Roberts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Roberts in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 16, 1997 Malibu, California, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | OnlyFans American Racing Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bike number | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joe Roberts (born June 16, 1997) is an American professional motorcycle racer. [1] [2] Roberts competes in the FIM Moto2 World Championship with OnlyFans American Racing Team aboard a Kalex chassis bike. [3]
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]
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.
In 2018, he competed in Moto2 riding for NTS Racing GP.
From 2019 season, Roberts riding for the American Racing.
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 Butbul but also his mentor John Hopkins and was even endorsed by Espargaro himself. [16] [17]
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]
American Racing Team announced a deal with Joe Roberts for the 2024 Moto2 season. The Malibu rider returns to the team that led him to make his debut in the world championship, now with sex work website OnlyFans as a big sponsor. [22] [23]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | SPA1 12 | SPA2 9 | POR1 11 | POR2 5 | GBR1 16 | GBR2 14 | NED1 13 | NED2 15 | ITA 16 | GER1 17 | GER2 Ret | CZE1 1 | CZE2 12 | RSM 13 | 12th | 65 | |
| 2012 | SPA1 7 | SPA2 Ret | POR1 9 | POR2 5 | GBR1 11 | GBR2 12 | NED1 4 | NED2 12 | GER1 13 | GER2 11 | CZE1 11 | CZE2 2 | RSM 12 | ARA1 8 | ARA2 13 | 9th | 101 |
| 2013 | AME1 NC | AME2 Ret | JER1 7 | JER2 10 | ASS1 5 | ASS2 9 | SAC1 Ret | SAC2 11 | BRN 4 | SIL1 Ret | SIL2 Ret | MIS 7 | ARA1 Ret | ARA2 Ret | 14th | 60 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kalex | ALB 8 | CAT1 6 | CAT2 2 | VAL1 Ret | VAL2 4 | EST1 11 | EST2 3 | JER 6 | ARA1 4 | ARA2 Ret | VAL 3 | 5th | 111 |
| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Race | Win | Podium | Pts | Plcd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Stock600 | Yamaha | 11 | 9 | 11 | N/A | 1st |
| 2016 | SSP | Yamaha | N/A | N/A | N/A | 142 | 6th |
| 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 | 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 |
| 2022 | Moto2 | Kalex | Italtrans Racing Team | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 131 | 9th |
| 2023 | Moto2 | Kalex | Italtrans Racing Team | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 93.5 | 13th |
| 2024 | Moto2 | Kalex | OnlyFans American Racing Team | 15 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 153 | 9th |
| Total | 127 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 545.5 | ||||
| Class | Seasons | 1st GP | 1st Pod | 1st Win | Race | Win | Podiums | Pole | FLap | Pts | WChmp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moto2 | 2017–present | 2017 Czech Republic | 2020 Czech Republic | 2022 Portugal | 127 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 545.5 | 0 |
| Total | 2017–present | 127 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 545.5 | 0 | |||
(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 | 20 | 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 | NTS | 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 | ANC 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 | ||
| 2022 | Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 8 | INA 11 | ARG 13 | AME 8 | POR 1 | SPA 8 | FRA 7 | ITA 2 | CAT Ret | GER 13 | NED 8 | GBR 7 | AUT 14 | RSM 9 | ARA 9 | JPN 12 | THA 8‡ | AUS Ret | MAL Ret | VAL 15 | 9th | 131 |
| 2023 | Moto2 | Kalex | POR 14 | ARG 14 | AME 16 | SPA 14 | FRA 12 | ITA 12 | GER Ret | NED 18 | GBR 4 | AUT Ret | CAT 11 | RSM 8 | IND 3 | JPN 12 | INA 9 | AUS 5‡ | THA Ret | MAL 8 | QAT 11 | VAL 8 | 13th | 93.5 |
| 2024 | Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 7 | POR 2 | AME 2 | SPA 2 | FRA 4 | CAT 8 | ITA 1 | NED DNS | GER 8 | GBR Ret | AUT 9 | ARA Ret | RSM 13 | EMI 6 | INA 6 | JPN 27 | AUS DNS | THA | MAL | SLD | 9th | 153 |
‡ Half points awarded as less than two thirds of the race distance (but at least three full laps) was completed.
* Season still in progress.
John "Hopper" Hopkins is a former motorcycle road racer based in the United States. During 2017 he raced in the British Superbike Championship aboard a Ducati 1199 Panigale for Moto Rapido Racing, but suffered injuries from a crash at the season-finale race meeting in October, meaning he could not participate during 2018. He has not made a full recovery, which has so far precluded hopes of a comeback, but he has become involved in rider coaching.
Gresini Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the MotoGP World Championship under the name Gresini Racing MotoGP as a Ducati satellite team, in the Moto2 World Championship as QJmotor Gresini Moto2, and the MotoE World Cup as Felo Gresini MotoE. The team also competes in CIV Moto3.
Chaz Richard Page Davies, is a British motorcycle racer, primarily known for his career in the Superbike World Championship, where he finished three times as runner-up. In 2024, Davies was confirmed as a rider in the MotoE World Championship, an electrically powered race series.
Mika Kallio is a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, currently serving as the lead test and development rider for the Red Bull KTM team in MotoGP. He debuted in the 125cc World Championship with the Finnish rookie team Ajo Motorsport in the 2001 German Grand Prix and was awarded the "Rookie of the Year" with the team in 2002. After moving to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team during the 2003 season, he finished runner-up in the 125cc class in both 2005 and 2006, and also finished runner-up in the 2014 Moto2 World Championship. Moving up to MotoGP full-time for 2009 and 2010, he obtained the "Rookie of the Year" award in his first season in the premier class.
Bradley William Smith is a British motorcycle racer acting as a test-rider for the official BMW Motorrad WorldSBK factory team in World Superbikes.
Ben Spies, is an American team principal for a MotoAmerica Supersport (600cc) professional motorcycle road racing team who previously was a racer himself. He was sometimes nicknamed "Elbows" due to his riding style, in which his elbows protruded outward. Spies won the AMA Superbike Championship for Yoshimura Suzuki in 2006, and successfully defended it in 2007 and 2008.
Jeremy McWilliams is a British motorcycle road racer from Northern Ireland. McWilliams became ineligible for mainstream racing after the 2014 season due to his age exceeding the 50-year-old cutoff point, but has continued to ride occasionally in fringe events not controlled by the FIM.
Alessandro "Sandro" Cortese is a retired German motorcycle racer, who last competed in 2020 World Superbike Championship for Team Pedercini. Cortese won his first world title in the Moto3 class, in 2012, and his second in the Supersport World Championship, in 2018. He lives in Berkheim, Germany.
Andrea Iannone is an Italian professional motorcycle racer who competes in the Superbike World Championship since 2024 and competed in the MotoGP World Championship from 2013 to 2019.
Takaaki Nakagami is a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle racer, competing for Idemitsu Honda LCR in MotoGP. He won the Japanese Road Race Championship 125cc class in 2006 and J-GP2 class in 2011.
Cameron Charles Beaubier is an American motorcycle racer. He won the MotoAmerica championship 5 times. In 2021 & 2022 he rode a Kalex in the Moto2 World Championship.
Samuel Deane Lowes is a British motorcycle racer who competed in the Moto2 World Championship with ELF Marc VDS Racing Team aboard a Kalex since 2019. From 2024, Lowes remains with the same team ownership which moves into a new class of racing, World Superbikes, using a Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Andrea Locatelli is an Italian motorcycle racer competing in the Superbike World Championship for Yamaha. He was the 2020 Supersport world champion.
The 2016 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 68th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The season was marred by the death of Luis Salom during a free practice session, at the Catalan Grand Prix.
The 2017 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The 2019 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 71st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Francesco Bagnaia was the reigning series champion but he was unable to defend his title as he joined the series' premier class, the MotoGP.
The 2021 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 73rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Remy Gardner won the world championship in the final race at Valencia. This season also saw the retirement of the intermediate class veteran Thomas Lüthi, as well the final season a 250cc-era debutant participated in the intermediate class.
Sean Dylan Kelly is an American motorcycle racer racing for TopPro Racing in the 2024 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. He previously competed in the AMA Supersport Championship with the M4 Ecstar Suzuki team, having won the championship in 2021, and later had a two-year stint in Europe, racing 34 times in the Moto2 class.
The 2023 FIM Moto2 World Championship was part of the 75th FIM Road Racing World Championship season. Pedro Acosta won the championship with two races to spare after finishing second at the Malaysian round in Sepang, riding for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
The 2024 FIM Moto2 World Championship was a part of the 76th FIM Road Racing World Championship season. Ai Ogura won the championship with two races to spare in the Thailand Grand Prix.
| |
