Featured In the May 2020 Issue of Roadracing World:
It takes more than talent to be successful at the highest levels of motorcycle road racing, and nobody knows that better than American Joe Roberts, who struggled during the 2018 and 2019 FIM Moto2 World Championships.
“I think after two hard seasons at the world level you start to doubt yourself and wonder if you’re even good enough to be there,” Roberts told Roadracing World. ”I was unsure if it was me or the bike. I had never ridden anything else but the bikes that I was on, so it’s hard to know if it’s you or the bike. Then people (on the crew) say it’s you, and you start thinking it’s you, and your head starts to get spun up.”
When the 2019 season ended, American Racing Team owner Eitan Butbul doubled down, switching to using Kalex chassis; hiring Lucio Nicastro, a very experienced Moto2 crew chief; and looking for a rider coach…
—How John Hopkins Helped Joe Roberts Find His Speed
Butbul settled on the experienced, knowledgeable John Hopkins, and the turnaround was dramatic. In the season-opening Qatar Moto2 race, Roberts qualified on pole—pole!—and ran at the front before barely missing the podium. See how the team turned its performance around—it’s all in the May issue of Roadracing World! Available at Cycle Gear and other motorcycle retailers.
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