Rider Joe Roberts to Take Next Step in Racing Career
Calabasas, CA (October 15, 2020) — After two incredible years together, Joe Roberts and The American Racing Team will part ways at the end of the 2020 season. The American Racing Team is excited to see Roberts move to another Moto2 team to further progress in his career and are extremely grateful for the past two years of shared success.
The goal of the American Racing Team and The American Racing Academy is to provide opportunities for American riders to showcase their talent in the MotoGP paddock. Joe Roberts is the first rider to have taken this opportunity and had some incredible success and is currently at the end of his contract with the team. With current teammate Marcos Ramirez on a two-year deal, Roberts will now take the next step in his career and move to another top-level team in the championship. He will retain his ties with Eitan Butbul and John Hopkins as his career progresses.
In the coming weeks, The American Racing Team will announce who will partner Ramirez for the 2021 season. In line with the ultimate goal of the American Racing Academy, the new signing is another competitive American rider who will get the opportunity to showcase his talent in the MotoGP paddock.
Eitan Butbul – Team Owner and Manager
“John Hopkins and I originally partnered to start the American Racing Academy simply to get American riders ‘successfully’ back into the MotoGP paddock. This could be achieved through the American Racing Moto2 Team as the perfect platform, with Joe as our first American rider taking on this new challenge.
I believed in Joe’s talent from the day we started working together in 2018 (as his personal manager) and with the hard work of the American Team we managed to achieve the goal of having Joe show the potential to be a top contender. At the same time a great opportunity to bring over a very strong American talent for the 2021 season has recently come into play, and with Joe Roberts at the end of his current contract with the Team and Marcos Ramirez on a two-year deal demonstrating constant improvement, the best option was to have Joe step into another Moto2 team that he personally feels is strong and competitive enough to further develop his career. The move is in line with the goal to make the jump into the MotoGP Championship in the upcoming years.
The American Racing Team is fully committed to fulfilling the promise to the American Racing Academy to successfully bring strong American talents back into the MotoGP paddock.”
John Hopkins – Joe’s Manager and Riding Coach
“I just want to start off by saying it’s been an absolute honor getting to work with The American Racing Team and Joe Roberts this season, getting to share all my years of experience and play a role in helping him achieve his true potential and see him finally secure his spot as a Moto2 Championship contender.
I can honestly say it’s been more rewarding seeing him succeed than it was of my own racing success! Of course I’m sad to see him leave The American Racing Team but, together with Eitan Butbul, we’re still his personal manager’s and we fully support his decision. We wish him all the best and will continue to give him our full attention and support as he progresses throughout his bright career.
Lastly, although it’s bittersweet, it’s a great opportunity to fulfill our promise when starting The American Racing Academy earlier this year which was to get more Americans (successfully) back into the MotoGP paddock and utilizing The American Racing Moto2 Team as the perfect platform to do so. We have new and exciting things we are going to share soon, so stay tuned!”
Joe Roberts – American Racing Team Rider
“I want to say a huge thank you to Eitan Butbul, John Hopkins and the whole American Racing Team. I really feel I have taken a big step as a rider with the program we have had this year. We are having a fantastic season together and they are a great bunch of guys to be around.
Eitan, John and I agree it is the right time for me to take this next step towards my goal of being a world champion. I wish the American racing team all the best and support their goal of bringing Americans to the world level.
The plan now is to continue the season strong. John, my crew chief Lucio, and my guys and I will be focused 100% on giving the maximum in all five remaining rounds of the season and pushing to win races.”
About the American Racing Team
The American Racing Team is owned by Eitan Butbula and competes in the MotoGP World Championship. For 2020, the team currently fields two riders in the Moto2 class; American Joe Roberts (#16) and Spaniard Marcos Ramirez (#42). The team is the only American team in the MotoGP series that features an American Rider. The team has grown under the guidance of team owner Eitan Butbul and is a respected part of the MotoGP world championship paddock.
The team owns and manages a Racing Academy in the US in partnership with former American MotoGP rider, John Hopkins.
Editorial Note:
ItalTrans Sporting Director Robertino Pietri exclusively told Roadracingworld.com: “We are very happy that Joe Roberts will join ItalTrans Racing team. With Giovanni Sandi and the rest of our guys we believe Joe can do a great job. He has talent to do great things in this sport, as he is proving with his American Racing Team. We at ItalTrans welcome Joe and look forward to his new adventure.”
