If on one hand in MotoGP the rider market is not sparing rumors, denials and twists, in Moto2 there are those who would prefer it to only be talked about on balance. Joe Roberts is of the latter opinion, the American driver of the OnlyFans team, currently second in the championship standings with 115 points, 7 behind the Spaniard Garcia. Fresh from a sprint victory at Mugello, the young Californian is in fact in the vortex of indiscretions who for months have wanted him on a premier class saddle for 2025.
There is no shortage of reasons to think so, from the arrival of the Trackhouse team as a satellite of Aprilia, to the arrival of Liberty Media which acquired a majority stake in Dorna at the beginning of the year. The media return and the prestige for the US market would be a valid calling card that would justify such an operation, but it is undeniable that the final say still remains with the teams, in charge of a difficult decision. For the American the most likely option would therefore seem to be the Aprilia, which currently still sees one of the two factory bikes available after Vinales’ departure: one of the options could be to promote one of Oliveira or Fernandez and thus free up a saddle in Trackhouse. After all, however, MotoGP has no shortage of riders looking for better luck, Miller and Augusto Fernandez, recently released by KTM, are in fact looking for a seat, but even an Italian name like Bezzecchi could appeal to the Noale manufacturer, thus effectively closing the door to new entries into MotoGP. While waiting to know his future, Roberts prefers not to be distracted and concentrate on the results, in what is proving, results in hand, to be his best season since his arrival in Moto2.
At the end of the Mugello GP, the enthusiastic American commented on the victory as follows:
“I had already won a race in the past but it was a strange race, this wasn’t – jokes the young American – our strategy for the short race, speaking with the team and with John (Hopkins ed.) was clear, there is no better start than from a pole here at Mugello, at the start you are exactly where you need to be. All weekend we worked a lot on launch control to get a good start, and I think it was the best of my career to be honest. Initially I tried to push from the first laps to gain ground on my rivals but it wasn’t possible. At that point I found myself back in the pack, stuck my elbows out and started struggling with overtaking while trying to manage the tires for one last push in the final laps. In the final stages of the race I felt very strong, the tire management work paid off, and then there was that hard-fought last lap, it was fun. I’ve seen so many races here at Mugello, some epic battles. Winning with a certain advantage is nice, but winning by fighting until the last corner is definitely betteris what fans ultimately expect to see.”
The reaction of your garage at the finish line was incredible, John was visibly excited.
“I always wondered what I would feel if I won, if I would cry. Definitely I felt a strong emotion when I got on the podium, the tears started to fall but the smile was so wide that it covered them – he jokes again – winning is an indescribable emotion, it’s my first victory this season, and before joking in the garage with the technicians I told them that if I see another second place I’ll go crazy!”, he continues jokingly.
Tell us about that duel with Gonzalez on the last lap.
“Initially when he reached me I was surprised because I thought I had saved a few tenths of an advantage, I thought “it’s not possible that I took the last corner so badly!, but maybe I did”, he came very close and at that point in the race I knew that the tire was at its maximum grip, especially during acceleration, I think Manu had a small moment in turn 2 and I took advantage of it”.
Your strong point seems to be curve entry.
“Actually I’ve always liked an excellent feeling on the front, which is exactly what these Pirellis have brought me this season. When you start well and stay among the leaders, then you can concentrate on managing the tyres.”
What was your reaction when you learned that the race would be shorter?
“One of the critical issues of the weekend was managing tire wear. This short race reminded me of the times I raced when I was a child in California, there too there were 12 laps and the only concern was opening the throttle, today it was A thing like that! “, he jokes again.
In the past you didn’t accept the offer to move up to MotoGP with Aprilia, because it wasn’t the right time to take this step. Do you think that after this victory that moment has arrived?
“Surely the victory could help. The victories, the poles, the podiums, are all things that those who make these decisions observe carefully. On this topic I feel a lot of pressure on myself this season, because this season I’m getting good results. I don’t want to think too much about this, I’ve been racing in this category for a few years and this year I have the chance to fight for the title, so now I will focus on that. As for my future, it is clear that the interest in having an American rider in MotoGP is growingbut we’ll see what happens.”
How difficult is it to stay focused with all this talk about the future?
“You should ask my brother, he’s next door! – he then replies with irony – the fact that we start talking about the future already at this point in the season can certainly be a disturbing element, but I have worked a lot on my mental strength, also thanks to the people who are close to me. I prefer not to think about it until I have a proposal in front of me, the paddock likes to talk and mirroring is normal. I have people who take care of it, so I can concentrate on my job as a pilot.”
Do you already know how your main sponsor, Onlyfans, will celebrate the victory?
“I don’t know, I guess they’ll make a nice post saying great job!“, the American pilot finally concludes with irony.
