Source: Associated Press
When the MotoGP grid lines up at the Circuit of the Americas race this weekend, former champion Nicky Hayden will be the lone American in the field and he will not be aboard one of the factory bikes expected to challenge for the win.
It’s a far cry from the golden era of American motorcycle racing, when U.S. riders won 13 of 16 world championships between 1978 and 1993.
“The question wasn’t if an American was going to win, it was which American was going to win,” said Kevin Schwantz, who won the title in 1993. “This was a breeding ground for world champions.”
Since then, Americans have won only two championships and none since Hayden’s title in 2006.
“I feel some pride and responsibility to keep carrying the flag and representing our country until we’re ready to develop some young talent to come in and take my place,” Hayden said from his family’s hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky.
Hayden and Schwantz hope a new series kicking off in support of the MotoGP races this weekend in Austin, Texas, will help rebuild the pipeline for U.S. riders to reach the top flight of motorcycle racing. The series called MotoAmerica is headed by three-time world champion Wayne Rainey, who is working to align its rules with international series, bring back regular TV coverage and restore the involvement of major manufacturers still recovering from a collapse in motorcycle sales during the recession.
Hayden’s younger brother, Roger, is racing in the top class of the MotoAmerica series, and is serving as a roommate and mentor to 19-year-old teammate Jake Lewis of Princeton, Kentucky.
“I want to be positive,” said Nicky Hayden, who made the jump directly from the old AMA series to MotoGP in 2003. “They’ve definably made a splash, and obviously Wayne’s a really big name to lead the charge.”
Hayden said he is encouraged by MotoAmerica’s initial nine-race schedule — up from six under the previous rights holders last year — and the full three-day race weekends that will give young riders on-track experience.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re racing motorcycles or playing golf — if you have less time to practice your sport and it’s against less competition, you’re just not going to develop as fast,” Hayden said.
In Europe, the growth of developmental series is bearing fruit. The reigning two-time champion, Marc Marquez of Spain, became the youngest rider to capture the title since American Freddie Spencer won his first of two at age 21 in 1983.
But it’s in the interests of the organizers of MotoGP that it isn’t just Italians and Spaniards dominating the series, Hayden said.
“It’s a world championship, so they clearly want some young Americans in there as well,” he said.
American riders have left a lasting impression on the sport. Kenny Roberts popularized the knee-down riding style when he arrived on the scene in 1978 and promptly won three consecutive championships. Fellow former dirt tracker Eddie Lawson won four titles on the basis of his speed and consistency, while Kenny Roberts Jr.’s title in 2000 marked the first time a father-son duo had become champions.
Schwantz and Rainey were fierce rivals both when they raced each other in the U.S. and after they made the jump to Grand Prix racing. Popular YouTube videos remind fans of the wild finishes between the two riders, as their bikes fishtail and wheelie toward the finish line.
Schwantz’s all-out style that often saw him either winning or crashing out made him a particular fan favorite around the world. And Schwantz said he longs for the days of American riders becoming regular fixtures on the podium at MotoGP events — especially at the race in his hometown of Austin.
“I want to go have a chance to hear the national anthem — and not just when the jets fly over before the race,” he said.
