It’s about speed. It’s about being completely immersed in the moment, using every last ounce of courage and determination to make a play for victory. Where each split-second decision made, from moment to moment, is one that can result in glory or defeat.
This is the MotoGP World Championship, where the quickest men on the fastest bikes on the planet test themselves in the oldest and toughest motorsport championship in the world. Each year, riders driven by passion and determination contest a series of 18 races in 13 different countries, and this weekend they face the challenge of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
These skilled athletes line up on the grid armed with factory prototype machines developed solely for the MotoGP series, the motorcycle equivalent of the Formula One auto racing circuit. Reaching speeds of 200 mph and creating lean angles up to 70 degrees in the corners, with riders’ knees and even elbows sometimes touching the ground, Grand Prix bikes are produced to win races and showcase the design and technological capabilities of their manufacturers.
Cutting-edge materials like titanium and reinforced carbon fiber are used to construct the machines and their handling is aided by engine management systems and traction control technologies.
The stage is set for an epic MotoGP World Championship battle this weekend at the Red Bull United States Grand Prix, where four Americans have come home from the Europe-centered circuit to fight for MotoGP glory.
Currently in his ninth MotoGP season and his third with the esteemed Ducati Team, Nicky Hayden is one of a long line of American road racers who graduated from the U.S. dirt-track scene. The racing prodigy from Owensboro, Ky., competed in the professional U.S. road race and flat-track series simultaneously, winning records and titles in both, until 2003 when he joined the MotoGP ranks.
The “Kentucky Kid” landed his first MotoGP win in 2005, in front of American fans at Laguna Seca upon the Championship’s return to the states after an 11-year absence. Hayden dominated, leading every lap of the race. In 2006, he stepped up his game by claiming the checkered flag at Laguna a second time. He won the title of MotoGP World Champion the same year, making him the seventh American in history to take the prestigious honor. With his trademark dedication and consistency, the 29 year-old will be looking to return to the top step of the podium on his home turf at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Veteran Colin Edwards, 37, was one of the most dominant U.S. amateur riders. After turning professional in 1992, the colorful Texan set records across the U.S. and racked up two international World Superbike titles. He stepped up to the challenge of MotoGP in 2003, and since has delivered 12 podium finishes, though he's still chasing his first win in the premier class.
With his clean riding style and decades of experience, the “Texas Tornado” is widely considered one of the best test riders and bike developers. Edwards’ consistency and steadfast work ethic — he had not, until this year due to a broken collarbone, missed starting a race since his MotoGP debut eight years ago — has made him a role model for many riders. Immensely popular, with a huge fan base at Laguna Seca, Edwards is determined to battle for a top position in front of his passionate home crowd.
Ben Spies is the latest to join his fellow countrymen flying the U.S. flag in MotoGP, and he is widely considered to be one of the most gifted riders of his generation. Since winning his first professional race in 2001, Spies has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom, dominating his last year in the national AMA series by posting an unrivalled 90 percent podium finish rate, the highest for any AMA rider in the history of the championship.
The young Texan, 27, burst into MotoGP in 2010, shocking the racing scene by quickly learning GP circuits and consistently finishing within the top 10. He landed the MotoGP rookie of the year award, picking up two podium finishes and a pole position along the way. Spies is not only aiming to win races, he has his sights set on conquering the World Championship. With one Grand Prix win already under his belt this season, he is mentally primed for more success on home soil.
Making his MotoGP debut this weekend is Ben Bostrom, who joins the field of 17 of the most talented racers in the world as a wild-card rider. Bostrom currently competes in the national AMA Superbike class, and while he is a hugely talented rider with multiple victories at Laguna Seca — including three wins there in the World Superbike series — he will climb aboard a MotoGP bike for the first time to face the biggest trial of his career.
The four Americans take their shot at a victory on one of the most technical and physically demanding tracks of the circuit: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The track is laid out in the hills surrounding Monterey, offering big elevation changes and possibly the most notorious corner in the racing world, the infamous Corkscrew — a narrow and spectacular left-right chicane on a steep downhill descent.
When the checkered flag waves on Sunday, one rider in the field will cross the finish line triumphant, having conquered this season’s 10th round of the MotoGP World Championship.
