Joe Roberts And Josh Herrin Now Teammates
Larry Lawrence | January 8, 2015
File photos
Will MotoSport.com/Meen Yamaha be the team of the comeback kids for 2015? It certainly has the chance to be just that after Yamaha announced today that the team will feature Joe Roberts and Josh Herrin racing Yamaha R6 machines in MotoAmerica’s Supersport class.
At the very least the pair will be able to commiserate over their 2014 seasons and look forward to a brighter future. After a stellar 2013 for both Herrin and Roberts they were hailed as two of the most promising American road racing prospects. But then they hit major bumps in the road last season.
Fresh from winning the 2013 AMA Superbike Championship Herrin launched his GP career in Moto2 with AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing. It was an ill-fated season for Herrin from the beginning with a crash on the first lap of the first race. He never gained traction, suffered a series of crashes and injuries and was released by the team mid-season.
After his stunning AMA debut in 2013, which saw him go undefeated in Supersport races, Roberts also had a challenging 2014 trying to overcome racing on uncompetitive motorcycle in the Daytona SportBike class. Like Herrin he ended up on the ground too often, missed races and when he did ride often did so with nagging injuries.
Both will be looking to turn their careers back in the right direction in 2015 and they’ll be doing so with one of the top up-and-coming teams in the AMA road racing paddock in MotoSport.com/Meen Yamaha.
“I’m excited to be back racing in the U.S., again, especially in MotoAmerica’s inaugural season,” said Herrin in a news release issued by Yamaha. “I’ve got unfinished business in the 600 class and aboard the Yamaha R6, so I’ll be racing hard for the Championship.”
Roberts, in addition to being the winner of five AMA Pro SuperSport races in 2013, was also a former Red Bull Rookies Cup race winner.
“I’m really excited to be riding for Meen Motorsports,” Roberts said. “They are a proven team–one of the best in the paddock–and it feels fantastic to go into the 2015 season with them behind me. We’re looking forward to doing really well in the new Superstock 600 class. It’s going to be an exciting season with Wayne Rainey and the KRAVE Group taking over the series.”
Larry Lawrence | Archives Editor
In addition to writing our Archives section on a weekly basis, Lawrence is another who is capable of covering any event we throw his way.
