Trackhouse Racing owner Justin M📖arks has explained why the Aprilia satellite team overlooked Joe Roberts for a MotoGP ride in💯 2025.

The arrival of the American team into the premier class brought with it the strong expectation that Moto2 frontrunner Roberts would get o🥂ne of those Aprilias for 2025.

And while Trackhouse is known to have held discussions with Roberts over a 2025 deal, it has elected to re-sign🃏 Spaniard 🥂Raul Fernandez and secure Japanese talent Ai Ogura to a two-year deal.

It has raised questions as to why an American team would not seek to promote a strong US-born rider, w𒅌ith double Moto2 race winner Roberts only 32 points off the championship lead in third.

How🎐ever, Marks says expanding his company beyond America has been “fundamentally important to us” and would like to invest in US motorcycle racing at grassroots level as part of a long-term plan.

“Why not anybody,” h𝔍e replied when TNT Sport asked him about Trackhouse not signing Roberts.

“Everybody’🃏s got a story, and I’m a big fan of Joe. I like Joe, I’m a big fan of his tale🍷nt.

“I think the important thing is we have this big vision and big strategy as a company, and Trackhouse Raciꩲng MotoGP ꦯis the international expansion of the Trackhouse brand.

“And for us, it’s important to try to reach out to as many different cult♒ures as possible, represent as many different parts of the world as possible.

“I think one day there is obviously an opportunity to have an Americ♏an on our bikes.

“I think as a company we would like to make an investment in America at the entry level of motorcycle racing, try to make an impact to bring moreꦕ talent at a younger age into motorcycle racing.

“But today, in 2024, 2025, this motorcycle racing team really represents an international expansion for the company and that was f🔴undamentally important to us.”

With all seats on the 2025 MotoGP grid eithe⛎r officially secured or already earmarked for other riders, Roberts faces another year in Moto2.

He isn’t the only notable M❀oto2 name set to miss 𒁏out, though, with current championship leader Sergio Garcia having his options for promotion shut down.