Americans Abroad On The World Stage

We’re getting towards the end of the international racing season, and it’s been a big one for a few young Americans who have made the trip to try their luck in the hotbed of European competition.

Heading the list is Kristian Daniel Junior. The Spanish-based 17-year-old entered the Rookies Cup for a third season and after a challenging start to the 2026 campaign, Daniel Junior found momentum at Assen, charging from 12th on the grid to finish second for his first podium of the season. He followed that with another runner-up finish at Misano, coming within 0.055 seconds of victory in race two.

The final round at the Red Bull Ring provided an appropriate finale. Daniel qualified on pole for the first time in his Rookies Cup career and then crossed the line first in Saturday’s race, only to lose the victory to a last-corner track-limits penalty. He backed that up with third place in the finale to finish fourth in the championship with 146 points, just two behind third-placed Ryota Ogiwara.

Daniel’s development was also accelerated by opportunities in Moto3 machinery. He made a late substitute appearance in the JuniorGP Moto3 World Championship at Barcelona, stepping in for the injured Evan Belford and immediately scoring a top-10 finish despite having to adapt to a new motorcycle, team and championship in one weekend.

Those performances have now opened the door to the next stage, where early rumors position Daniels into Moto3 rider for 2027. Expected to be confirmed shortly, the move will put Daniel into the Moto3 World Championship and wider Grand Prix structure, turning a season of increasingly strong performances in Europe into his first full-time opportunity on the world stage.

For 13-year-old American Maverick Johnson, the 2026 season has been about taking the next step in an international racing career, with his first full campaign in Spain providing valuable experience against some of Europe’s emerging young talent.

Johnson joined the Aspar KSB Academy for the 2026 ESBK Pre-Talent championship after an impressive 2025 season in the United States, where he collected multiple podiums across the MotoAmerica Mini Cup and FIM Mini Cup programs. The move to Spain placed him in a new environment and on unfamiliar circuits, providing an important test of his development.

The highlight came at Navarra in September, where Johnson scored his first international podium. Racing in the sixth round of the championship, he finished third in race two after spending the 25-minute contest locked in a five-rider fight for victory. The pace was particularly strong, with every rider in the lead group lapping more than a second faster than the previous Pre-Talent class lap record at the circuit.

Johnson’s third-place finish was the culmination of a season spent learning the demands of European racing and adapting to a new team, motorcycle, circuits and the European lifestyle. At Navarra, he showed he could not only run with the leaders but also fight for victory, taking the lead several times before securing third at the flag.

With one round remaining at Jerez, Johnson’s European campaign has already delivered an important milestone and further established him as one of America’s young riders to watch as he continues his progression through the international junior racing ladder.

A little closer to home, MotoAmerica’s two-time and 2026 Mission King of The Baggers Champion, Hayden Gillim, got his first taste of Endurance World Championship (EWC) competition at the legendary Bol D’Or 24 Hour at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, France.

Gillim was part of the four-rider lineup aboard the No. 27 TRT27 AZ Moto Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, sharing the Superstock machine with Thomas Ward, Thomas Oliver and Eemeli Lahti.

The team qualified 19th overall and 12th in the Superstock class, with Gillim recording a 1:55.216 during the second qualifying session. He was also the fastest of the TRT27 AZ Moto riders in that session, underlining his pace around the 3.6-mile Paul Ricard circuit.

When the race got underway Saturday afternoon, Gillim immediately settled into the demanding rhythm of endurance racing. After one hour, the No. 27 Honda was 12th overall and sixth in Superstock, with Gillim himself on track at the time.

The TRT27 AZ Moto Honda team finished 18th overall and ninth in the Superstock (SST) class at the 2026 Bol d’Or 24 Hour. The team completed 674 laps, 68 laps behind the winning BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.

“Racing the Bol D’Or was an incredible experience,” Gillim said. “Racing for 24 hours is really tough, but tons of fun. Riding at night for the first time was such a different feeling. It’s just you and the track and it’s all about hitting your marks.

“I can’t thank the TRT/AZ Moto team enough for allowing me to come race with them. They did a great job on everything and made me feel right at home. If it wasn’t for some electrical issues in the middle of the night, I think we had a real shot at winning.”

Attention for Gillim now turns to the final round of the 2026 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with his regular Real Steel Honda team and his championship-winning J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian team.