Perth’s Rory Skinner will join the American Racing Team full-time in 2023 for his rookie season in the Moto2 world championship.
Rory joins the team from British Superbikes, where he has taken multiple podium finishes and sits eighth in the championship after being sidelined due to injury for the last two rounds.
The 21-year-old is touted as one of the UK’s brightest young talents, having competed in Red Bull Rookies, British Talent Cup and British Supersport where he became the series’ youngest ever champion.
Rory has already made two appearances in the Moto2 World Championship this season when he joined the team for Silverstone and Austria as a wildcard entry.
“I’m delighted to be joining American Racing for the next two seasons,” Rory said. “Racing in the Grand Prix paddock is every rider’s dream, and opportunities like these don’t come along often, especially for British riders.
“American Racing feels like the perfect team to make my full-time Moto2 debut with.
“Eitan and John have worked with me for the past two seasons and, right from the beginning, they knew where I wanted to be and have been true to their promise in supporting me in my ambitions.
“We’ve done two wildcards earlier this year, which confirmed that this is where I want to be, even though I am under no illusions as to just how competitive Moto2 is.
“I will be doing everything I can to repay the faith they’ve shown in me, and I also want to thank all the people who have supported me in the past four seasons in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship paddock.
“From my dad running me on a private Kawasaki in British Supersport to Robin and Doug for giving me the chance at Appleyard Macadam Racing, and of course my current FS-3 Racing team.
“I am very lucky to have worked with some amazing people who have helped me develop as both a person and a rider in what is a high-level championship.”
Avner Kass and Eitan Butbul, American Racing Team owners, welcomed Rory and said: “This was always our intention, but due to unforeseen circumstances in the team, it’s happened slightly earlier than we expected. But as they say, ‘everything happens for a reason’.
“We are proud that we as a team, with our outstanding crew, are in a position where we’re not afraid to take potential ‘risks’ in bringing riders over from alternative championships - something less common in today’s Grand Prix climate - to ensure talent from elsewhere is not overlooked.”
John Hopkins, American Racing Team director, continued: “We’re really excited to be bringing Rory on board.
“He is an exceptional talent which we’ve known from the beginning of working with him. It’s very difficult these days to get people to see the talent of riders outside of the Grand Prix paddock, which is the main reason for the wildcards he did with the team earlier this year.
“He showed how exceptional he is with his speed having never been on the Moto2 bike before.”
He added: “Rory’s mental approach is what proves to me that he will be competitive and, with that, we’ll be ensuring that he has every tool to be able to carry that through.”
