Roadracing World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new, up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun Awards marks the 26th consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new talent.
Roadracing World Young Guns have won:
FIM MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
MotoAmerica and AMA Pro races and Championships, including 11 AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The Daytona 200 (11 times);
WERA National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU National Championships;
Many regional and local titles.
The competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers between the ages of 10 and 18 (as of the start of the 2022 season) who have, at a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships or had outstanding results as an Amateur/Novice. Most of the riders included here have done far more than the minimum.
The young riders recognized here are the most promising young road racers in North America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
Liam Grant
Age: 18.
Current home: Boulder, Colorado.
Current height/weight: 5’11”/145 pounds.
Current school grade level: 12th grade.
Began riding at age: 12 years.
First road race: 2018, Dacono, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Mini Moto, Formula One, 1st place.
Current racebike: Suzuki GSX-R600.
Current tuner/mechanic: Brian Robertson.
Primary race series: MotoAmerica Supersport.
Top sponsors: Vision Wheel, M4 Performance Exhausts, ECSTAR, Suzuki, Arai, RST, R&G, Shorai Dunlop, Hotbodies Racing, Vortex, EK Chains, TechSpec, Venhill, 1-833-CJ-KNOWS Accident and Injury Law, Roadracingworld.com, Team Hammer.
Recent racing accomplishments: 2021 season, tied for 12th in MotoAmerica Supersport Championship (best race finish was 5th); 2020 season, finished 5th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship (best race finish was fourth-place – three times); 2019 season, won 3 UtahSBA Expert Championships (Production 500, Moto3, Lightweight Superbike), won CVMA 500 Supersport Amateur Championship, won 29 races overall in 2019.
2022 racing goal: Finish in top 5 in MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
Racing career goal: Win multiple Superbike World Championships.
Racing hero: Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Favorite track: Barber Motorsports Park.
Favorite hobby: Running.
If I wasn’t racing I would be…: Going to school full-time and playing ice hockey.
