Joshua Raymond Jr. (CIV Moto3) opens up to Palmen in Motorradsport

For several years now, the Italian CIV Championship has featured many riders from other countries than Italy in its field, as they choose this series to rebuild their careers after a difficult time or, if they are young talents, to further grow in their journey as motorcycle racers. Among them, in 2026 there's a young rider from the United States of America: Joshua Raymond Jr.

Competing in the Moto3 class,, Raymond Jr. is making progress round after round with the Lucky Racing Team, a squad that managed to win the title in 2025 with Marcos Ruda. For the 16-year-old from Pennsylvania this is an important season, after achievng several top-10 finishes in the British Talent Cup (his best result being a fourth place at Thruxton in 2025) in the previous two seasons.

Palmen in Motorradsport had the chance to interview Joshua Raymond Jr., to discuss his 2026 campaign and especially his career.

Joshua, the 2026 season marks a new chapter for you in the Italian CIV Moto3 Championship. How's it going?

It's going pretty good. It was a harder start to the season than I thought, but lately we've been progressing a lot with the bike and with me and my riding (he has scored three 5th-place finishes, including two at the fifth round at Cremona, ed). This campaign is all about a lot of progressing and a lot of learning with the Moto3 machine.

And how did you get the opportunity to race in Italy in 2026?

When I was training in Spain, at the end of the year the people I train with came and told me that there was an opportunity to race in Italy. And in November 2025, they asked me if I wanted to test the bike. I said yes and then we had a test at Vallelunga. It worked out well, so we started working together.

How do you enjoy working with an Italian team?

The language barrier is definitely not the best, but Andrea (Raimondi, Lucky Racing Team Owner, ed) translates pretty well and in general my team is great. If I have a complaint or something is wrong with the bike, they'll fix it right away.

What's your goal in motorcycle racing at this stage? 

Of course I would like to make it to MotoGP, like everyone. But, at the end of the day, I want to become a professional racer and make a living off something I love.

How did your racing career start?

I got a Honda CRF50 for my birthday, so I started with motocross. Then we heard about a place called New Jersey MiniGP, we went there and we threw road racing tyres on my bike. That was when it started. I did one camp with them and ever since then I never wanted to do motocross again.

From there you progressed in road racing until reaching the British Talent Cup (now Moto4 British Cup, ed) What can you say about that experience?

Those two years were awesome. It was my first time racing overseas and it definitely was a big learning experience. The first year was all about learning, being a little guy on the Honda NSF250R. At the second year though we were fighting for the podium every race. I grew a lot.

Did you move to the UK when racing in the BTC? Or did you go back and forth between the UK and the United States?

The first year we would go back and forth, but then the second year I stayed in Spain with someone I trained with, and then flew to the UK for the races. In 2026 I stay and train in Spain as well, with Riders Formation.

How was the impact with the British tracks?

Dude, the British tracks are really, really cool. They are a struggle to learn, but they are fun and some of the craziest tracks in the world. To this day, some of the craziest tracks that I've ridden. I especially like Donington Park, Brands Hatch and Oulton Park.

You also had a chance to race at the British Grand Prix of MotoGP. How was it?

It was amazing, and the first time racing on the same weekend as MotoGP. Silverstone is a really big track for a little machine like the NSF250R, but I still had a lot of fun.

Are you planning to move to Europe?

I don't think I will, but if I'm racing in Italy again next year, I'll probably be staying in Spain most of the year. Moving from the USA to Europe with my family is not an affordable option.

Are you already working for 2027?

I actually raced the last round of the MotoAmerica Twins Cup in New Jersey, on a Suzuki GSX-8R. The test went pretty well and in the race I finished 8th. However, I don't know what we're doing next year yet. We have to finish off the season, we're going to try a couple of other things...When the season ends, we'll decide during winter what we want to do.

Who's your favourite rider?

Marc Márquez. I always liked him better than Valentino Rossi. He is an aggressive, great and talented rider. He was an amazing rookie in MotoGP (in 2013, ed) and he won the championship in 2025 after all he had gone through. He is just the best to me.

If you were to make the perfect rider, which characteristics would you pick and from which rider?

The mentality of Marc Márquez and the riding style of Álvaro Carpe. I just love how Carpe rides in Moto3.

In conclusion, the "Thank You Moment".

I want to give a big "thank you" to my dad. He's the guy that gets all of it done and works super hard so I can continue racing. I'd also like to thank my team, for working their butts off all year, and Riders Formation, for getting me this ride and training me to be the best that I very can. Finally, I thank all the people who are supporting me.

Palmen in Motorradsport is grateful to Joshua Raymond Jr. for his time and to Sara Lo Pinto from Lucky Racing Team for organizing the interview. Best wishes to both rider and team for the next races and seasons.