Family tragedy: America’s Moto3 hope Kristian Daniel in deep mourning

At the start of the week, devastating storms raged across Catalonia, amongst other places. In a very short space of time, such heavy rainfall fell that in many places the infrastructure collapsed, tunnels were flooded and dams burst. Chaotic conditions prevailed, during which three people lost their lives.

One of the flood victims was Kristian Daniel Senior. The American died last Monday in the north of Barcelona, but his body could not be recovered until Wednesday. Barcelona had become a second home for Kristian Daniel Senior – and for Junior, the newly promoted Moto3 rider for the French Tech3 team. It was only at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring that Günther Steiner’s team, together with KTM, had announced the signing of the 17-year-old prodigy from California. Following top results in the Red Bull Rookies series, Kristian Daniel Junior will make his World Championship debut in 2027 alongside Adrian Fernandez.

Kristian Daniel (li.) fährt 2027 neben Adrian Fernandez bei Tech3

Foto: KTM Factory Racing

Less than two weeks after a stage of the Daniels’ shared lifelong dream came true – becoming part of a GP team that had also been a sporting home for Colin Edwards and Ben Spies – came the unbelievable drama and the tragic loss of Kristian Senior from the ‘US motorcycling dream team’. Determined to make their way into the MotoGP paddock, first the father and son left California behind, and in 2028 the whole family followed. Immediately following the news of Kristian Daniel Junior’s contract in the Moto3 World Championship, the US sports giant ESPN published a detailed article about the racing enthusiasts living in Spain.

The future Tech3 rookie pays tribute to his biggest fan and best friend on social media: “Through everything I’ve been through in my life, you’ve always been there for me, by my side, as the wonderful father that you are. When I was younger, I used to think: ‘Oh come on, Dad, you’re just the boss’ or ‘What does he know?’. But then I realised that you really were helping me in all sorts of ways I couldn’t even see. We’re such a great team – the best there is. I know you probably can’t read this right now and don’t realise how hard and surreal it is for me to write this message, but I just want you to know that you can be proud: you’ve given me everything I need to be a great person. I wish we’d been able to celebrate our success together.”

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“It doesn’t seem fair to me that you’re being taken from me now, just when we’ve only just got started with the real work – but it seems your time has already come. Still, I want you to watch over me, Dad: I’m going to go far, I’ll never give up, just as you taught me. I know you’ll be watching over me. I love you so much and wish we could still be joking around and enjoying the journey together … You’ll always be in my heart, Dad.”