MotoGP’s Latest Race Team: Trackhouse Racing

[Hugh Janus]

Trackhouse Racing is a major player in NASCAR and now has jumped into MotoGP with a two-rider team on Aprilia’s RS-GP. (Trackhouse Racing/)

When the MotoGP bikes are shipped to Sepang this January for the first 2024 MotoGP winter session, there will be two Aprilias wrapped in stars and stripes. These are Miguel Oliveira’s and Raúl Fernández’s bikes of the newest team on the grid: American Trackhouse Racing. Presented in December in Milan, the arrival of a team founded and run by Justin Marks is big news for the coming MotoGP season.

Trackhouse Racing was formed just three years ago to compete at the top level of NASCAR; in just a short time, the team distinguished itself on and off track with a new approach: winning with style and transforming the sport into an experience. Inspired by the great sportsmen who were able to make a shift in their career, think out of the box, and constantly evolve, Marks takes us behind the scenes of this new adventure, from four to two wheels.

Driven, passionate, and hard worker, Marks grew up in Northern California where he had the chance to fall in love with motorsports at Laguna Seca.

Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks says he has plans to bring global brands into MotoGP. (Trackhouse Racing/)

How special is it to be in MotoGP?

When we founded Trackhouse, we wanted to create something special in motorsports, able to go beyond a NASCAR team—something globally relevant with an American vibe.

What is the most appealing thing about MotoGP?

This sport is so raw and authentic. It is so exciting to watch because you can actually see the riders playing the game. There is a component of risk, and the riders are so brave and this adds an aspirational quality. In addition, the MotoGP format of 20-minute race on Saturday and 45 on Sunday is able to keep the attention of the spectators high.

How do you see MotoGP on a global scale?

Formula 1 has raised the bar and grown enormously all over the world. I see MotoGP in a growth phase and potentially MotoGP is the next one. We can be part of the MotoGP strategy in North America and make it known to millions of people.

How can your expertise in NASCAR translate to MotoGP?

One of the things we are good at on the NASCAR side is that we have big global brands that are investing in Trackhouse. I think that through the way we market, we entertain our customers and show them value; we can bring this model into MotoGP as well. It may take some time for us to come and get established, but I think that the big global brands can find a lot of value in the sport.

And what about your experience as a racing driver before being an entrepreneur?

Being one of them and knowing how to communicate with the drivers and the team members has helped me a lot in the NASCAR team. I know what the drivers go through and the competitive side of the sport. Being in a garage for so many years, I think I can also contribute to the MotoGP team. It’s a unique perspective. I also met Oliveira and Fernández. Miguel is the veteran, who has already won in MotoGP, and Raúl is young, hungry, and passionate to show his talent to the world.

Trackhouse Racing has had success in NASCAR and expects that with some time the same can be achieved in MotoGP. (Trackhouse Racing/)

Is there something new that you can bring to MotoGP?

We are having great conversations with content companies to produce original content and to tell the stories of the teams, the fans. This will help to promote the sport and help it grow. I also would love some cross activation to bring the NASCAR and the MotoGP racers together—bring the riders to North Carolina and show them what we do and capture that.

What will be your main challenge?

I understand the business side, the marketing and promotion, but I would love to know more about the sport from within—the key players and the technology. The challenge is really learning, absorbing, and building a strategy for our team.

How was your first taste of a MotoGP race weekend?

I was at Spielberg this summer and I spent three days learning and absorbing the maximum. I also did the two-seat (ride) and it was an incredible experience. It provides a very unique perspective. As a racer I paid a lot of attention to the bike, to the weight transfer and how the rider was moving, but there were one or two moments down the straight that were pure thrill. On a bike you feel so exposed, contrary to being in a car that makes you feel protected.

Can you tell us the timeline of the deal?

I went to the Austrian GP to see how things are done and learn for the NASCAR side. Starting to understand the business model more, I saw a great business opportunity. When I started talking with Carlos and Carmelo Ezpeleta, and Dan Rossomondo, my plan was for 2025, but they told me about a potential spot for 2024. They saw value in an American team and they want to grow in North America; so we started to work right away. We did a tremendous amount of work in the last six to eight weeks working with Aprilia and building the team. Aprilia too saw the advantage of working with an American team as an asset to their program, so together we were able to get on the grid in such a short time.

Marks and Massimo Rivola have worked together on getting the Trackhouse Racing team on the same level as the Aprilia Factory team. (Trackhouse Racing/)

Aprilia opened the door giving you a status that goes beyond a satellite team, a kind of “Aprilia USA factory” team.

What is unique is that we feel part of the Aprilia family. We worked closely with Massimo Rivola and the whole team to be on the same level of the factory team and elevate together the entire Aprilia competition. We can bring our expertise as well, and Aprilia and the whole Piaggio Group were very motivated to make this happen.

What about the bikes?

We are pushing hard to have the 2024 spec, but it’s a matter of how quickly they can produce the bike, so I think we could have one factory bike in Qatar for the start of the season and one later.

How do you see your future in MotoGP?

We made a multiple-year contract, so we are very motivated to do well without rush. Now it’s about getting established, having results on track, attracting partners on board, and building a strong independent team able to compete at the top with the other independent teams and manufacturers.

What does Aprilia represent for you?

There is something special about Italian car and bike manufacturers like Ferrari or Lamborghini on four wheels, Aprilia and Ducati for the bikes. Aprilia represents passion, engineering, history, and commitment to motorsports. Being with the factory team gives us immediate credibility. And specifically Aprilia is a small group, and they are racers—as we are. We have a direct link with a small group of people who trust each other, work together, and this will bring us success.

For the launch, the team unveiled a symbolic American flag-liveried bike, paying tribute to Nicky Hayden. How important is it to be the first fully American team in MotoGP?

America has a great history in the sport with so many champions, but it has been a while that we’ve had one, so we are honored and humble to be part of the American history in the sport. Over the next months we will start communicating with several American legends of the sports.

Do you have an inspirational hero in the sport?

Not one in particular, but I have a lot of respect for people who have transcended the sport—that have constantly reinvented themselves. I like to read biographies of athletes and also people who have been successful in life being able to evolve, constantly reinvent themselves.

What is the last biography you read?

The one on Elon Musk: somebody that broke barriers, started a new industry, and was able to see the world in a very different and creative way.

What would you like to find under your Christmas tree?

Fast 2024 Aprilia motorcycles.

2024 will be a busy year…

For sure, we have the NASCAR races and then MotoGP. I won’t be able to attend all the races, but I want to know more about the spectators and the most iconic circuits like  Mugello Circuit for example, and the night race in Qatar…

Source

[Pedro]

I guess Miguel Oliveira is now the would be champion that never was?

[JustaPor]

On 21/12/2023 at 10:32, Pedro said:

I guess Miguel Oliveira is now the would be champion that never was?

Miguel is the almost champion... 2nd on moto3 and moto2... 

[YamaHead]

1 hour ago, JustaPor said:

Miguel is the almost champion... 2nd on moto3 and moto2... 

Sounds like the beginning of a "Mamola" recipe...

[boboneleg]

11 hours ago, JustaPor said:

Miguel is the almost champion... 2nd on moto3 and moto2... 

2nd = 1st last 

[Pedro]

2 hours ago, boboneleg said:

2nd = 1st last 

He’s a delicate flower, fast but the slightest breeze and he’ll fold.

[JustaPor]

He lacks consistency. Sometimes he is great rider and then he is just "meh..." 
This season he had also a not of bad luck being crashed in on the first races where he could have been good.
Unfortunately, I don't see him as World Champion.  

[Buckster]

Oh the irony, Stars and Stripes motif but they are all illegals from Mexico.