NASCAR frontrunner Trackhouse Racing will enter MotoGP next season, taking over from the collapsed RNF Racing team as Aprilia’s sole satellite operation.
Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernández will be retained for their second campaign as teammates.
Trackhouse Racing was founded by American racing driver Justin Marks and rapper Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull, in 2021, entering the NASCAR Cup series with a single leased racing entitlement with driver Daniel Suárez.
The team expanded to two permanent cars after taking over Chip Ganassi Racing’s two entries from 2022, with Ross Chastain steering the second car to the runner-up position in the championship.
Trackhouse Racing is better known overseas for its Project 91 program, with which it has tried to bring international racing stars to the domestic series.
Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has been the most successful, winning on his first attempt in Chicago in July and finishing 10th at the Indianapolis road course in August.
Van Gisbergen’s breakout results convinced the Kiwi to make a full-time switch to the United States with Trackhouse for 2024, when he will compete in a tailor-made acclimatisation program ahead of an anticipated full-time Cup entry in 2025.
Marks said MotoGP was a logical next step for the Trackhouse brand, believing the premier class to have untapped potential, particularly in the United States.
“Joining the MotoGP world championship is a very exciting moment for our young company,” he said.
“Trackhouse has worked from day one to recognise unique and compelling motorsport opportunities, and being able to expand to a global series like MotoGP is a massive step in scaling the company.”
Dorna chief sporting officer Carlos Ezpeleta said he was pleased to have a team with strong foundations join the grid.
“We know this new team is a perfect fit for our sport,” he said. “They’ve already shown they know how to win and arrive with a great personality.
“In the most competitive era the sport has ever seen it’s even more vital than ever to have strong independent teams on the grid with solid projects.
“Trackhouse working with Aprilia, who will offer extensive support, is a really exciting prospect too. The RS-GP is a winning motorcycle, and the combination of the bike, factory and Trackhouse’s approach with this team is something super exciting for MotoGP fans everywhere.”
Though Trackhouse will be run centrally by the parent company in Nashville, it will be based at the Aprilia factory in Noale and managed by PJ Rashidi and Jeremy Appleton.
The move is set to net Trackhouse at least one 2024-spec RS-GP and two factory-spec bikes in 2025 in a considerable boost to the team’s competitive prospects.
“Our commitment will increase significantly, a responsibility we gladly take on because I am sure it will allow us to grow even more,” Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola said.
“What they have been able to build in a very short time in NASCAR is an extraordinary presentation card, which anticipates the potential of this partnership.”
The arrival of Trackhouse also presents MotoGP with a strong commercial opportunity, leveraging the American brand to grow the sport in the United States. The championship races just once in the USA and has only one other race in the Americas, in Argentina.
Trackhouse’s deep marketing and entertainment links is also sure to raise the game of rival teams in the pursuit of new fans.
“We believe deeply in the mission of Dorna and are committed to bringing something new and exciting to the championship while working hard to help grow and amplify this amazing sport to millions of new fans in North America and beyond,” Marks said.
Trackhouse’s premier-class opportunity came thanks to a messy end to RNF Racing, which was booted from the sport over “repeated infractions and breaches” of its entry agreement.
RNF is rumoured to have owed several suppliers significant sums, including Aprilia.
RNF has been reborn from the ashes of the Sepang Racing Team, which withdrew from the sport at the end of 2021.
Team boss Razlan Razali took over the squad from 2022 and rebranded it as RNF Racing. Partway through that year Razali sold 60 per cent of the operation to blockchain company Cryptodata Tech, which subsequently made itself the team’s title sponsor.
Rumours that began circulating late this season of unpaid bills and a precarious future were ramped up when Razali announced his decision to resign from the board and step down as principal.
Cryptodata spent days denying the rumours and suggesting that Razali had been sacked until MotoGP’s decision to eject the team from the sport forced the issue.
Cryptodata launched legal action against the category, alleging that MotoGP was stripping it of its entry only because it had already promised a garage to Trackhouse.
The two parties settled earlier this week, clearing the way for Trackhouse’s announcement.
