For Trackhouse’s first year in motorcycle racing, Justin Marks has “no expectations at all” in terms of results – other things are his priority
Trackhouse Racing, the new team on the grid for the 2024 MotoGP season, is approaching its first year in motorcycle racing with humility. They do not want to set expectations too high. In terms of concrete results, Trackhouse boss Justin Marks has “no expectations at all”, as he says
The US-based racing team works very closely with Aprilia on its MotoGP program. The program is not run from the USA (unlike the team’s NASCAR program), but directly from the Aprilia factory in Italy, specifically in Noale near Venice.
Aprilia provides the majority of the personnel in Trackhouse’s MotoGP program, including the two riders Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez. And Aprilia also provides the equipment, namely two Aprilia RS-GP bikes, although it is not yet clear whether Trackhouse will compete directly with two 2024 bikes in the first season or with one 2024 and one 2023 bike.
How is the Trackhouse team approaching its first season in motorcycle racing? “Because it’s all so new, I don’t have any expectations for next year in terms of results,” says Trackhouse boss Justin Marks in an interview for The Money Lap, the podcast hosted by his NASCAR companion Parker Kligerman.
On this occasion, Marks compares the current situation with the situation two years ago. Back then, Trackhouse Racing entered NASCAR by buying the Ganassi team there. It didn’t take long for the first successes to be celebrated. The first race wins for both Trackhouse drivers (Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez) came in their debut season in 2022. Both also made it into the playoffs straight away, with Chastain even making it into the final four.
In the end, Chastain finished the 2022 NASCAR season as runner-up. This meant that all the successes previously achieved by the Ganassi team in NASCAR’s top division (Cup) were surpassed by Trackhouse in its very first season. At the end of 2023, the team had six race wins. 2024 will be the third year in a row with Chastain and Suarez on the grid.
With a view to the 2024 MotoGP season, Trackhouse is nevertheless exercising caution. “What applied to our Cup team back then also applies now,” says Marks about the MotoGP team and explains: “For us, it’s about building a really good team. It’s about understanding the people and the processes. It’s about understanding what the riders need. It’s about really developing and growing the partnership with Aprilia. “
So Marks describes 2024 as “a big learning year” for Trackhouse. The contract with Aprilia is valid for three years up to and including 2026, but because the US team wants to use at least one of its two Aprilia RS-GP bikes with the current specification in the first year, Marks does come back to the subject of results.
“I believe that if the bike is fast, then we can look good. But I’m not going to stand up and say that our goal is to win a race, get one of our riders into the top 10 of the world championship or achieve a certain number of podiums,” says Marks.
“We have a lot to learn,” emphasizes the 42-year-old trackhouse boss and admits: “I have a lot to learn too.” Marks himself was active as a driver in NASCAR races for many years, but has not been doing this full-time for over a decade. These days, he primarily looks after the operational side of the trackhouse empire.