It’s official. Trackhouse Racing has expanded its racing program beyond borders. They will be joining the Moto GP grid from the 2024 season as a satellite team for Aprilia, taking the place of the now-defunct RNF team.
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Trackhouse had originally planned to make the move but not before 2025, but considering RNF’s status the Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned team decided to get into the pinnacle of two-wheeler racing a little earlier than expected.
Following the official confirmation of their Moto GP program, Justin Marks set the narrative straight regarding their Moto GP entry. He mentioned, “This is not a NASCAR team going motorcycle racing.”
“This is the Trackhouse Entertainment Group identifying opportunities globally to participate in, high-value events and championships. The long-term vision of Trackhouse was never just to build a great Cup team.”
.@JustinMarksTH: “This is not a NASCAR team going motorcycle racing. This is the Trackhouse Entertainment Group identifying opportunities globally to participate in, high-value events and championships. The long-term vision of Trackhouse was never just to build a great Cup team.” pic.twitter.com/NPM1uKnxxL
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) December 5, 2023
What happened to RNF and who will ride for Trackhouse Racing next year?
The RNF team, formerly known as Sepang Racing Team (SRT Petronas), was excluded from the 2024 championship due to multiple violations and breaches that tarnished the competition’s reputation.
Founded by Malaysian Razlan Razali with the support of Petronas, the team entered MotoGP in 2019. During that point of time, the team had riders like Fabio Quartararo and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi (final years).
However, after losing financial backing from Petronas, Razali took control of the team and rebranded it as RNF. Not long after the team’s troubles escalated when Romanian company CryptoDATA became its primary shareholder in late 2022. Thereafter, Razali’s announcement of his departure from the team on social media further added to the team’s challenges.
Meanwhile, the riders for the new Trackhouse Racing team will be Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez. The pair used to ride for the RNF Team last season. Hence, the Marks-led team decided to retain their drivers as their riders for the future seasons.
