The last two months have been hectic for Marks, who seized the opportunity provided by MotoGP promoter Dorna to take the two seats left vacant by the financial collapse of the RNF team.
The company of the former Missouri-born racer inherited the agreements of the Malaysian structure that were still in force, both with Aprilia, the supplier of the bikes, and with the bulk of the employees, delighted to turn the page and focus on this new stage.
At the head of the team will be Marks himself, PJ Rashidi, in the position of director, and Wilko Zeelenberg as team manager. The idea is to give stability to a key project in the eyes of Dorna, to definitively penetrate the American market.
Proof of this solidity is the renewal of the agreement with Aprilia as supplier of Oliveira and Fernandez’s bikes, which initially expired at the end of 2024.
“We have agreed a multi-year contract with Aprilia. From our point of view, it would be a mistake to have signed with them and then change a year later,” Marks revealed in a conversation with Motorsport.com.
For the American, Trackhouse has found in the Noale brand the perfect partner to get on a moving train, which is what it has meant for his company to join the championship with so little time to react.
At the team’s announcement presentation, which was made earlier this month from Italy, Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia’s racing division, already had a relevant role that exemplified the level of collaboration that the two parties have planned.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Raul Fernandez, Aprilia Racing Independent Team
“We don’t want to be a simple customer of Aprilia, but a partner to help it win the title,” adds Marks, who, given the short time available, has generated a formula based on synergies between Aprilia and Trackhouse Racing, which has been installed within the Noale factory facilities.
“Our intention is to fight to win races. Within three to five years we want to become the best independent team in the paddock.
“We want to be an attractive place for the best riders and technicians. From there it will operate with the intention that it will improve communication and reduce reaction times.
“Our plan is to manage this team from Noale. The bikes will be assembled and prepared there, at Aprilia, and that will help us.
“We are pushing Aprilia to be able to have two official bikes as early as 2024. That’s something they didn’t have in mind, but they are working as hard as they can to achieve it.
“We will probably have one at the first race, in Qatar, and after a few races the second one will arrive,” says the businessman, who is currently deciding whether the first RS-GP of 2024 will be awarded to Oliveira or Fernandez.
“The idea is to have both as soon as possible. In the next two weeks, we will decide which of our riders will have the official bike first, but the important thing is that both Miguel and Raul will have it in the first races.
“Everything will depend on the speed with which Aprilia can manufacture them.”