MotoGP unveiled the latest organization to join the series for the 2024 season, with Trackhouse Racing taking over the Aprilia supply deal run by RNF Racing this year.
The American outfit has been rumored to be taking over RNF’s slots within the championship since MotoGP announced last week it had taken back the Romanian-owned operations entries due to “repeated infractions and breaches of the Participation Agreement.”
Series organizers Dorna revealed as part of the announcement that it was looking to find a new team to take over the Aprilia satellite deal, with a swift partnership coming with the organization, which features rapper Pitbull and racing driver Justin Marks within its ownership structure.
Announced in an online video stream on Tuesday, it was confirmed that RNF’s 2023 riders Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez would spearhead its maiden campaign. This was expected though as both were directly contracted to Aprilia, rather than RNF.
Marks, alongside Aprilia Sports Director Massimo Rivola, MotoGP Chief Commercial Officer Dan Rossomondo, and MotoGP Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta, also revealed the paint scheme for its maiden season.
Featuring a nod to 2006 premier class champion Nicky Hayden, the RS-GP will be adorned with the red, white, and blue stars and stripes of the United States flag. It’s not yet been confirmed which specification of machine the squad will run, though it’s likely they’ll run at least one factory-specification 2024 machine.
It will also hire the same staff that worked for the now-defunct RNF operation, though it has to wait for their contracts to end with the previous entity before they can sign new ones with Trackhouse.
Trackhouse has been competing in the premier NASCAR Cup Series championship since 2021, where it quickly proved to be a spoiler to the series’ established organizations. Currently running with drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, the outfit has secured a total of six wins so far in its first three seasons.
One of these came in Chicago earlier this year when three-time Australian V8 Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen secured an emphatic victory on his series debut. Chastain also came just meters away from winning the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series title, as the American narrowly lost out to eventual champion Joey Logano.
