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Having taken over the RNF team, and relevant grid slot for the next three years, the owner of the Trackhouse Racing Aprilia team, Justin Marks, looks towards the future, thinking about how to develop the MotoGP in America. During the presentation of the team, the 42-year-old St. Louis native admitted that one of his goals for the next few years is to work closely with Dorna, in order to increase the popularity of the Championship on American soil, where his brand is already well known in NASCAR.
With only one American Grand Prix left on the calendar – no longer represented by prominent figures such as Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies, or Colin Edwards – the star-spangled audience has progressively lost interest in the MotoGP. However, the American manager already has some ideas to remedy the situation.
“It would be our dream to have an American rider on the MotoGP team one day, but we’re years away from this goal. In the meantime, we can collaborate with American sponsors and partners who can tell the American story,” Justin explained in an interview with Speedweek: “What we do in NASCAR really helps our partners with their marketing strategy in North America, but we also have partners that are global companies, such as Anheuser-Busch and Coca Cola, and now we have the opportunity to bring great international brands into the MotoGP. We’re working hard to attract big sponsors.”
It takes time to develop future stars-and-stripes champions, but Marks doesn’t rule out managing a junior team with Aprilia in one of the World Championship cadet classes one day.
“It’s a possibility,” Trackhouse’s owner said. “First, we have to find out what the situation is in America. If we can help develop the American riders in the national youth class, in order to increase the number of talented riders that are good enough to ride a Moto3 or a Moto2, this is a task we can begin to deal with shortly. We’d like to help and offer support, but I still have a lot to learn about the Moto3 and Moto2 business model, and we’re all very busy. At the moment, the priority is putting together the MotoGP team.”
As for a second race in the United States, Mark added: “They’ve already raced at Laguna Seca, and there’s a new circuit currently under construction in Tennessee, where the Trackhouse Group is based. There are several options, but it’s up to Dorna to decide.”
