Trackhouse rule out MotoGP exit but may consider external investment

• Max Verstappen was reportedly exploring buying the team
• Trackhouse are the only MotoGP team on the grid without a title sponsor

Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks has dismissed rumours regarding the future of the American team in MotoGP.

In September, Sky Italia reported that four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen had enquired about purchasing a MotoGP team, with Trackhouse Racing being one of the potential options. However, BlackBook Motorsport understands the report was wide of the mark.

Despite this, speculation has continued about the team’s future. Marks has now confirmed that Trackhouse Racing are excited about what lies ahead under the series’ new ownership by Liberty Media.

“I would like to stay in [MotoGP] for sure,” Marks told Sports Business Journal (SBJ). “I think it has a hugely bright future with Liberty in there. I think that we have an opportunity to work closely with Liberty as they grow the series.

“There is a lot of interest in investing and getting in and wanting to buy teams and all that. I think it’s entirely possible that we take a partner at some point along the way.

“But I remain bullish on the property, and the team values will increase over time; I think the sport’s popularity will increase over time. If Liberty can apply just a little bit of what they’ve done in Formula One to MotoGP, it’s got a bright future.”

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With nine partners, Trackhouse Racing are one of the least commercially successful teams in MotoGP currently. They are also the only team in the series operating without a title sponsor, which increases the likelihood of needing external investment to remain competitive.

The potential for external investors to enter MotoGP has grown significantly since Liberty’s takeover. For example, former Haas Formula One team principal Günther Steiner purchased the Tech3 team in a deal valued at approximately just under €20 million (US$23.5 million) in September.

Marks acknowledged that managing the financials of the team is particularly challenging given the interests in both Nascar and MotoGP.

“One of the things that’s tough about it is you can always spend more and more money on chasing speed and success that doesn’t fit into a box like stick-and-ball sports do with salary caps and all that kind of stuff,” he said.

“So what we have to be careful of is that we’re spending money on things that are the most effective in getting the results for the business as possible, not being wasteful, because it’s a very competitive landscape for sponsors.

“There’s a lot of ways companies can spend money, and we just need to make sure as an industry that the price point of getting involved in Nascar doesn’t outpace the value proposition.

“For us, we’ve been very successful at it just because we’ve been very authentic about our mission, authentic people, and work really hard to create a great experience at the race track for people.”