“This Is When the Heart Starts Pounding”- Justin Marks Gets Candid as Trackhouse Racing Hits MotoGP Season Opener

Within a period of six months, former driver and racing enthusiast Justin Marks went from a MotoGP enthusiast to a team owner with his Trackhouse Racing taking over the defunct RNF Racing to expand its operations to the second biggest racing promotion in the world. While his Cup Series teams are gearing up for their Phoenix race on Sunday, Marks is halfway across the globe with his new team for the season-opening night race in Qatar.

It’s a significant milestone for the American team that has been on a constant series of commitments to be prepared for testing ever since its massive announcement three months earlier. Now, with both his riders starting at P12 and P14, Marks had to be there in the Lusail circuit to see off his racers to a fantastic start.

Speaking to the reporter there, the 42-year-old shared his thoughts, opening up about being a proud team owner in one of the most followed racing promotions in the world.

When asked, “How it feels to be here for the first race and looking at your riders on the grid,” Marks simply said, “Well, it’s been a lot of hard work in the office the last couple of months but this is what we do it.” Relaying his thrill to be a part of the promotion, he further said, ‘This is why we do it, this is what it’s all about it’s all about so this is when the heart starts pounding and truly the excitement of MotoGP and the fact that we that we get to be a part of it feels real right now it’s awesome.”

Finally, Justin Marks’ new driver duo of Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernández are ready to take on the challenges of 2024, starting off the season Lusail circuit in an epic night race. The team and owner broke the internet announcing their decision to take over the Malaysian team, RNF Racing to make a massive overhaul to give a breath of new life to the riders, partnering up with Italian manufacturer, Aprilia.

The veteran racer also mentioned how his whole team at Trackhouse stood by him to build a team up from the ground in under six months, crediting and lauding their commitment to the sport and to the team.

Ultimate “Race fan” Marks credits his team for the massive turnaround, building a MotoGP team up from scratch

Originally set for 2025, Trackhouse Racing sped up its plans, absorbing RNF’s infrastructure, and personnel, taking both of its riders Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez to forge a closer alliance with Aprilia, opting for a factory bike for Oliveira in the upcoming season. The new adventure has now brought an American team back to the pinnacle of motorcycle racing for the first time in over a decade.

From going to Austria to catch a glimpse of the spectacle, to rolling out a new team, Marks lauds his team for their support that made this possible. “I’m proud, it’s not me, I mean, we have a group of people that have all been pushing in the same direction for the last couple of months and when you’ve a group of people aligned like that to see the opportunity understand the work that needs to get done, work together you can pull something like off.” 

The former NASCAR racer then reiterated that he is more of a racing fan than an owner, who is passionately into this just for the thrill and spirit of racing. He said, “It feels different but I’ve been saying this for a long time now whether it’s NASCAR or dirt racing or MOTO GP, I’m just a race fan and I just love being at the race tracks so whether it’s four wheels or two or we’re in Daytona beach Florida or Lusail circuit here in Qatar it’s all the same to me, its a motorsports event and what I live for.” 

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