Track House MotoGP: These Guys Are Gonna Be Millionaires When This Is Over
It's a good thing they're billionaires
by Dean Adams
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Old motor racing adage: If you want to become a millionaire in racing, start with a billion dollars.
The MotoGP off-season has brought forth an unexpected delight with the emergence of Track House in the world of motorcycle racing. Hailing from the world of NASCAR, Track House made a remarkable entry into MotoGP by acquiring the remnants of the RNF Aprilia team, a move that was warmly embraced by Dorna, the governing body of the sport. In a whirlwind of change, they rebranded themselves as Track House Racing, adorning their bikes with striking designs reminiscent of the American flag. At the helm of this promising venture is Justin Marks, an unabashed fan of the legendary Nicky Hayden. Marks not only talks the talk but also walks the walk, exuding a passion for the sport that resonates with fans and insiders alike.
I don't know about you, but he's saying all the right things to me.
“We feel that MotoGP is perfectly positioned for massive growth in the coming years not only in the United States, but internationally,” Marks has said. “It has all the ingredients necessary to continue its rise to global prominence: a thrilling on-track product, aspirational stars, unmatched fan and partner experience, and an environment that’s fan-friendly and welcoming.”
I have worked in racing for 35 years. I have seen teams come and go, both internationally and nationally. What separates the teams that say all the right things but quickly crater from those that make a serious effort that in turn develops into a world class race team is resources. And by resources, I don't mean how many tires they have stacked up. What I mean is how much money do they have, and how willing are they to wave goodbye to said money in order to win?
My take? Justin Marks and his friends and family have the resources to become one of the top MotoGP teams. They might not have unlimited funds, but they have more than enough money to become a force in MotoGP.
How?
The Marks family are venture capitalists. And not small-time venture capitalists.
Justin IS a venture capitalist himself. Justin's father is Michael Marks. He runs Celesta Capital, a VC firm with cubic dollars in their checkbook. What's more, Justin's old man actually worked for/with Elon Musk as interim CEO of Tesla; AND lived to tell the tale. The Marks family were very early investors in Tesla and a bunch of other tech companies. Justin's brother is also is also a venture capitalist.
So Track House might seem like a scrappy team of fans who want to win in MotoGP by selling t-shirts. But make no mistake, they have war-chest level resources.
Since entering the MotoGP scene, Justin has dropped hints about his ambitious vision. He envisions not only a second but perhaps even a third MotoGP event taking place in the United States. To realize this dream, he's even contemplated the possibility of constructing his very own MotoGP track. Furthermore, Justin is dedicated to increasing the presence of American talent in MotoGP, and he's determined to leverage his team's influence to make that a reality.
Justin has access to investors who can help him build a MotoGP race track in Tennessee and anything else he wants to do. It's pie in the sky stuff, but certainly the Marks family have the resources to not just build a track or fund a team—they could, maybe, buy a controlling interest in Dorna itself.
Potentially what else could he do?
Can this Marks fellow heal the rift between Dorna and Laguna Seca? In base form, Laguna Seca remains a viable MotoGP racetrack.
Aprilia has a decades old, well-earned reputation of treating their customer teams to a lavish spread of bikes and parts which are substandard. They have been doing so since the 250 GP days. Track House is a customer team. Say they play the "cruise of the rolling junk" game with Marks; who is to say a very quick solution would not be to buy an interest in Piaggio? This is the level they play on.
As an American, I'm super happy to see a guy step into MotoGP who doesn't feel he has to shirk under cover when he displays the American flag. Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Nick Hayden, Kevin Schwantz, Eddie Lawson and Ben Spies all raced in MotoGP with an American flag on the fairing of their bikes. Americans aren't real popular in any corner of MotoGP right now. I think that is about to change.
Track House invited Soup to their team introduction in California last week. We couldn't make it, but if we had, I'd have enthusiastically shaken this Justin fellow's hand and welcomed him to the fray.
The MotoGP off-season has brought forth an unexpected delight with the emergence of Track House in the world of motorcycle racing. Hailing from the world of NASCAR, Track House made a remarkable entry into MotoGP by acquiring the remnants of the RNF Aprilia team, a move that was warmly embraced by Dorna, the governing body of the sport. In a whirlwind of change, they rebranded themselves as Track House Racing, adorning their bikes with striking designs reminiscent of the American flag. At the helm of this promising venture is Justin Marks, an unabashed fan of the legendary Nicky Hayden. Marks not only talks the talk but also walks the walk, exuding a passion for the sport that resonates with fans and insiders alike.
I don't know about you, but he's saying all the right things to me.
“We feel that MotoGP is perfectly positioned for massive growth in the coming years not only in the United States, but internationally,” Marks has said. “It has all the ingredients necessary to continue its rise to global prominence: a thrilling on-track product, aspirational stars, unmatched fan and partner experience, and an environment that’s fan-friendly and welcoming.”
I have worked in racing for 35 years. I have seen teams come and go, both internationally and nationally. What separates the teams that say all the right things but quickly crater from those that make a serious effort that in turn develops into a world class race team is resources. And by resources, I don't mean how many tires they have stacked up. What I mean is how much money do they have, and how willing are they to wave goodbye to said money in order to win?
My take? Justin Marks and his friends and family have the resources to become one of the top MotoGP teams. They might not have unlimited funds, but they have more than enough money to become a force in MotoGP.
How?
The Marks family are venture capitalists. And not small-time venture capitalists.
Justin IS a venture capitalist himself. Justin's father is Michael Marks. He runs Celesta Capital, a VC firm with cubic dollars in their checkbook. What's more, Justin's old man actually worked for/with Elon Musk as interim CEO of Tesla; AND lived to tell the tale. The Marks family were very early investors in Tesla and a bunch of other tech companies. Justin's brother is also is also a venture capitalist.
Track House
The Track House MotoGP team. See those Go Pro decals on the fairings? Justin Marks' father used to be on the board of directors of Go Pro. The point: these are people who can make things happen in a phone call. Big things.
Since entering the MotoGP scene, Justin has dropped hints about his ambitious vision. He envisions not only a second but perhaps even a third MotoGP event taking place in the United States. To realize this dream, he's even contemplated the possibility of constructing his very own MotoGP track. Furthermore, Justin is dedicated to increasing the presence of American talent in MotoGP, and he's determined to leverage his team's influence to make that a reality.
Justin has access to investors who can help him build a MotoGP race track in Tennessee and anything else he wants to do. It's pie in the sky stuff, but certainly the Marks family have the resources to not just build a track or fund a team—they could, maybe, buy a controlling interest in Dorna itself.
Potentially what else could he do?
Can this Marks fellow heal the rift between Dorna and Laguna Seca? In base form, Laguna Seca remains a viable MotoGP racetrack.
Since entering the MotoGP scene, Justin has dropped hints about his ambitious vision. He envisions not only a second but perhaps even a third MotoGP event taking place in the United States. To realize this dream, he's even contemplated the possibility of constructing his very own MotoGP track. Furthermore, Justin is dedicated to increasing the presence of American talent in MotoGP, and he's determined to leverage his team's influence to make that a reality.
Aprilia has a decades old, well-earned reputation of treating their customer teams to a lavish spread of bikes and parts which are substandard. They have been doing so since the 250 GP days. Track House is a customer team. Say they play the "cruise of the rolling junk" game with Marks; who is to say a very quick solution would not be to buy an interest in Piaggio? This is the level they play on.
As an American, I'm super happy to see a guy step into MotoGP who doesn't feel he has to shirk under cover when he displays the American flag. Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Nick Hayden, Kevin Schwantz, Eddie Lawson and Ben Spies all raced in MotoGP with an American flag on the fairing of their bikes. Americans aren't real popular in any corner of MotoGP right now. I think that is about to change.
Track House invited Soup to their team introduction in California last week. We couldn't make it, but if we had, I'd have enthusiastically shaken this Justin fellow's hand and welcomed him to the fray.
— ends —
