MotoGP News: Trackhouse Racing Extends Raul Fernandez Contract For 2025 Season

Saajan Jogia | Jul 23, 2024

Apr 12, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Raul Fernandez (25) of Spain and Trackhouse Racing during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

After a standout season with the Aprilia RS-GP23, Trackhouse Racing has extended a new two-year contract to Raul Fernandez as a reward for his exceptional performance.

Fernandez, who has been showcasing outstanding form in his second season with Aprilia on the RS-GP23 machine, recently achieved his first front-row start in MotoGP at Sachsenring. He will be handed the upgraded 2024 RS-GP machine in Silverstone next month.

The 23-year-old Spanish rider set a blistering pace during the sprint race in Barcelona, aiming to build a significant lead. However, the ambitious push caused him to crash on Lap 5. Speaking to the media about his new contract and that it was his priority to remain with this team, Fernandez said:

“I’m super happy to remain with Trackhouse Racing MotoGP.

"That’s all we wanted; this new project, with Justin [Marks] and Davide [Brivio], is great and they have built a very good team. 

"I am delighted to hear their plans for the future as they have a clear idea of what they want to do and for me, from the beginning of the year, it was my priority to try to stay in the team. 

"At the end, I get to be here for the next two years which leaves me very satisfied but, of course, this also means we have a lot of work to do."

Fernandez explained his approach for 2025 as he expressed joy in securing a contract extension with the right team. He added:

"We will have the full factory material in 2025 and 2026, obviously great news and right now, we are gearing up to start with a new bike in the middle of this year, so we have to make good use of this to prepare for next year as well. 

"We need to stay calm, understand everything about the bike and see what we have to do for the 2025 season – it is very important. 

"Trackhouse Racing MotoGP is just an amazing team, I love the ideas of this American organization and I’m also happy to see Justin’s ambitions. 

"He is new to MotoGP but ready to bring something different in here for the American market and I hope we can make a difference - trying to make MotoGP grow there. Also, with Davide I’m very happy. 

"He won five titles in MotoGP so far and I think he’s the right person to help me to fulfill my dreams. I strongly believe in him and his abilities to create a great team, I’m just over the moon."

The Trackhouse rider revealed that maximum performance had been extracted from the current bike, and thus, the upgraded Aprilia will make the competition a lot more exciting. He added:

"Now, in Silverstone, we will receive the 2024 upgrade specification of the Aprilia, which is going to be exciting. 

"The first part of this year has already gone well, especially the last four rounds, as we managed to make some big steps and took the maximum from the bike. 

"I feel that we are on the limit at the moment, so it’s great to jump to the new Aprilia now. 

"We will have the same material, like the factory riders and Miguel, so it will be interesting to find out about our level inside the championship, especially on the Aprilia side.”