The sound is expected. At Austin’s Circuit of the Americas (COTA)—the only venue in the country that currently hosts a MotoGP event—twenty-two motorcycles squeal around the track like a group of deranged hornets buzzing in maniacal circles. But what is a revelation is the jackhammer punches you feel in your gut as the bikes rev up at the start. If you’re far enough in the front, the force of bikes rocketing to 200 mph in around eleven seconds will knock you back a step. It is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
Welcome to the wild world of MotoGP, motorcycle racing’s equivalent of Formula One and potentially this country’s next great motorsport. American riders had an early heyday on the circuit starting in the late seventies. But the sport has since been dominated by European teams featuring riders like current champion Jorge Martin, who has yet to impact the 2025 season due to injuries from crashes, and the ruthless Marc Márquez, probably the sport’s most popular—and polarizing—rider.
But an American-led team is starting to make some noise once again. Trackhouse MotoGP, founded by Nashville resident and former NASCAR driver Justin Marks, features two of the sport’s biggest up-and-coming riders: Spain’s Raúl Fernández and the Japanese rookie sensation Ai Ogura, who already has three top-10 finishes in 2025.
For MotoGP to break big in the United States, Trackhouse would love to sign an American rider. (Many in the sport expected Marks to sign California rider Joe Roberts at the end of the 2024 season.) But Marks says it’s not a necessity. He takes a global view with Trackhouse, with the idea that the team’s chief objective—outside of podium finishes—is storytelling, putting faces to the names through social media and other outlets, including MotoGP’s new deal with Fox to televise all the races. “For so long in motorsports, it was simply about putting logos on race cars and bikes,” he says. “But today, you have to be very creative and dynamic in connecting with people to turn them into fans.”
Judging by the 100,000-plus attendees at the Austin event at the end of March, they’re off to a good start. The crowd included groups of motorcycle gearheads, curious locals, and many parents and their kids decked out in their favorite racer’s gear. COTA encourages a family-friendly atmosphere, with amenities such as a karting track, minigolf, and giant installations from the likes of Ducati, where fans can check out a range of bikes.
With the popularity of motorcycle riding in the U.S., the sport would seem to have a built-in audience, as evidenced by the sea of bikes parked outside the grandstand. Julia Stewart, a member of a motorcycling club from Louisiana, was making her fifth visit to COTA. “We ride in every year,” she says. “I’ve been to many big events, and there’s nothing like MotoGP anywhere in the U.S. The atmosphere is incredible.”
Then, of course, there’s the whiff of danger. Despite racing cars for more than fifteen years, Marks says he’s never ridden a bike at the level of racers like Ogura and Fernández. “They scare the hell out of me,” he says with a laugh. “I love motorcycles, and I ride at home. But what’s special about MotoGP, what drew me to it, is that you watch them and you go, ‘That’s just something we can’t do.’” Riders take corners at severe angles, with just millimeters of space between an elbow or knee and the pavement. The skin-tight leather racing suits include strategically placed padding, armored plates, and airbags that deploy to protect the head and neck area. They can cost up to several thousand dollars.
During Sunday’s main race at COTA, the crowd gasps as race leader Márquez spins out on the downhill turn four after being ahead by more than two seconds, usually an insurmountable lead if the rider stays upright. Márquez eventually makes his way back to the Ducati garage, where he picks at the torn bits of suit leather while watching his teammate Pecco Bagnaia claim his first victory of the season. (Trackhouse’s Ogura and Fernández finish ninth and twelfth respectively.)
The next stop on the Moto GP circuit takes place in Spain (April 25–27), with races throughout Europe this summer, followed by Japan, Indonesia, and Australia before finishing in mid-November. In 2026, a second South American MotoGP race will be added in Brazil (joining Argentina), and the hope is that the U.S. will get a second location soon after. One potential spot is Flatrock Motorsports Park outside of Knoxville, which has a track certified to meet MotoGP standards. “Tennessee would be amazing,” Marks says, “but something on either coast would be great, too. People need to experience MotoGP wherever it may be. There’s nothing like it.”
