Trackhouse manager Francesco Guidotti: “It’s as if I’d never been away”

When US motorsport entrepreneur Justin Marks signed the contract with Dorna’s management in the summer of 2023 to enter the 2024 MotoGP season (to replace the RNF team, which had gone into financial difficulties), Francesco Guidotti already had a quarter of a century of Grand Prix paddock experience under his belt. Aprilia, KTM, Pramac Racing, then KTM again – these were the key stages of the Italian’s career.

At the end of 2024, Guidotti’s career in the MotoGP paddock came to an end for the time being. Both KTM Factory Racing and Guidotti viewed the termination of the contract as amicable – the role of team manager for riders Acosta and Binder was taken over by the equally experienced Aki Ajo. Francesco Guidotti used this break to recharge his batteries and contributed his expertise to the sports channel Sky Italia; the 53-year-old appeared as an expert at selected MotoGP events.

In the spring of the current season, the groundwork was finally laid for Guidotti’s comeback in a key role within a MotoGP project. The catalyst was the announcement by Trackhouse team principal Davide Brivio that he would no longer be available after the 2026 season. Brivio had decided to make a fresh start with a factory team in the latter stages of his career. In 2027, the GP veteran will be seen racing in Honda colours.

Guidotti mit Trackhouse-Racing-Teaminhaber Justin Marks

Foto: Gold and Goose

At times, it looked as though Trackhouse Racing and Davide Brivio would part ways prematurely. This was because, at the Brno GP last June, Francesco Guidotti was confirmed as the new signing for the team – which was then ranked second in the Team World Championship – home to Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez. However, rather than a sudden change, Brivio and Guidotti have been working as a duo ever since.

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This is how the division of roles works

Francesco Guidotti explained this in an interview with SPEEDWEEK.com: “Firstly, our roles are different. Whilst Davide, as team principal, also deals with matters outside the pit and communicates a lot with the US, as team manager I now focus primarily on the processes within the pit. Of course, there are overlaps, but it works well, partly because we both have a lot of experience with the processes.”

Guidotti on the crucial point: “On top of that – when the changes in team management came about, Ai (Ogura) had already established himself as the top driver, who also had a chance of winning the title in the summer. Nobody wanted to make a drastic change within the team in this situation. And as Davide also has a contract until the end of the year, he stayed on – and we’re working as a team.”

Trackhouse-Doppelspitze: Francesco Guidotti und Davide Brivio

Foto: Gold and Goose

When asked what it was like to return to the role of team manager after 18 months, Guidotti had to grin: “It was a bit mad – it’s as if I’d never been away for a single day. At Trackhouse, there are currently colleagues I worked with at Aprilia decades ago. Of course, time doesn’t stand still in any respect, but overall the team has made it very easy for me – it’s a real pleasure to work here.”

The Ducati factory team in the sights of the Aprilia customer team

The challenge: with seven MotoGP events still to go, they could climb back up to second place in the Teams’ World Championship. Their rival is none other than Ducati Lenovo, with a manageable 25-point gap to close. In the riders’ championship, it seems the window of opportunity has closed for Ai Ogura following his injury lay-off. The Japanese rider, who will be riding for Yamaha next year, is in sixth place, 84 points behind championship leader and team-mate Jorge Martin. Trackhouse rider Raúl Fernández holds seventh place in the championship.