Trackhouse MotoGP Team took an unexpected approach to filling its vacant rider slot, posting a job advertisement on LinkedIn in search of a teammate for Raúl Fernández. The American team, which needed to replace Ai Ogura after his move to Yamaha, pitched a full-time role with a factory-spec Aprilia and a benefits package that stood out even in MotoGP’s high-stakes environment. The deliberately humorous advert presented the vacancy as an open call rather than a conventional factory announcement.
Ogura’s departure followed a rapid rise through the Grand Prix ranks: he won the 2024 Moto2 World Championship before making his MotoGP debut with Trackhouse on an Aprilia RS-GP. From 2027, he is set to join Jorge Martín at Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP; MotoGP’s official rider-lineup tracker lists both riders as contracted through the end of 2028. Fernández, meanwhile, is staying with Trackhouse for 2027 and 2028. His manager, Paco Sánchez, said the team acted after KTM Tech3 made an offer: “We gave them an ultimatum, and their response was immediate: they put a contract on the table, and it was always Raul’s intention to stay with them.”
Unconventional Requirements
The job description was as direct as it was tongue-in-cheek. Candidates had to be prepared to race at over 200 km/h, ideally while looking forward, and turn 45 minutes of controlled chaos into calm, technical feedback for engineers. The team highlighted speed and precision, along with a healthy relationship with risk. It also expected riders to handle media duties and sponsor commitments with composure.
Among the more unusual requirements, applicants were expected to wear leather every day and maintain a respectful, if sometimes adversarial, relationship with gravel traps. Their resting heart rate, meanwhile, had to be low enough to concern most doctors. Experience in Moto2 or Moto3 was welcome, while the advert joked that proven skill could even come from dominating a fiercely competitive local karting circuit.
Language skills also featured. Fluent English was mandatory, while Italian was an advantage given the team’s Aprilia connection. The ability to apologize at a moderate level was explicitly mentioned, too. Other preferences included an appetite for risk and zero tolerance for finishing outside the points. Applicants were also expected to have an irrational attachment to a race number and a signature celebration that did not require the dominant wrist.
What Trackhouse Offers
The compensation package was as distinctive as the job description. The salary was described as “competitive, inversely proportional to your frequency of gravel trap visits.” The team offered a non-returnable official bike and full medical insurance. Unlimited ice packs and physiotherapy were included, with champagne on Sundays when appropriate. The package also included “a mild existential angst,” a nod to the pressures of elite racing.
The advert described the role as full-time, with renewal subject to performance. It was for a direct teammate to Fernández, with the expectation of competing in MotoGP’s premier class. Trackhouse’s Aprilia connection dates back to the RNF operation: Fernández joined RNF for the 2023 season and rode an Aprilia RS-GP alongside Miguel Oliveira. Trackhouse took over the team in 2024, retaining its technical relationship with Aprilia.
Context and Outlook
The public call attracted dozens of applicants, reflecting the competition for MotoGP seats and the attention drawn by a team willing to recruit in an unconventional way. The vacancy described in the advert has since been resolved: MotoGP’s official 2027 rider-lineup information names Enea Bastianini as joining Trackhouse alongside Fernández. The announcement gives the team a race-winning rider to pair with its returning incumbent; MotoGP described the signing as bringing “experienced, race-winning pedigree on both sides of the box going into next year.”
The reshuffle reflects a wider reordering of the 2027 grid. Ogura’s move from Trackhouse to Yamaha follows his Moto2 title and first MotoGP seasons, while Martín also joins Yamaha’s factory project. Trackhouse’s LinkedIn post offered a comic glimpse of the pressures and practical demands of the rider role. The eventual lineup, by contrast, took shape through the established contracts and negotiations that govern MotoGP’s top-level seats.
