Think back to all the great racing liveries of yesteryear. You've got Rothmans, Repsol, Marlboro, Martini, Castrol, BMW's of all generations, Alitalia, and Coca-Cola. I'd be tempted to throw in Red Bulls, too, as it's become iconic in the modern era both for Formula 1 and MotoGP.
But there's one that usually takes everyone's top spot that hasn't been seen in a while, at least not in the top tiers of racing, and that's Gulf Oil.
As soon as you read those words, your mind drifts to the classic and truly iconic blue and orange livery with "Gulf" pressed into the body of whatever machine it's sponsored. And you inevitably think of Steve McQueen. It's such a special thing that people have even paid tribute to the livery on their own machine, painstakingly applying it at home.
Yet, apart from a quick one-off for Williams Racing, it's been absent from racing in recent years. But all that is likely changing thanks to MotoGP's Trackhouse Racing which just announced that it had inked a partnership deal with the company for the 2025 season.
According to the press release, "Trackhouse MotoGP Team is excited to announce a new partnership with Gulf, the well-known brand and global manufacturer and supplier of performance lubricants and associated products, for the 2025 season and beyond." And that partnership will include the Gulf Oil logo, though the wording doesn't quite state that it'll adopt the brand's colors, too.
"Trackhouse Racing, the American team that entered the MotoGP World Championship at the beginning of the 2024 season, starts its second year in the premier class of motorcycle racing and will be carrying the iconic Gulf logo on its Aprilia RS-GP25 bikes, as well as the race suits of its riders, #25 Raul Fernandez and Moto2 World Champion, #79 Ai Ogura during the 2025 season," says the release.
And, sure, the Gulf logo is iconic in itself, but why would you partner with one of the most famous brands in all of racing and not adopt the iconic color scheme too? That'd be like partnering with Rossi only to not use yellow anywhere. It'd just be stupid.
Trackhouse MotoGP team owner Justin Marks, stated, "It is truly an honor and a big moment for the Trackhouse MotoGP Team to welcome Gulf as a major partner. Gulf’s iconic brand has graced some of the most memorable and significant motorsport efforts in history and for their orange disc logo to be featured on our Aprilia RS-GP25’s is incredibly exciting for the company. We look forward to bringing the Gulf brand to life in global motorcycle racing and its millions of fans."
Fingers crossed we see that blue and orange back on the grid come next season.
