Paddock Pass Podcast

The Motegi malaise was blown into the Bass Strait by the whirlwind at Phillip Island. The Island always delivers, and this race was no exception, with a botched start converted into a hard fought victory, and lap and race records smashed. Adam, David, and Neil go over the big talking points from the Australian GP, with Neil forced to leave early to make the mad dash to Melbourne. 

Was the race with getting up at 5am for? How did Marc Marquez come through the pack? Will an additional 10 points be enough to carry Jorge Martin to the title in Valencia? And why, for the love of all this holy, is MotoGP at Phillip Island in October rather than February? 

After the closest finish in WorldSBK history, just 0.003s, the title fight between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega will go to the final round of the year. With 46 points seperating the duo Toprak needs to finish in third position on Saturday to clinch his second title.

The Turkish rider held a media debrief at the Jerez Circuit today and as ever Steve, Gordo and Ivo were on had to dissect the news. Toprak is relaxed and ready to win and you can hear what he had to say on today's pod. We are also joined by Kawasaki's Alex Lowes as he walks through the media centre. The Phillip Island racer talks about his highlights of the season.

After a weekend off, MotoGP is back again for the final triple header before the showdown at Valencia. First stop on the tour of the Pacific is Phillip Island, a track that always produces fantastic racing. Much needed after Motegi. With BSB having a fantastic final round at Brands Hatch and WorldSBK having its closest ever finish at Estoril, Neil, David and Adam ask whether BSB is a better series than MotoGP now. 

With Neil still in Tokyo, he joins David and Adam to answer questions from our Patreon backers for the midweek show. Will the Martin-Bagnaia rivalry ever ignite? And are rivalries even a good thing? Should Pedro Acosta stop crashing? Will Romano Albesiano be given the tools to turn the ship around at HRC? Are boring races really boring, or are we missing something? And what's the deal with Alex Rins? Plus David's extended gloating session over the Paddock Pass Podcast Alpinestars Fantasy League.

If you want us to answer your question, head on over to the Paddock Pass Podcast Patreon page and sign up.

The Motegi MotoGP round did not live up to its promise, with some perfect riding making for a lack of spectacle. But Neil, Adam, and David still have plenty to talk about after the weekend, including Marc Marquez' stolen pole, Pedro Acosta's many crashes, Pecco Bagnaia's near perfect weekend, and how Jorge Martin salvaged what could have been a disaster. Plus we touch on David Alonso's first Moto3 title, an otherwise thrilling Moto2 race, and Neil's adventures of visiting Japan for the first time. And of course our winners and losers.

Toprak Razgatlioglu made his return to WorldSBK, Alvaro Bautista returned to form and Andrea Iannone returned to winning ways at the Aragon Round of WorldSBK. Gordo and Steve talk through a wild weekend at the Spanish track, where Toprak took another step nearer the title, Nicolo Bulega suffered mechanical heartbreak, and Alvaro Bautista looked more like the double world champion he is.

Mandalika served up mixed bag of racing and a high rate of attrition. Adam, David, and Neil dig into the details and ask who came out on top after a minimal shift in the championship. Who handled the pressure, and who folded?

We look at how Jorge Martin stayed upright after crashing out of the sprint race, and why Pecco Bagnaia started so far back but still ended up on the podium. We ask whether Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez are still in the title fight, after Bastianini's crash and Marquez' exploding engine. And we discuss Pedro Acosta's performance, the step forward KTM have made, and what the future holds. All this plus our moments of the weekend and winners and losers.

Back-to-back WorldSBK rounds made coordinating a Cremona review difficult, but Steve and Gordo found the ideal solution. On Thursday at Aragon, they sat down to look back at the events of last week, and are joined by a steady stream of WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders. 

Danilo Petrucci was the star of the show at Round 9 and the Barni Ducati rider joins us to talk about winning, how his style of riding evolved from childhood and what it meant to win again after his training crash in April. 

He wasn't the only Ducati rider to appear as we grabbed Alvaro Bautista to talk about his Superpole struggles and whether he can still be a title contender. Adrian Huertas also stopped by to give us his thoughts on moving to Moto2 in 2025. 

It's time to answer Patreon backer questions for the Paddock Pass Podcast crew. Steve joins Neil and David to answer questions on whether the FIM Stewards even looked at Enea Bastianini's last-lap pass on Jorge Martin, whether Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia are messing up more than previous champions, whether Bastianini's pass follows in a long line from Valentino Rossi through Marc Marquez, plus what's up with Yamaha's V4. And Neil speaks to Yamaha team manager Maio Meregalli about the progress of the V4 project so far.

The second visit to Misano produced even more drama than the first one, with crashes, hard last-lap passes, and plenty of finger pointing after the race. Neil, Adam and David gather, hampered by a dodgy mic cable, to discuss what unfolded at the Emilia-Romagna GP. Was Enea Bastianini's pass on Jorge Martin fair? Should he have been forced to give up the position again? What went wrong with Pecco Bagnaia? Plus rays of light at the end of the tunnel for Japan, and our winners and losers. 

Remember to sign up to become a Patreon Paddock Insider for a chance to win two paddock passes and of course access to the Paddock Notes show and so much extra bonus content.