Paddock Pass Podcast

With the WorldSBK championship heading into its final intense stretch of races, with six rounds in nine weeks, the Silly Season is hotting up as well. In the past week, we have had announcements that Scott Redding is heading to BMW for 2022, and Alvaro Bautista is moving back to Ducati, leaving a seat at Honda, and speculation of more rider movements. So after the Navarra round of WorldSBK, Steve English and Gordon Ritchie got together to discuss where the rider market stands.

On this episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast Follow Up Show Fueled By Marc VDS Racing, Adam Wheeler, Neil Morrison, and David Emmett take a look back at Moto2 and Moto3 in Austria. We talk about Raul Fernandez' turnaround from a week earlier, and how he was fueled by the abuse he got on social media after his poor showing the previous race weekend. We discuss Ai Ogura's first Moto2 podium, and ask whether he is destined for great things. We debate whether Moto3 is a good preparation for Moto2.

After the madness of the dramatic last few laps in the rain at the Red Bull Ring, the Paddock Pass Podcast crew gather to discuss the aftermath. Steve English, Adam Wheeler, Neil Morrison, and David Emmett talk through what turned into a race of many parts, and the drama which happened off track as well as on.

We start off with our moments of the weekend, before getting into Brad Binder's remarkable victory, riding slicks on a soaking track. Neil Morrison talks all things KTM, and his visit to the factory, and what impressed him most. We then discuss the race at the Red Bull Ring, how we finally had a race without any red flags, though with plenty of drama.

We discuss the return of Marc Marquez, and what that means going forward. How impressive he was in the dry, and how unusual that he was the first into the pits when it started to rain. We look at how Fabio Quartararo has once again managed to come out of a MotoGP race having extended his lead in the championship, and how Joan Mir is trying to start the mind games as the title draws closer.

The WorldSBK championship visited a new track last time out, with the production-based series alighting in Most, in Czechia. In this episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast, Gordon Ritchie and Steve English give their assessment of the track near the German border, and discuss what was good about the circuit and where it really needs to be improved. Gordo and Steve then discuss the importance of the WorldSBK series having different tracks to MotoGP, and which classic tracks could make a return.

The Paddock Pass Podcast crew look back at an eventful and important first MotoGP race after the summer break. We kick off the show with David Emmett teaching Adam Wheeler the correct pronunciation of the German for Austria, while Neil Morrison comments on David's dress sense. After a quick recap of where MotoGP stands after the race, we talk about the unpredictability of the weather in Austria, and how it ended up playing into Fabio Quartararo's hands. We discuss our love/hate relationship with the Red Bull Ring, and ask whether the crash which caused the race to be red flagged was a result of the track layout or could have happened anywhere.

We disuss KTM's ups and downs, based in no small part on Michelin's tire allocation, with the fronts being too soft for the RC16 to use properly. We talk about Brad Binder's incredible comeback, and Dani Pedrosa's deeply impressive wildcard appearance, showing real speed despite not having raced in nearly three years. We discuss Suzuki's holeshot device, and how Joan Mir used it to his advantage. And naturally, we talk about Jorge Martin's incredible victory, where it came from and what it means for the future.

On the eve of MotoGP's return to action at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, the latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast looks over a few of the news stories in the run up to the race and at what we can expect from the Styrian Grand Prix. After a quick update on what we all did during the summer break, Adam Wheeler, Neil Morrison and David Emmett get down to examining the state of the championship.

The crew start off with a look at where the protagonists stand going into the second half of the season, and how the back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring might affect Fabio Quartararo's championshp lead. We discuss who we think will shine at the Red Bull Ring, and just how competitive the Yamaha can be. We discuss the impending return of two veterans, with Dani Pedrosa returning as a wildcard for KTM for one race, and Cal Crutchlow replacing Franco Morbidelli for the next three rounds in the Petronas Yamaha team.

In this episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast, David Emmett joins Steve English at the Assen round of WorldSBK, to talk about the state of the championship. We discuss the rules, whether Jonathan Rea is still unbeatable, whether Pirelli should drop the qualifying tire, and just how competitive the field is. We also take a peek at the Petronas situation, and try to work out who might get a chance at the seat.

We also sit down with Pata Yamaha team boss Paul Denning. Denning talks about the success of Toprak Razgatlioglu, how the Yamaha YZF R1 has changed to make it more competitive, and the state of the rules and regulations in WorldSBK.

In the latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast, Steve English, Neil Morrison, Adam Wheeler, and David Emmett gather to cover some of the topics coming up over the summer break. We start off on a tangent, discussing soccer and what it means to be a fan again, and our plans for the summer, before moving on to talk about the calendar for the second half of the MotoGP season, and how a rise in Covid-19 infections might affect it.

Then we dive into the burgeoning Silly Season. We talk about who will take the seats expected to open up at Petronas Yamaha for next year, and what the team's options are. We discuss Raul Fernandez' imminent promotion to MotoGP, and what it means for KTM and their pool of talent. And we talk wildcards and replacement riders, with Cal Crutchlow set to take the place of Franco Morbidelli for the next three races, and Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa possibly making wildcard appearances for Aprilia and KTM respectively.

Though MotoGP is on its longest summer break in years, WorldSBK is here to carry the load through the summer. And last weekend's round of World Superbikes at Donington Park helped shake up the championship, with Toprak Razgatlioglu taking over the lead from odds-on favorite Jonathan Rea. As usual Steve English and Gordon Ritchie gather to compare notes on the weekend.

The state of the championship is where Steve and Gordo start, asking if this is a sign of Jonathan Rea's stranglehold on the WorldSBK title being broken at last, or whether the 6-time world champion's crash was just a slip up, and whether Razgatlioglu is capable of challenging Rea consistently. They also discuss BMW's strong weekend, with podiums for both Tom Sykes and Michael van der Mark, and they take a look at the difficulties Ducati faced at Donington Park, and what it means for the title chances of Scott Redding and Michael Ruben Rinaldi.

Though the Assen MotoGP race and its fallout raised the most talking points, the Moto2 and Moto3 races left plenty to discuss as well. Steve English, Adam Wheeler, David Emmett, and a windswept Neil Morrison gathered to discuss the events of the Moto2 and Moto3 races, and what they might mean over the summer break.