Paddock Pass Podcast

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.

The Assen round of MotoGP brought the shock news of Maverick Viñales' sudden departure from Yamaha. So on Monday, Neil Morrison, Steve English, and David Emmett got together to discuss what that means for Viñales, for Yamaha, and to look back at the MotoGP race at Assen.

We kick off with the big news about Maverick Viñales. We discuss the background to his departure, why he decided to leave Yamaha, and where he goes from here. We talk about how much of the blame lies with Yamaha, and how much with Viñales himself, and what role his new manager may play. There is a lot to discuss, and we try to cover it all.

In the Paddock Pass Podcast Follow On Show Fueled by Marc VDS Racing, Neil Morrison and David Emmett look back at the Moto2 and Moto3 races at the Sachsenring. Neil and David kick off with a discussion of Remy Gardner's impressive win in Moto2, and how he lured Raul Fernandez into a mistake. The talk about Aron Canet's strong podium, discuss whether Marco Bezzecchi is doing enough to deserve a MotoGP ride, and how Sam Lowes has regrouped after a couple of mistakes.

We have two special guests on the latest edition of the Paddock Pass Podcast. With the race at Assen, David Emmett was able to link up with Neil Morrison in person, and sit down with photographers Cormac Ryan Meenan of CormacGP and Rob Gray of Polarity Photo to discuss a historic race at the Sachsenring. As official photographers for the teams which finished in first and second place respectively, Cormac and Rob are in a unique position to talk about how Repsol Honda and Red Bull KTM saw Marc Marquez' win and Miguel Oliveira's second place.

Naturally, we discuss those topics first. How Marc Marquez won the race at the Sachsenring, and how the unique nature of the track played into that, and how KTM's improvement in the last few races has combined with the progress of Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder to see Oliveira emerge as a genuine title candidate. But we also go on to discuss the incomprehensible situation in Yamaha, where Fabio Quartararo ended on the podium, and his factory Yamaha teammate crossed the line dead last, with Valentino Rossi the only other Yamaha rider to score points, in fourteenth position.

On the eve of the Sachsenring MotoGP round, Steve English, Adam Wheeler, and David Emmett look ahead to the German Grand Prix, where Marc Marquez has dominated for the past ten years. They kick off the podcast with a look at where motorcycle racing is with respect to fan attendances in light of the improving situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what that might mean for the second half of the season.

With World Superbikes back at Misano, Gordon Ritchie and Steven English get together to discuss one of Steve's favorite weekends of the year. They kick off with a discussion of how well the Ducati Panigale V4R worked at Misano, specifically for Michael Ruben Rinaldi, and what makes the Ducati so difficult to get right at every track. They compare Rinaldi's fortunes to those of Scott Redding, and especially Chaz Davies.