Paddock Pass Podcast

The latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast is something a bit special. With no racing on, Steve English and Gordon Ritchie take a different tack in this shorter episode, examining the difference between an inline four engine and V4. Gordon gives his insight, based on years in the WorldSBK paddock, and Gordo and Steve contrast the way the engines work differently in WorldSBK and MotoGP, leaning on Steve's wide experience inside MotoGP.

It was a weird weekend in the desert for the season opener at Qatar. No MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 taking center stage, and a seemingly endless stream of news of race postponements, cancellations, and who knows what else. On the Monday after the race, Neil Morrison and David Emmett gathered in a hotel room to discuss what happened, and where we go from here.

It's a podcast bonanza this week, with a WorldSBK podcast yesterday, and a MotoGP podcast today. In this episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast, Neil Morrison and David Emmett discuss the events of the Qatar MotoGP test, and look ahead to the start of the MotoGP season.

Unfortunately, the recording of the podcast was overtaken by events. We recorded this before the Qatar round of MotoGP was canceled on Sunday night, and so our predictions for who might win at the Losail International Circuit have been rendered null and void. However, that doesn't invalidate our discussion of the test: Neil was on the ground in Qatar, and on top of events there.

In the latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast, Steve English and Gordon Ritchie rave about the opening weekend of WorldSBK at Phillip Island. The first round of World Superbikes served up some outstanding racing, and plenty for Steve and Gordo to chew over.

There was Toprak Razgatlioglu's win, Jonathan Rea crashing out of the first race - and Gordo and Steve ponder whether this was the first time he ever crashed out of a race of his own accord since joining Kawasaki - and then winning the Superpole race on the day after his grandmother died, then Alex Lowes winning a race on his first weekend on the Kawasaki.

With the 2020 WorldSBK season kicking off this weekend at Phillip Island this season, Steve English and Gordon Ritchie sit down in the gap between the test and the race to look ahead at how the 2020 season might play out. There is plenty to look forward to: Scott Redding moving over to WorldSBK from BSB on the Ducati, Alex Lowes switching from Yamaha to Kawasaki, Toprak Razgatlioglu making the opposite journey, from Kawasaki to Yamaha, the brand new Honda CBR1000RR-R with Alvaro Bautista on it, better support from BMW for Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty, and Michael van der Mark trying to step up to challenge the champion.

The latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast is something of a crossover edition. Steve English and David Emmett get together to look ahead to the next batch of tests for the MotoGP and WorldSBK classes.

We start off with a discussion of what the last test at Sepang means for what to look out for at the Qatar MotoGP test this weekend. How will the new Michelin rear tire hold up in the colder, more abrasive conditions at Qatar? Will the cooler air show up anyone's engines as being too aggressive? How much will Marc Marquez' shoulder have improved.

We have a very special guest for the latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast. Respected Spanish journalist and excellent conversationalist Manuel Pecino, who writes for a vast range of major publications and publishes his own website PecinoGP.com joined David Emmett to discuss what we learned at the Sepang MotoGP test.

The second podcast this week comes from Neil Morrison and David Emmett, who get together to discuss what to expect from the Sepang MotoGP test. There is plenty to talk about: will the Yamaha finally make a step forward? How will Maverick Viñales, Valentino Rossi, and Fabio Quartararo react the first time the press get to give them a grilling? Will the GP20 finally turn? What to expect from Suzuki? And is the 2020 RS-GP the breakthrough Aprilia needs?

It's a busy week for the Paddock Pass Podcast crew. After last week's Yamaha bonanza episode, we have two shows out this week. Here's the first show, a WorldSBK special featuring Superbike regulars Steve English and Gordo Ritchie. In this show, Steve and Gordo get together to discuss all that happened at the Portimao WorldSBK test, the last test on European soil before heading to Phillip Island.

The show also features a couple of interviews, with Chaz Davies talking about the Ducati, and Alex Lowes talking about his transition to the Kawasaki Racing Team as Jonathan Rea's teammate.

It has been a wild week for Yamaha in MotoGP. On Tuesday, they announced that Maverick Viñales had signed a two-year contract extension to stay with the Monster Energy Yamaha squad for 2021-2022. They followed that up with announcements on Wednesday that Fabio Quartararo would be Maverick Viñales' teammate in the factory squad, and that Valentino Rossi had been given time to decide his future, and promised a factory bike, but not in the Monster Energy Yamaha factory team. And they finished the week off by announcing on Thursday that Jorge Lorenzo would be a test rider for Yamaha for the 2020 season.

That gave the Paddock Pass Podcast crew plenty to get their teeth into. Steve English, Neil Morrison, and David Emmett gathered to discuss what all this means for the future of Yamaha. What does it mean for the development direction of Yamaha? Will this allow them to finally beat Marc Marquez? What will Valentino Rossi decide to do, and how does this affect his decision to continue or retire? And does this bring a VR46 MotoGP team closer to reality?