Paddock Pass Podcast

It is nearly time to go racing in MotoGP, so Adam, Neil, and David sit down for a bout of wild speculation and prediction. Who will be 2024 MotoGP champion?  How many races before Marc Marquez starts to win again? Will he win at all? Who or what will be the biggest surprise of the season? Will the Japanese factories ever be competitive again? And who is out at the end of the season? 

If you want to pit your wits against the Paddock Pass Podcast team, you can also sign up for the official MotoGP Fantasy League competition and join the Alpinestars Paddock Pass Podcast League. The winner gets a special package of goodies from Alpinestars.

The opening round of WorldSBK was a classic. Pit stops due to tire wear, a Kawasaki double win (despite the loss of Jonathan Rea), Andrea Locatelli making his mark, Andrea Iannone's spectacular return to racing, and a very strong BMW debut for Toprak Razgatlioglu. To talk you through a great weekend of racing, Steve English is joined by paddock legends Gordon Ritchie and Ivo Schützbach for a deep dive into what happened, and why.

We have a very special guest on this week's Paddock Pass Podcast, as Neil and Adam interview KTM test rider and former MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa talks life as a test rider, wildcards, and more. Neil has a feature on what makes Jorge Martin so successful, with comments from crew chief Daniele Romagnoli, manager Albert Valera, and more. David talks about his visit to Michelin, to see how they make their rear tires. And Adam and the crew discuss the news that Dorna is up for sale, and F1 owners Liberty Media could be interested in buying it.

It's a World Superbike extravaganza in this episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast. Steve English, Gordon Ritchie, and Ivo Schützbach gather in the Phillip Island media centre to preview the season ahead. As they talk, a parade of top WorldSBK talent joins them for a quick chat, including Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jonathan Rea, Andrea Locatelli, and more.

MotoGP testing is done, and so it's time to start leaping to massively premature conclusions. Fresh off the plane from Qatar, Adam sifts through the tea leaves of the test to try to discern the future. Is Pecco Bagnaia an unstoppable force on the Ducati? Is Aprilia's progress real, or will they find a way to fail once again? Who or what will be the biggest surprise of 2024? Can KTM challenge the supremacy of the Ducatis? And who will be the best rider on a Japanese bike?

Adam also interviews Chris Hillard of Alpinestars, who gives a long and detail explanation of airbags, their history, and answers our questions on the subject.

Two more launches are in the books, and they couldn't be more different. The Red Bull KTM launch saw a bike that was virtually unchanged, while the Repsol Honda launch unveiled a radically different looking RC213V. Adam, Neil, and David chew over the launches, and take questions from Patreon backers. Should we try to lure Taylor Swift into dating a MotoGP rider? Do MotoGP engineers have non-compete clauses? Was Marc Marquez sandbagging?

We also have exclusive interviews with Brad Binder, on the 2024 season, and KTM Technical Director Sebastian Risse, on how renewable fuels change MotoGP.

With the Sepang MotoGP Test in the books, Adam, David, and Neil gather to discuss what we learned. We break the test down into five questions.

Will Marc Marquez take longer to adapt than everyone expected?

Will we see a rematch of Jorge Martin versus Pecco Bagnaia?

Will Pedro Acosta get on the podium in his rookie season?

Are the Japanese manufacturers in as much trouble as they were last year?

Will it be KTM or Aprilia challenging Ducati’s dominance in MotoGP?

While WorldSBK has been testing, MotoGP is still in the middle of launch season. Adam Wheeler headed over to Los Angeles to attend the Trackhouse Racing MotoGP launch (and to catch a round of Supercross while he was at it), and told Neil Morrison and David Emmett all about it afterward. While he was out there, he grabbed 15 minutes with team manager Wilco Zeelenberg, as well as a few words with Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez.

Adam, Neil, and David chew over what Adam learned in LA and discuss the challenge facing Trackhouse. They also talked about the GASGAS Tech3 launch, now in Red Bull colors, and the prospects for Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez. And they take a quick look ahead to the MotoGP shakedown test in Sepang.