Paddock Pass Podcast

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.

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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.

2015 is the MotoGP season that wouldn't die, especially because it keeps getting raked up by fans, media, and the protagonists. Valentino Rossi is the one to bring up that fateful season this time, speaking on an otherwise long and fascinating two-part podcast with former Moto3 rider Andrea Migno. Was Rossi right to dwell on what happened, and is his analysis of events correct? What effect will Rossi's statements on 2015 have on Marc Marquez and his 2024 campaign? Neil, Steve, and David dive once again into the pit of darkness that is the 2015 MotoGP season.

The French Round of WorldSBK saw Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea all ruled out through injury. What lessons can be learned from Toprak's crash and what can we expect from upcoming rounds of WorldSBK?

On track there was a popular winner with Michael van der Mark putting his pains of multiple injuries behind him to win again before Nicolo Bulega enjoyed a perfect Sunday. Is the Italian actually a title threat for Toprak now? Steve, Gordo and Ivo debate the merits of a title battle while also looking at the improved fortunes of Honda and the rider market moves being made in the Superbike Paddock.

The Misano round of MotoGP raised lots of questions, and Neil and David try to answer at least some of them sent in by Patreon backers. First, a quick run down of the Misano test, who was trying what, and whether it was for Misano 2, the rest of 2024, or the start of 2025. Then a discussion of what the introduction of radio communication will mean for MotoGP, and whether it will change the racing. A quick look at Michelin's new front tire, and then onto questions such as whether Jorge Martin could have beaten Marc Marquez if he hadn't pulled in to swap bikes, whether there is more to Sergio Garcia's struggles than we know, and how to solve MotoGP's passport dilemma, and nurture more talent from outside of Spain and Italy.