At the time of writing, it is 02.00 AM in Kyoto and the only thing keeping me awake is leftover adrenaline from watching pure madness on the tarmac. Silverstone is an outlier, this we know. But this time? This time, nobody ended up where they thought they'd be when the lights first turn green. Red flags, infernal ride height devices and an incredibly competitive Honda are just some of the unexpected turns that showed themselves at the UK's twisty track. Today is opposite day, the world ...

It has four cylinders. It won ten world championships, claimed first in over a hundred races and still holds the world record for longest uninterrupted streak with twenty-two wins in a row. It's the Honda NSR500, and it might be the meanest, fastest two-wheeling machine of the 20th century. But it really didn't start out like that. Turn back the clock to those first few years, and this modern legend looked more like a lame duck. The weight distribution was horrible, it took Freddy Spenc...

Sometimes, MotoGP is all about the numbers. Like the number 23 - the amount of races Ducati would have had to win in order to set a new world record. Or the number 1 - the amount they came up short. That bit was courtesy of Number 5, a.k.a. Johann Zarco, the man driving the home crowd wild through a spectacular performance. And going wild they should, as it's been 73 years since a Frenchman claimed victory at Le Mans! And then there's the weather, the tires and of course the crashes, in...

For the first time, we’re going back for seconds! That’s right, it’s time for a sequel as we go back to our history of Ducati’s Desmosedici and take care of our unfinished business. Haven’t heard the first part yet? Then quickly go here to change that! So, last time we saw how the incredibly talent of Casey Stoner brought victory to the Italian manufacturer. But nothing last forever, and now we’re going to see Ducati take a tumble from the top of the world to one of it’s all-time lows. ...

Ah Jerez, we’ve missed you! The Spanish track never fails to be a season highlight, and this year was no exception. Also no surprise is that the winner is, of course, Marquez. Except it’s not the one you might have thought, because he might have to give his head a wobble. Yes, it’s that kind of race where an ugly surprise for the champion results in every other competitor displaying their raw talent in a bid for the title. You want to know how the championship is going? A rumble like th...

If you want to know the secret to Ducati's success, it's these four words: desmodromic distribution, sixteen valves. Or, if we call it by its more common Italian shorthand: Desmosedici, the name of Ducati's killer MotoGP-bikes that have been absolutely dominating these last few years. But it wasn't always like that. There was a time when Ducati was not the reigning champion, but a worn-out shell of a manufacturer that was about to lose it all. It's a fascinating story, and abs...

We've got a scoop! Curious? We'll give you a hint: this episode contains exclusive news! But what is it all about? Well, that's the question! Maybe it's about Honda - have they found themselves a new rider for a new era? Or perhaps this is about a new contender coming through from World Superbike, as told to us from a live witness? Or perhaps none? Perhaps both? Only one way to find out, eh? And then there's the race in Losail, where floodlights glisten off the dragon's teeth that guard...

Dearly beloved, It is with heavy heart that we gather to say our final goodbyes to a legend: the Yamaha YZR-M1. Its life seemed short to us, but way too long to others. After a long struggle with a clinical lack of competitive edge and a distinct lack of aero, its family at Yamaha has decided to pull the plug and let its beloved inline-engined legend pass with dignity. The YZR-M1 is survived and will be missed by its V4 successors. You are hereby cordially invited to attend the ...

Apologies! Something went horribly wrong last night with the recording, and it took as a long time to fix it. Mat's in Austin, Peter's in Portimão and we completely forgot to sacrifice a chicken to the wifi-gods...the end result was a slight catastrophe where we ended up recording at least one of your host over the phone. Just imagine Peter sitting in the corner of a dark hotel room with a telephone in one fist and an old fashioned recorder in the other, and now you're getting it. ...

You know how we sometimes promise we won't talk so much about tires? Well, we lie! You might have heard about Pirelli moving in and replacing Michelin as the official tire of MotoGP in 2027. And maybe you wonder how much influence a single change like this could possibly have. After all, they're just pieces of rubber - shouldn't we have basically perfected the art of the tire by now? Well, imagine it like this. Here you have a MotoGP bike, pure metal and technology that just wants to go...

Britpop has the Gallagher brothers. Tennis has the Williams sisters. Video games have the Super Mario Bros. And MotoGP? It's the second race of the season and nobody is getting close to the Marquez brothers, bringing Ducati to dominate the track. Which begs the question: is MotoGP boring now? It's a tricky problem, that's for sure. What fun is a game when the winner is already basically determined before the match even starts? Or are we selling the sport short...

Oh, you knew it was coming! Just admit it. First it was December and we got you Kevin Schwantz. Did you really think we could do that, and then not invite Wayne Rainey? Come on, be real! Yes, we've got Wayne with us this week so you just know this is going to be fireworks. But it's not all about legendary rivalries and racing so hard you can feel your teeth chatter - it's also about being really clever and technical in ways that the rest of the world sometimes doesn't underst...

It feels good to be back! The first race of a brand new season is in the pocket and it promises to be a very interesting season, indeed. We've got the Márquez brothers, both on Ducati's and both in front. Maybe not a surprise if you're Marc, but definitely a promising feat if you're Alex. Have we been underestimating the younger Márquez? And then there's Ai Ogura, the rookie who takes our breath away, and Jack Miller taking his brain out and showing that the right rider really can...

You've got questions. We've got answers. Let's make a podcast! Yes, this week we're once again opening up a big bag of mail to do some listener questions! Which listeners, you might ask? Our Patreons, of course, because they're awesome and you should really consider joining them. Then you, too, might ask questions like: Who takes the blame when a slow rider has a fast teammate? Will the future be electric, or is it running on biofuels? How much can a bikeframe bend if bikes was build to...

Ready for racing? So is everyone, but there’s one more test we need to talk about first – and it’s an event that shows some very interesting changes... Welcome to Buriram, Thailand. It’s the last chance to get everything in order before the big circus starts. If you’re a competitor, this is the moment you most want your tech to be not just cutting edge, but also on the exact right side of familiar so you can be in complete control of it. Unless you’re Ducati, and you just decide to go b...

We're back, we're back, we're finally back at the track! It might be a few weeks until the next season officially kicks off, but Mat and Peter need their fix yesterday. The solution? Send them to Sepang, where every team is getting their last tests in before the championship starts. It's hot, it's humid and when the rider kicks their machine into high gear, the power and the vibration will shakes your sternum all the way from the pitlane to the cheap seats. Man, it's good to be back! ...

Beattie. Doohan. Rossi. What do these legends all have in common? Well, they all had their bikes worked on by Alex Briggs, for starters. This week, we're interviewing one of MotoGP's old veteran mechanics. He's the man who saw 26 seasons and multiple championship victories before retiring in 2020, and he's got some great stories for us... This week, join us as we discover what it was like to work with some of MotoGP's greatest riders and what drove them. Want to know why Doohan needed a diffe...

We've got another guest! This week, we're calling Frankie Carchedi. You might have heard of him - he's one of the legendary crew chiefs currently working in MotoGP, winning the 2020 championship with Joan Mir and working with Marc Márquez last year. And since one of our hosts has experience as a crew chief himself, we've got plenty of questions!So, how do you deal with a rider's ego without shattering it? What tells you if a disappointing result is an issue with the rider, the tech or b...

We've got a special guest this week, and if you've seen the title of this podcast you can probably guess who it is... ...that's right, it's the return of the legendary Livio Suppo! So, what's on the menu today? Well, we're gearing up for what promises to be a spectacular season and we don't know what the outcome will be. There's top riders being positioned into intense rivalries, there's old paddock mainstays like KTM in dire, dire straits and there's technology that can make all the diffe...

Remember December? If not, don't worry, it's all a little blurry for us as well. Well, just before the holidays we discussed the top twelve riders and what the upcoming season might have in store from them. Which is all well and good, but what about the bikes? WHAT ABOUT THE BIKES?!Well, don't worry because this week Mat and Peter are dusting off the old crystal ball to look at what MotoGP's next season might look like from a more...mechanical point of view. We're going to look at each manufa...