The Race MotoGP Podcast

Marquez ramps up pressure on Aprilia as Vinales prepares to leave MotoGP 13.07.2026 59min

A fresh injury to former points leader Marco Bezzecchi coupled with a perfect weekend from Sachsenring master Marc Marquez means the MotoGP title picture has now flipped completely from a few months back.Is Marquez's eighth crown now inevitable? Which rider in the Aprilia camp stands the best chance at challenging him from here on? And why has the Aprilia factory team collapsed so dramatically - while satellite team Trackhouse is achieving its best-ever results?All this, plus an extensive conversation about Maverick Vinales's likely MotoGP exit and legacy in the championship, in the German Grand Prix episode, featuring Val Khorounzhiy and Simon Patterson on site at the Sachsenring.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We rank the MotoGP title contenders 08.07.2026 1h 3min

How many riders are actually in MotoGP title contention and who’s now the favourite?Have the factory Aprilia riders let Marc Marquez get too close? Is Ai Ogura now a realistic contender? Don’t forget Fabio Di Giannantonio is top Ducati and a very close third in the points!Simon Patterson, Val Khorounzhiy, Eden Hannigan and Matt Beer assess the championship chances of the current top eight in the very close standings, using some very dubious maths and varying degrees of preparatory homework.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ogura blasts into title contention, more pain for Bezzecchi 29.06.2026 52min

Ai Ogura’s been on the cusp of a MotoGP win for months now, and he achieved it in style at Assen - putting himself into genuine championship contention in the process. That was in large part because the works Aprilia racers failed to capitalise on the RS-GP’s dominant pace in the Netherlands.Simon Patterson joins Matt Beer on The Race MotoGP Podcast to discuss why Trackhouse overshadowed the factory bikes, the latest disaster for Marco Bezzecchi and a muted round for Marc Marquez. Plus the bizarre violence of the Assen crashes and a very, very strange weekend for the KTMs.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Marquez powered back into title contention on wild weekend for Aprilia 22.06.2026 51min

Marc Marquez’s (sooner-than-expected) return to MotoGP’s title fight was confirmed with his second successive victory at the Czech Grand Prix and another wild weekend for Aprilia’s title chasers. From Brno, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Simon Patterson unpack a weekend filled with drama on and off the track.They explain what’s let Marquez back into the title fight, Ai Ogura’s best weekend yet, Jorge Martin’s lack of pace, and discuss Marco Bezzecchi’s race ban for striking a marshal.As always, they take plenty of questions from The Race Members’ Club throughout, including whether Bezzecchi’s punishment was harsh enough.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MotoGP riders at risk as 2027 market moves 16.06.2026 1h 7min

Raul Fernandez is in his best ever MotoGP form - yet seems pretty sceptical about whether he’ll keep his Trackhouse Aprilia seat for 2027.KTM might be heading for a complete fresh of its whole four-rider line-up, and while two of them have 2027 destinations set, are the other two set to fall off the grid? And is there any hope for the three race-winning riders who just don’t seem to have any seat options for 2027?Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer dig into all the moving pieces in The Race MotoGP Podcast.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isle of Man TT 2026 review: Dunlop, Harrison and bad weather dominate 09.06.2026 45min

Jordan Moreland, Megan White and Simon Patterson recap the 2026 Isle of Man TT races, which saw bad weather impact race week, but two riders take all the spoils in the racing that did happen.Michael Dunlop added three more wins to his ever growing tally at the TT, which now stands at 36, while Dean Harrison won both big bike races - including the Senior TT, which was red-flagged after just one lap due to an incident. We speak with Harrison about his 2026 TT and also discuss the amazing tribute lap for Joey Dunlop that was ridden by his nephew Michael.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aprilia wipeout and Marquez dominance change the MotoGP season 08.06.2026 1h 4min

The Balaton MotoGP weekend could barely have gone worse for Aprilia: its title challenging factory pair wiped out by another Jorge Martin first-corner blunder, while Marc Marquez took a perfect score including his first grand prix win since 2025.How did Aprilia react to the disaster, and was it as straightforward a Martin error as it seemed in the moment? And is a Marquez title bid now fully on?Val Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson and Matt Beer debate all that in The Race MotoGP Podcast, plus Iker Lecuona’s stand-in heroics and the surprisingly divisive topic of whether Jack Miller had a good race or not.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aprilia shows Ducati what it’s missing 01.06.2026 56min

An Italian rider wins MotoGP’s Italian Grand Prix for an Italian team - that used to be Ducati’s story, but this time it was Aprilia and Marco Bezzecchi who ruled Mugello.It wasn’t a flawless weekend for Bezzecchi though, and there were complications elsewhere at Aprilia - for instance Raul Fernandez’s dark mood after his sprint win.Val Khorounzhiy joins Matt Beer on The Race MotoGP Podcast to report from the Mugello paddock, as they also tackle Marc Marquez’s return to action and the latest hint of some form of Pecco Bagnaia resurgence.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Marquez is back... can he still be 2026 champion? 28.05.2026 56min

Marc Marquez is back in the MotoGP field for the Italian Grand Prix after his latest surgery, and in his absence his championship situation hasn't actually got that much worse.In a special edition of The Race MotoGP Podcast, Val joins Matt from the Mugello paddock to assess Marquez's mood and title chances as he returns. And they assess what might result from another MotoGP comeback from someone much more unexpected, who's been away much longer: Cal Crutchlow.This episode also contains the latest of our behind the scenes at Ducati segments in partnership with Lenovo, in which Simon joins Davide Tardozzi and David Attisano in the Ducati museum, surrounded by 40 years' worth of World Superbike and grand prix machinery to talk through how data tech has evolved over the decades.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What MotoGP must learn from terrifying Catalan GP crashes 18.05.2026 59min

The outcomes of MotoGP’s twice red-flagged 2026 Catalan Grand Prix could have been so much worse, with Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco beginning their recoveries from the injuries they sustained in their terrifying pair of crashes.Simon Patterson, Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer try to make some sense of it all in The Race MotoGP Podcast at the end of a weekend that felt on the edge right from practice.A weekend of strange pace, crashes, shoving and penalties at championship leader Aprilia is also analysed.Plus why Joan Mir really didn’t care about losing his podium to a tyre pressure penalty and a little bit of optimism about how good the racing actually is right now when things run smoothly.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Marquez's injury transforms the MotoGP title race 11.05.2026 1h 6min

An Aprilia riders' title looks almost inevitable after a French Grand Prix weekend in which it locked out the podium - and Marc Marquez went out injured.Valentin Khorounzhiy is joined by Simon Patterson and Jordan Moreland to discuss Marquez's latest, likely-insurmountable 2026 title setback, and the crucial information he himself had received about his shoulder injury.Plus, who is in better shape in this new-look title fight - Marco Bezzecchi or Jorge Martin? And how will Aprilia handle the new reality of the championship.We also give props to Ai Ogura and Fabio Quartararo, and discuss Pecco Bagnaia's latest DNF and Fabio Di Giannantonio's reported move to KTM. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will MotoGP miss wildcards after banning them for 2027? 06.05.2026 55min

MotoGP is banning wildcards for the advent of its new rules in 2027 - but why, and how much will they be missed?Val Khorounzhiy is joined by Simon Patterson and 'wildcard' Jordan Moreland on this latest edition of The Race MotoGP Podcast, as the crew delve into the modern realities of the MotoGP wildcard and debate your takes (and your picks for the most memorable wildcards in MotoGP).They also touch on another injury setback for Maverick Vinales (replaced by Jonas Folger at Le Mans) and what it means for his 2027 outlook, and preview a likely weather-affected French Grand Prix weekend. Quelle surprise!Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ducati wins Spanish GP - but how bad is Marc Marquez's latest title blow? 27.04.2026 1h 9min

Marc Marquez claimed one of his unlikeliest wins ever during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend - yet his title hopes look more troubled than ever four rounds into the season.Matt Beer, Simon Patterson and Val Khorounzhiy discuss Marquez's situation, how much longer he'll be racing for and whether Jerez showed the Ducati is actually a match for the Aprilia.They also talk through Marquez's sprint-winning move, the value of flag-to-flag races, Fabio Di Giannantonio's superb form and rising market value and Fabio Quartararo's increasing exasperation at Yamaha among other topics.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The real cost of Vinales’ new injury blow and no room for Bulega? 22.04.2026 47min

MotoGP 2026 resumes at Jerez this weekend but it’s doing so without Maverick Vinales due to his latest fitness blow - and, as Simon, Val and Matt explain on The Race MotoGP Podcast, that’s particularly terrible timing for his career.They also debate whether riders have too much power over their own fitness decisions, and whether MotoGP needs a totally different approach to stand-in rider provision.Plus with Val fresh from a weekend at the World Superbike Championship, they discuss why its crushingly dominant points leader Nicolo Bulega’s MotoGP chances are looking more complicated but also why WSBK isn’t exactly crying out for MotoGP rejects either.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more - enter code '2026' at checkout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is the most valuable rider in MotoGP right now? 18.04.2026 1h 29min

Much of the MotoGP grid for 2027 and beyond appears to have been sorted behind the scenes, with more of the dominos falling into play as the 'restart' of the season approaches.But while factories and riders maneouvre in secret, who are truly the most valuable MotoGP riders in the short- and medium-term - and who would get the first phone calls if the entire grid was reset?The Race MotoGP Podcast's crew seeks to paint a picture by borriwing a 'draft' format from other sports, with Val Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson, editor Jordan Moreland and special guest Eden Hannigan choosing their optimal MotoGP line-ups.Would Marc Marquez, Fabio Quartararo or Pedro Acosta be the first choice in a true free-for-all? Does a bike manufacturer with a proven track record have more pull than a 'star' rider? And which riders look surplus to requirements for the next generation of MotoGP rules?This and more as we put together our mock 2027-2028 MotoGP grid.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more - enter code '2026' at checkout.Follow the Race Moto channel on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠X⁠⁠Check out our latest videos on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Debating MotoGP's best and worst rider moves 08.04.2026 1h 15min

With MotoGP on an unscheduled spring break, we figured it was time to revisit the modern-era history of blockbuster rider moves - particularly those that dramatically changed careers, for better or worse.Can anything top Valentino Rossi's Yamaha pivot? And did he stay a Yamaha rider too long? And how should history really judge Ducati's big-money move for Jorge Lorenzo?This and more - much more - in our latest episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast.Enjoy 90% off your first month with The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more - enter code '2026' at checkout.Follow the Race Moto channel on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠X⁠⁠Check out our latest videos on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Marquez's 2026 MotoGP problems are getting worse 30.03.2026 57min

The Circuit of the Americas was supposed to properly kickstart Marc Marquez's MotoGP 2026 title bid - but instead Aprilia only pulled further clear.Matt Beer, Simon Patterson and Val Khorounzhiy dissect a weekend in which usual COTA dominator Marquez never really looked like beating the Aprilias, even without a major error on Saturday.They discuss Marquez's issues with the bike and with his physical fitness, and Jorge Martin's emergence as a genuine title threat within an Aprilia structure that should in theory be rallied around five-in-a-row winner Marco Bezzecchi.Plus, a look at Joan Mir's double DNF, Pecco Bagnaia's latest rollercoaster weekend and Toprak Razgatlioglu's inspired start to life in MotoGP being concealed by Yamaha struggles.Enjoy 90% off your first month with The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more - enter code '2026' at checkout.Follow the Race Moto channel on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠X⁠⁠Check out our latest videos on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s going on with MotoGP’s frozen 2027 rider market 27.03.2026 56min

After a wild pre-season flurry of news about riders agreeing 2027 MotoGP deals and big moves, we’ve had barely any actual announcements of those deals being official.So what’s going on? Why the stalling, and does it mean any of the deals are in jeopardy (one in particular is raising a lot of fans’ eyebrows right now)?Simon, Val and Matt explore the latest news and rumours from the paddock about the 2027 line-ups in a bonus episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast recorded on the eve of the Grand Prix of the Americas at Austin.Enjoy 90% off your first month with The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more.Follow the Race Moto channel on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠Check out our latest videos on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is to blame for Brazilian MotoGP chaos? 24.03.2026 52min

MotoGP's first Brazilian Grand Prix in 22 years was an absolute wild weekend - with a litany of dramas ranging from floods to a sinkhole on the main straight to an abrupt shortening of the race, plus riders picking lumps of churned-up asphalt out of their boots.Simon Patterson recounts all the twists of his week at Goiania to Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer on The Race MotoGP Podcast, and they discuss where blame should be put and what needs to be done to put things right for 2027.And they also debate the implications of the commanding Aprilia 1-2 on track for the title fight.Enjoy 90% off your first month with The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more.Follow the Race Moto channel on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠Check out our latest videos on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will MotoGP teams regret 2027 signings already? 10.03.2026 57min

MotoGP’s 2027 rider market moved VERY early… and then the season-opener might’ve come as a shock to some teams banking on their new signings having put old problems behind them.Messy at best, abject at worst starts to 2026 for Pecco Bagnaia, Alex Marquez and Maverick Vinales in particular left many in The Race Members’ Club asking whether teams had jumped too soon to nail down next year’s line-ups.Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer give their take on The Race MotoGP Podcast - both on the riders with probably-secure 2027 futures who’ve started 2026 badly, and the riders with uncertain futures who’ve begun this year very well.Enjoy 90% off your first month with The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more.Follow the Race Moto channel on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠Check out our latest videos on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.