Bagnaia saves his title bid

A revolutionary MotoGP season - and its longest-ever - begins this weekend, with the Portuguese Grand Prix not only beginning the 2023 world championship but also launching the new sprint race format.MotoGP broadcaster Amy Reynolds makes a special guest appearance on The Race MotoGP Podcast alongside regulars Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer as we preview the 2023 season and make a few bold predictions.Predicting the champion might be quite straightforward this time, but we also take a punt at picking their title rivals and the other potential race-winners - or maybe that should be picking the tiny number of riders who _don't_ have a shot at a race victory this season (spoiler alert: we come up with 19.5 candidates to win).The riders and teams most likely to struggle, and the potential flashpoint and controversies are discussed too.And there's also a (re)appearance from a familiar voice to podcast listeners, with news of something very special we've got planned for the rest of the season.Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.comStart making your financial dreams a reality with Chime. Get started at chime.com/therace Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Mars 20231h 9min

MotoGP pre-season testing ended with Ducati looking dominant, Aprilia looking strong and Yamaha having rescued its winter at the last moment. But the biggest talking point from Portimao concerned some parts that might not even appear in the grands prix for a while.Aprilia and Yamaha took MotoGP's aero development war up a notch with the latest wings they added to their bikes at the weekend, showing how ineffective the rulemakers' attempts to limit aero have been so far.Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer debate all the implications of the MotoGP wing explosion, as the thrill of a period of great innovation clashes with fears over costs and the quality of racing, not to mention the aesthetic drawbacks.Wings aside, there was plenty to delve into from the final two days of testing, with both Yamaha and Honda ditching much of what they'd been working on and finding themselves in better shape as a result - though for Honda that was still not a great situation.Epic pace and confidence from defending champion Pecco Bagnaia, arm trouble for Aleix Espargaro and how bad things look for the small number of struggling riders (and maybe one manufacturer too) are among the other topics analysed.Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Mars 202359min

Ahead of the final winter test this weekend, The Race MotoGP Podcast answers listeners' questions about the 2023 season's prospects - and much more.Yamaha's potential this year and beyond, and whether it risks a downward spiral with dire consequences, a particular Ducati satellite rider who might be of interest to other teams (and no, it's not Jorge Martin) and MotoGP's approach to TV deals and its own streaming package are among the topics you raised for Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer to tackle.Inevitably we (and you) stray a little beyond 2023 topics too: Brno's fate and how Valentino Rossi would've fared at Ducati had he gone there when Jorge Lorenzo did are discussed, and Sepang 2015 crops up again too.Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Mars 20231h 11min

There's just one rookie on the 2023 MotoGP grid - Augusto Fernandez. But the number of spectacular talents in the ladder system bodes well for the years ahead. Which of those rising stars will make the cut, though? The Race MotoGP Podcast asked listeners for their predictions of the newcomers who'll make it onto the grid before 2030 - and Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer give their verdicts on your suggestions as well as making a few of their own.We also asked for nominations for the riders who deserved a MotoGP chance in the last 10 years but never got one - and have plenty of those to debate as well. Did your favourite make the list?Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Mars 20231h 25min

As Amazon Prime releases its new Marc Marquez documentary series, The Race MotoGP Podcast looks at what it reveals about the six-time champion and what Marquez's future might hold.Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer assess whether Marc Marquez: All In can make up for the damage done by the botched release of MotoGP Unlimited - which should've been the series' equivalent of Formula 1's Drive to Survive last year - and whether it paints a fully accurate picture, given the Marquez brothers are the producers.The series contains what might be Marquez's first attempt to regain control of the narrative around his feud with Valentino Rossi - so we boldly venture into those murky waters again too.Marquez's incredible MotoGP debut season a decade ago and the prospect of him leaving Honda (and we place our bets on where he might go) are discussed in depth as well.Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Feb 202359min

From a major breakthough followed by a worrying surprise for Yamaha to bizarre wing-less experiments at Honda, the first test of MotoGP's compacted 2023 pre-season offered plenty of talking points.Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer tackle all of them in The Race MotoGP Podcast.Yamaha began the Sepang event looking like it had finally tackled its long-running big weakness, yet ended it miles off the pace in qualifying simulations - just as Ducati's beaming world champion Pecco Bagnaia declared his team had found even more straightline speed.As for Honda, the sight of its bikes running without any wings at all showed how desperate its search for answers is getting.We also look at who's best-placed to spring an underdog upset among the very competitive horde of satellite Ducatis, Aprilia's very strong start to running a four-bike line-up and the new Gas Gas era at KTM's satellite team.Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Feb 202359min

MotoGP 2023 pre-season testing is underway - with the secretive shakedown test now completed and the main action with the race riders commencing at Sepang on Friday.Ahead of that, Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer assess what each manufacturer needs to achieve from this week's running in Malaysia.Reigning champion Ducati actually needs to keep its jobs list short, having overcomplicated its 2022 pre-season.At the other end of the scale, there is a LOT for Honda to try to achieve this week.We explain all that and all the burning pre-season questions the Sepang test is going to answer.Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.comGo to grammarly.com/tone to download and learn more about Grammarly Premium’s advanced tone suggestionsGo to Indochino.com and use code RACE to get 10% off any purchase of $399 or more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Feb 20231h 2min

MotoGP's 2023 season has begun, with three of the five factory teams plus two satellite having held their launch events and testing now just a week away.Though team launches rarely live up to their own hype, there's been a lot to glean from the events Yamaha, Ducati and KTM have held so far - as Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer discuss on The Race MotoGP Podcast.Ducati ultimately won last year's title, but it made harder work of doing it than was really necessary. Has it definitely learned from that? And after the exit of compliant support act Jack Miller, can the works team's new pairing of reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia and ambitious former underdog star Enea Bastianini stay on good terms when it really counts?The narrow margin of Yamaha's 2022 defeat disguised some of the problems it faces - we delve into what's really going on with its desperately-awaited new engine and Franco Morbidelli's painful form.And KTM offered plenty for our panel to consider too, from the rise of Brad Binder to the impact of aerodynamic help from the Red Bull Formula 1 team and a significant - if "forced" - line-up rejig.Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or AndroidFor MotoGP news, analysis and must-read features visit the-race.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Feb 20231h 1min