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It's been said that to a rider, Sepang is 'the worst 45 minutes of your year', both physically and mentally. The first goes without saying: you're manhandling what is essentially a giant combustion engine on wheels through a track in the tropics, clad in leather. And that's before the debris and rocks start flying! But then there is the psychological side of it all: this is where you win or lose it, where you discover if your remaining races will be an upward line or a steep fall from the top. Just ask Bezzecchi, coming in after a rather unnecessary collision with Ogura. The Bez wasn't fast enough to grab those precious points, and his Aprilia compatriot Ogura came in rough and hard. Carbon and aero fly all over the place, and now Mat and Peter have to lay down the law to keep the kids from fighting... And speaking of flying aero: did anyone notice how the lack of it didn't seem to slow Ai down a bit? That's odd enough by itself, but then you see Marc absolutely dominating this race without using a ride height device. A race where significant moves were made without aero, no RHD? Surely it can't be! I assume the world must be ending? Well, that depends on who you ask - but if it does end, it might start next week during the race in Qatar! Okay, I kid, but let's not beat around the bush here: next week's race is vastly more important than Sepang - or any other race, for that matter. Shortly put, against all sane advice and reason, MotoGP is going to an area that could turn into a potential conflict zone at any second.  Fun fact: did you know there's a giant American air force base, just a stone's throw away from the track?  Well, the riders and even some manufacturers aren't taking the risk. According to Jack Miller, there's currently about 19 riders who are going to decline the invitation and everyone's favourite Aussie is amongst them. And they're not alone: Yamaha, too, has decided not to go, spurting Liberty Media to lay down the law in truly draconian fashion.  So here we are, at what might be the eve of an escalating conflict, with the first rider strike in almost thirty years against the corporate power of a media giant. And don't think for a second that this is 'just politics', because the outcome of this conflict might have massive effects on MotoGP, Liberty Media, Formula 1 and even a slight bit of global politics.  Yeah, I think we'll have plenty to talk about... --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Welcome to the race that wasn't. It seems Philip Island knew that MotoGP was done with her, and the lady decided that those bastards didn't deserve her anyway. Through the power of being wetter and windier than ever before, she forced the riders to return back to their trailers and sit this one out. And so it ends, "not with a bang but a wimper".  Or did it? Because while the main event was canceled, the true spectacle took place on every day preceding the race. From amazing qualifying times to that memorable sprint on Saturday, when Marquez and Martin finally went head to head as leaders of the pack. This was it, folks: a last grand hurrah through all those memorable and always tricky corners, until only one contender was left standing.  Unorthodox, unassuming, unpredictable and ultimately deceivingly decisive. Could there have been any greater goodbye to good ol' Philip Island?  So here we are. Marquez is in the lead, Martin is injured and the title is now Marc's to lose. But the biggest battle perhaps remains to come, and this time it won't pit rider against rider. No, this time we might be headed for a showdown where all those maniacs and daredevils will have to team up against a greater threat: the unfair demands of show business.  A few weeks ago, Marc Marquez didn't want to risk another injury in a promotional go kart event. Seems reasonable, but the Powers That Be disagreed. Now there is a new rule on the books, prescribing penalties to any rider not showing up to a booked promotional event. And those penalties aren't just monetary, but go all the way up to track penalties. Race results determined by a rider not showing up to sign autographs? Absolute bloody madness! But don't take it from me...take it from your ever-charming hosts Mat and Peter.  So, lots of things to discuss and some very fun surprises to boot! Fancy a listen?  --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Sometimes, the future is uncertain and nobody can predict what will happen next. Not only is the current tournament ramping up towards an unpredictable finale (and a potential race at Qatar, if the world hasn't ended by that point) but the very shape of the race weekend itself is about to change. And nobody is quite sure what effects that will have.  That's why this week, Mat and Peter are taking a look at the new schedules. One thing is for sure: this is going to have lots of consequenses, some good, some bad and some just plain ugly. And speaking of ugly affairs, Marc Marquez' rather understabdable decission to not go go-kart racing got a swift response in the shape of rider fines. Now the riders might be revolting, but will we see any change? Mat and Peter hope so.  Yes, the old days aren't coming back, but that's no reason to be sad. So don't mourn, organize!  Here we go... --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Sometimes a weekend just can't help but go your way. Take Marc Marquez, maybe the luckiest man on the grid right now. It seems this tournament really is going down to the wire, and playing a giant part in that is just how good these Aprilia bikes are right now. Playing four-in-a-row with a race's top positions is the kind of game we're used to seeing from Ducati, but it seems that The Other Italian Manufacturer is beating those Bologna Boys at their own game. And then there is the hero of the hour, Raul Fernandez, with his exceptional finger work. How a man who has used his index finger for braking his entire life can just switch like that remains a mystery, even to Mat and Peter. And guess what: they know the brakes! So get yourself a drink and get ready to hear us tell you all about the race at Mandalika this weekend. Cheers! --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Sometimes, a race summary sounds surprisingly like a rather laborous romantic rendez-vous: there was quite a lot of tension, not a lot of excitement and the outcome involved lots of rubber while each party involved is trying to finish as fast as humanly possible.  It's the latest chapter in a championship that refuses to appoint a clear winner and is all the better for it. Say what you want, this year is one for the books.  Speaking of those rubbers, what exactly was going on with the tires this weekend? Was there really a perfect option that almost everyone missed? Or is the story slightly more complicated? Not to spoil the surprise, but I'd place my money on the latter. Maybe our hosts Mat and Peter will know what's up... So let's just dive right in this week as we take a look at Motegi 2026, Mat pontificates on World War Three and Peter presents a very controversial opinion. Also, there's lots of smoke being blown up arses.  Here we go, you weird perverts!  --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

With a small break in the racing this week, you'd think we’re taking it easy. But unsurprisingly for a sport in which speed is everything, things can move quite quickly and your hosts Mat and Peter have some big things to discuss this week. So let's turn back the clock to last week, when Sunday's race was immediately followed by Monday's tests. And this is a big one, because there won't be much time until Valencia and then the pre-season testing in December. A new bike is always exciting, but this year's batch is extra special because we're saying goodbye to the current 1000cc bikes and welcoming a new generation of 850cc machines. It seems a downgrade, but there's some solid reasoning here: bikes are getting too fast, which means dangerous situations and impossible tracks. Also, it just doesn't give us very exciting racing. So sometimes, change can be good. There's just one slight problem: these new bikes are really, really bleeding fast. In fact, they seem to be way faster than the current generation! While exact lap times aren't available publicly, it appears these new machines might shave off as much as a full second. It's ironic, but imagine the disappointment of spending potentially millions of dollars on developing a new engine - only to then discover that your racing bike is now too fast. They reduced the power, but they didn't reduce the performance. So what's going on here? Are we looking at an accidental miracle of engineering? Or is there something else going on? With all due respect for the brilliant engineers working in this sport, Mat and Peter think it might be the latter that's at fault here. But to understand that, we first need to take a look at how the performance of a bike isn't just dependent on raw power alone. Instead, speed is a package deal. There’s tires, aerodynamics, weight, electronics and all the other things that make you fly. And all of those elements are subject to new rules and sometimes even whole new manufacturers, causing the end result to be something quite volatile and unpredictable. Luckily, Mat and Peter are just itching to get to that whole picture and analyse it from every angle. Sounds like a good time? Yeah, I thought so too. Cheers everyone! --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Smile, you son of a bitch!*   When most people picture the landlocked mountains of Austria, the last thing they think of is shark attacks. So imagine our surprise when we saw the Shark gobble up the competition this week at Red Bull Ring, even devouring Jorge Martin whole.   The Shark in question is, of course, Pedro Acosta driving that giant hammerhead of a KTM. He dominated the training on Friday, screwed it up dramatically on Saturday during the sprint and then came back swinging today, earning KTM its first victory on a dry track in half a decade. But how did he do it?   Enter Mat and Peter, who've got some theories. See, one thing that makes sharks so special is that evolution doesn't seem to have changed them much this aeon. They found something that worked a long time ago, and it works still. Only in this case we're not talking about a Great White's scary sense of smell or rotating revolver teeth; we're looking at an oldschool racing bike which still allows you to go completely apeshit on the front when entering corners. Combine that fact with the nature of this track, and it might be accurate to state that this is the first time we've seen Acosta on equal machinery.   God knows we'd like to see it more often!   Meanwhile Jorge Martin seems to have taken over from Marquez in the tournament standing, bringing some seriously competitive heat to the next few races. Exciting times, no doubt.   Just watch out for blood in the water, or we might end up needing a bigger boat bike! *If there was ever a time to quote from Spielberg, wouldn’t it be when racing here? --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Sometimes, fights fight over the silliest things. As their highly-paid producer, I can tell you that Mat and Peter are no different. This weekend, the subject of Mizano's Curvone came up. You know, that famous 11th turn at San Marino. Except that it might not be a turn, but a kink. Or maybe it isn't. I'm not going to give a definitive answer here - I'm trying to preserve a very delicate peace!  Luckily, there's lots of other things that happened during the race that we can talk about, because there was a lot going on today. Marco Bezzecchi was blazingly fast. How fast? Fast enough that he finished his entire race in one lap. Beat that! We all love an axe murderer, but that might have been a little too much. Peter hopes it doesn't get to him, because in racing nobody can afford to take it easy at the start. Better luck next time.  Then there's Jorge Martin, looking quite awake, and Alex Marquez, fully coming alive. But nobody was able to stop Marc Marquez from claiming victory. His doctor says he's only got about 40% capability left in that arm, but Marc keeps proving the old saying that nobody beats the one-armed bandit. Meanwhile, we've got Acosta getting adventurous in the KTM-garage and some interesting livery which honors both the dead and salty potato crisps.  Yeah, sounds like a regular episode. Cheers! - - - Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Sadly, we've lost Philip Island. So now what’s going to take us back to Australia?  Well, welcome to the Adelaide Street Circuit. It’s 4,13 km (2,57 miles) long, has 15 turns and might run straight through some very special parkland.  It’s also, thanks to reasons not completely unrelated to the above, rather controversial.  Having seen the virtual rendition, Mat and Peter are wary. Don’t get us wrong, it seems like a lovely idea to make a street track. But should it really be in the middle of a park? Regardless, it’s happening next year so we might as well see if it’s any good for racing. And in order to do that, we decided to call an old friend of the show.  His name is Bob Barnard, and he makes racetracks for a living. Racetracks like Philip Island. For some reason, he doesn’t seem to be the Adelaide Street Circuit’s biggest fan.  If you haven’t heard our previous interview with Bob, I can recommend giving it a listen. He’s got some great stories and he knows how to tell them. He’s also got a mind like nobody else when it comes to the complexities of track design, as he shows us this week how many factors enter into the nightmare of complexities that is a racing track.  So come join us as we ask Bob to take us on a tour from the right shapes of gravel to actual riot control. Let’s go!  - - - Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:  If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Sometimes, small mistakes make for big excitement. Case in point: Marc Marquez, neglecting to disengage the rear holeshot device, sparks flying as the battle for first becomes an open question. See, there's something interesting about this track and the current set-up of MotoGP and it's got a lot to do with the tires.  You might not see it on camera* but this track eats rubber for breakfast. Want to win? Then get in first, close it up and don't try to get away too far because you'll still have miles to go. Want to get from the back to the front? Well, you'll get exactly as far as your tires are willing to go...and then that's where you stay.  So when Marc makes that come-back and starts leading the race, know that behind the easy-going facade there's some serious struggle going on. From rubber to bones, it ain't easy being number 1. But can he keep it up?  And then there's Acosta, riding the KTM straight across the razor's edge with not an inch to budge. That's some real solid performance, right there. And if you want to know exactly how those overtakes work here, we should probably look at aero and the unexpected effects that riders have to calculate on the fly. Just goes to show you that no matter what changes, MotoGP is still a sport where the rider can make all the difference in the world.  Well, Mat and Peter wouldn’t want it any other way. So grab something nice to drink, turn up the volume and let’s get into Aragon 2026!  ----- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here.  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

You want to ride a MotoGP-bike? Yeah, good luck with that: everyone knows these are machines made for murder, beasts of technology that only those gifted with near-superhuman reflexes can manage. These days, those rides have about as much in common with your average road bike as a space shuttle has in common with a paper airplane. What can I say; you can't walk the cutting edge if you don't expect to bleed a little.  Except that once upon a time, there was a bike that was different. Fast as lightning but turned on a dime. Easily built in bulk, yet suited to almost every riding style under the sun.  Rossi rode it to victory. So did Max Biaggi.   Like a samurai blade, its deceptive simplicity was only possible because it built on ages of experience with every complex mechanic under the sun. Its name was the Honda RC211V and it was the bike that changed everything.  It's a machine born out of necessity: when the sun finally fell on the era of the two-stroke engine, it was a whole new game for everyone. MotoGP itself was different then, too: way more of a technological wild west, where there were many different ways to build your ideal racer as long as those ways weren't electronic. It's impossible to avoid: telling the story of the RC211V means telling a story about MotoGP itself, because its role in racing history is just that big.  Luckily, we've got some great storytellers in Mat and Peter here. One of them even rode the bloody thing! This is going to be one of those episodes that you really don't want to miss, so pour one out for a legend and get straight into it... ----- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here.  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

No race? Nope! It's the second summer mini-break, giving everyone some time to catch their breaths. It also raises the question what a million dollar rider does to relax. Drinks at a tropical beach, anyone? That'd be our plan, surely. Not sure what cocktails would be involved, but feel free to let us know your best guess for your favourite rider.  The last time we had a break like this was last month, and we spend it talking about the characteristics of the top five riders. This week we're doing something similar, but looking at the other side of the equation. That's right, it's time for shiny metal and high tech wizardry as we dive head first into bike analysis!  There's five different machines, and while some are clearly better than others they all have some very unique characteristics. And if you're like Mat and Peter, this is the kind of stuff that keeps you up at night. Small wonder, then, that your hosts have plenty of thoughts on the matter. In fact, I'd argue that this week's episode is so big it might just kill any spare time you'd have had until the next race. Lucky!  So go imagine yourself on some brilliantly sunny shores, pour out that cocktail and press play. We've got some serious bikes to discuss... ----- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here.  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Some things are just meant to be together. You know: peanut butter and chocolate. Salt and pepper. Silverstone and Aprilia. Yes, Assen and Phillip Island are nice. But bring these bikes to Silverstone, and their aero really starts making the difference.  The result? A clear domination, where in one historic weekend the Italian manufacturer managed to lock down the grid's front row, take all three top places during the sprint and then doing the same during the main race in a pretty historic victory. The result? Three of Aprilia's four bikes are holding steady in the top three positions of the tournament.  So congratulations on that - but are these bikes getting a little too good for sportsmanship? We're not in Formula 1-land just yet, but Peter's feeling a little spooked. When does a briliant design become a danger to the game?  That might sound grim, but luckily there's still the factor of the riders themselves and what they bring to play. Good thing Mat and Peter got some thoughts on those, too!  So come join us as we discuss Silverstone. Cheers!  --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here.  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

IMPORTANT: This episode uses a lot of photo’s, which you will probably want to look at. To do that, please watch this episode on our Patreon or YouTube. Enjoy! Trip report! Being world famous (and very handsome!) MotoGP-journalist, you wouldn’t believe the places that Mat and Peter have been. But even for them, there’s some places you just don’t get to go to. Places like the country of Sweden, for example.  Yet that’s exactly where we went, just north of Stockholm, to visit the elusive factory of Öhlins. We all know that the suspension is one of the most immediately noticeable crucial parts of a bike and its setup, so imagine what happens behind closed doors at the biggest provider of suspension systems in the tournament. Or actually, don’t! Because why imagine, when we can just tell you? So come join us on one hell of a trip as we dive deep into a world of springs, pumps, pressure and carbon in places where you wouldn’t expect it…and then stick around for the industrial espionage, the truth about manufacturer exclusivity in the tournament, previously classified devices for Ducati and machines that can condense any race track in the world into a machine barely more than a few meters big.  Interested? Then let’s go!  Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here.  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

So, imagine this. It’s July. You’ve got nothing to do. The day’s a real scorcher, and all you want to do is just sit down in the shade, have a cool drink and, who knows, listen to a ninety minutes long podcast where two geezers discuss the potential benefits of strapping a nuclear reactor to a motorbike and other hypotheticals.  Well, whether you’re having a sunny holiday or are just getting your tan on in the mediterranean bliss of, eh, London…we’ve got just the thing for you!  Last week, we asked our awesome Patreons to send in their questions. Then, on Friday, Mat and Peter went to answer them. ‘Which ones?’, you might ask.  In which case we’d say: ‘All of them!’ Yes, they called us mad. Yes, they said it couldn’t be done. But here we are, with questions about Frankenstein bikes, superstitions about crashing, the feel of a perfect throttle and more. Oh, and stick around to learn something about cycling… --- Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here.  Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!