The ranks of the MotoGP Hall of Fame are set to grow once again, with three new inductions coming in 2022 – Max Biaggi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Hugh Anderson.
Ex-racers make great analysts for motorcycle racing. This is because they have a keen understanding of how racing a motorcycle works, and thus offer an unparalleled insight into the sport.
This is why so often we see ex-racers as the pitlane reporters in MotoGP, WorldSBK, and MotoAmerica. Moreover, the position is an excellent career path for someone whose days of standing on the podium are over.
How does this work in the 21st century though? Roughly the same, but with social media and YouTube giving rival to the small screen, some great racers are seeing new opportunities.
Take for example, Jorge Lorenzo, who has just started his own YouTube channel, where the five-time world champion is offering his thoughts and analysis for free to his followers.
It is news that we have been expecting going into the Valencia GP, and today it became real, as Cal Crutchlow will leave his full-time racing job for duties as Yamaha’s MotoGP test rider next season.
The last intense three weeks of this intense MotoGP season is upon us.
On Thursday, the diminished paddock reassembles in Valencia for the last of the back-to-back races, with the Grand Prix of Europe this coming weekend, the Valencia Grand Prix a week later.
Then, two weeks from today, the paddock will pack up and head down to Portimao, for the last race of the 2020 season. If all goes well, of course.
Episode 152 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one sees Neil Morrison and Steve English catching us up once again on the rider market movements in the MotoGP paddock, as well as some news from the WorldSBK Championship.
As such, the show looks at some turns in the grand prix silly season, starting with the possibility that Andrea Dovizioso might sit out the 2021 season.
There is also talk that Cal Crutchlow could end up in the Aprilia squad, especially if Andrea Iannone’s doping appeal doesn’t go his way. Lastly, there is the rumor that Jorge Lorenzo could return to racing, with the Ducati Corse team.
Episode 143 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one takes us on another trip down memory lane, as we look at the 2015 MotoGP Championship.
Of note, this is our second part, to this two-part series on the 2015 season, and it focuses on the latter half of the championship schedule. You can catch Part 1 of the series, here.
As such, this show sees David Emmett, Steve English, and Neil Morrison on the microphones talking about this epic season.
MotoGP fans who were missing their doses of Lorenzo Land should be happy with this latest announcement from the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team, as Jorge Lorenzo has been confirmed to race at the Catalan GP.
The Spanish test rider for the Yamaha MotoGP squad will be a wildcard entry for the Catalunya race, an idea that was first floated when Lorenzo signed with the factory outfit last year, thus not making this too big of a surprise.
Episode 127 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one covers this weeks’ whirlwind round of news from the Yamaha MotoGP team and its rider lineup for the 2020 season and beyond.
For these topics, we have Steve English, Neil Morrison, and David Emmett on the mics, as the trio discusses the announcements that Yamaha has made, and what the ramifications are for the grand prix paddock.
Yamaha’s MotoGP program continues to dominate the headlines this week, first by signing Maverick Viñales to an astounding three-year contract, and then by booting Valentino Rossi from the factory team in order to make way for Fabio Quartararo.
Now, the Japanese motorcycle maker is making another big announcement, though this one has been brewing for a bit: Jorge Lorenzo will take on the role as Yamaha’s MotoGP test rider.
The world of MotoGP and WorldSBK has been relatively quiet for the last two weeks, as factories close and teams and riders take time off to celebrate their various holidays.
Very little has happened, with people off around the world, and only now returning to prepare for the 2020 season.
As we wait for the bikes to be back on track, and thus the news flowing again, here are the headlines that are tracking during the off-season.
Jorge Lorenzo’s announcement at Valencia that he would be retiring at the end of the 2019 MotoGP season came as a shock to the paddock.
In the immediate aftermath, attention focused on who would take his place in the Repsol Honda Team, speculation reaching a crescendo when HRC announced it had signed Alex Marquez to ride alongside brother Marc in the factory squad.
With MotoGP testing out of the way, and Jorge Lorenzo returned home to Switzerland after his hard-earned extended vacation in Bali, Indonesia, talk has now turned to Jorge Lorenzo’s future.