Episode 58 of the Brap Talk motorcycle podcast is out with another weekly episode, for your two-wheeled listening pleasure.
This episode sees us spending a lot of time on the mental side of motorcycle riding, and what it takes to progress as a rider.
The normal build up to a MotoGP weekend sees the teams and riders spend FP1 figuring out which tires they think will work, then FP2 working on setup and then chasing a preliminary spot in FP2, leaving themselves plenty of work for Saturday, especially in FP4. But, Qatar is not a normal weekend.
For a start, MotoGP arrives here after a total of five days of testing (well, four days, strictly speaking, as the last day of the test was lost to strong winds and a sandy track). Setups have already been found, tires have already been chosen.
Can the 2021 MotoGP season match the weirdness and wildness of 2020? The circumstances are different, but the path that led to Qatar 2021 has laid the groundwork for another fascinating year.
2021 sees two trends colliding to create (we hope) a perfect storm. There is the long-term strategy set out after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, with support and backing from the many bright minds in Dorna and IRTA.
Episode 194 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this show is the second of three season-preview shows that we will be releasing this week. This must mean that we are talking about the start of the Moto2 Championship.
On the mics, we have Steve English, David Emmett, Neil Morrison, and Adam Wheeler, and they are joined with interviews with Moto2 racer Sam Lowes and Triumph Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent.
The preseason is over. Preparations have been made, new parts tested, bikes, bodies, and brains readied, though not necessarily in that order. MotoGP is on the verge of starting another brand new season.
There was less to develop, test, and prepare this year, the aftermath of rules imposed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic introducing freezes on engine development and limiting aerodynamic updates.
The four factories who did not have concessions in 2020 – Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha – will all be forced to use the engines they homologated for their riders last year for the 2021 season.
KTM, who lost concessions thanks to a phenomenally successful season which included three victories, has been allowed to design a new engine for 2021, but must freeze it at the first race in Qatar.
Aprilia, the only remaining factory with full concessions, will be allowed to continue to develop their engine throughout 2021, and will have nine engines to last the season, instead of the seven the other factories have to try to make last the year.
In terms of aerodynamics, things are a little simpler: the riders can either use their 2020 aero package, or they can introduce one upgrade aero package at any time during the season (including at the first race).
And of course, aerodynamics packages are applied per rider, rather than per manufacturer.
Episode 193 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is one of three season-preview shows that we will be releasing this week. Of course, we are starting with the MotoGP Championship
On the mics, we have Steve English, David Emmett, and Adam Wheeler, and they are joined by MotoGP pitlane reporter and ex-grand prix racer Simon Crafar.
Simon brings with him a host of information and knowledge from a life in the paddock, and it was a genuine pleasure and privilege to have him on the show.
The 2021 MotoGP season will kick off without six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez.
After review by the medical team monitoring his recovery from the broken humerus he suffered at the opening MotoGP round of 2020, the decision has been made to postpone a comeback until after the two Qatar rounds.
Episode 192 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a special show with the Ducati Corse factory MotoGP team riders, Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia.
Joining the Ducati boys on the mics, we have Steve English, David Emmett, and Neil Morrison, and they provide some analysis to what Miller and Bagnaia have to say during their interviews.
It might be an exaggeration to call today’s news that Andrea Dovizioso is to test the Aprilia RS-GP MotoGP bike at Jerez from April 12th to 14th a bombshell, but it certainly raised a few eyebrows.
The Italian had previously turned down the offer of a full-time ride with the Noale factory for 2021, despite Aprilia extensively courting his services. So for Aprilia to offer a test ride is no surprise. For Dovizioso to accept is certainly interesting.
Episode 191 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one sees us once again looking to the desert lights of the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
On the mics, we have Steve English, David Emmett, and Adam Wheeler, and they break down the news from the last week, include more analysis from the MotoGP test at Qatar.
Episode 190 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a special addition to our weekly schedule (don’t worry, we’ll have another show for you on Wednesday as well).
On the mics, we have Steve English, David Emmett, and Adam Wheeler, and they are joined by factory KTM rider Brad Binder.
The four sit down to have a frank conversation about the MotoGP class, and how the South African riders has made the jump into the premier class from Moto3.