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Paddock Pass Podcast #152 – The Calm Before the Storm

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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.

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MotoGP

Austin MotoGP Round Has Been Canceled for 2020

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The Grand Prix of the Americas, which had been moved to November 13-15th because of the coronavirus outbreak, has now been canceled.

The news comes from the track’s Instagram account, which states that the Austin round will return in 2021, on April 16-18th.

The cancelation of this year’s American round is of little surprise, as the COVID-19 situation in the United States grows more dire with each passing day, especially in Texas.

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MotoGP

Fabio Quartararo’s Paul Ricard Practice Bike, And Whether the Punishment Will Fit the Crime

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One of the many good things about being a MotoGP rider is that you get offered a lot of free stuff.

Take a careful look at the social media feed of any rider and you will see stickers and logos on display, discretely or blatantly, on all sorts of items: caps, sunglasses, t-shirts, jeans, jackets, bicycles, underwear, motorcycles, leathers, MX gear, helmets.

You name it, and some brand or other will have given it to a rider to show off on their social media.

There can be a downside to this, however. Just ask Andrea Iannone – the Italian’s protestations of innocence after testing positive for drostanolone, an anabolic steroid used to achieve a chiseled physique were undermined by the fact that he posted so many pictures on Instagram wearing nothing more than the underwear from the company paying him to do so, with the kind of muscle definition that makes you wonder.

The price of getting free stuff is having to show it off to the world via Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Precisely this deal appears to have caught out Fabio Quartararo.

Though he was not named in the FIM press release announcing that two riders would face a hearing at Jerez for breaching the practice rules, which governs which bikes riders can use when riding at a track outside of officially sanctioned Grand Prix tests, it quickly emerged that Quartararo was one of the riders involved, the other being Sergio Garcia.

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MotoGP

Two Riders Will Face FIM Stewards Over Training Infringements

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Two unnamed riders have been caught infringing the Grand Prix testing and practice regulations.

In a press release issued today, the FIM announced that breaches of the rules had been reported, which would be investigated during hearings to be held at the (re)opening of MotoGP at Jerez, on July 19th.

Though neither the names nor the specific infraction were mentioned in the press release, the wording of the announcement makes clear that the incident involves either Moto2 or Moto3 riders, and that they are accused of having used bikes that were not eligible to be used for training.

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Money, Power, & Expectations: Why Andrea Dovizioso & Valentino Rossi Have Yet to Sign a Deal for 2021

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With three weeks to go to the official start of the 2020 season for the MotoGP class (Moto2 and Moto3 have already raced at Qatar back in March, lest we forget), the 2021 grid is starting to fill up.

Of the 22 seats available next year, 12 have already been filled: Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo in the factory Yamaha team, Alex Rins and Joan Mir at Suzuki, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira, and Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona in the factory and Tech3 KTM teams respectively, Marc Márquez at Repsol Honda, Jack Miller in the factory Ducati team, Aleix Espargaro with Aprilia, and Tito Rabat, who already had a contract before the start of the season.

There are a few more seats we can pencil in as near certainties: Pol Espargaro at Repsol Honda, Franco Morbidelli at Petronas, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin in Pramac Ducati, Alex Márquez at LCR Honda.

Cal Crutchlow is almost certain to be back, whether that be with LCR Honda or Aprilia – the Englishman appears to be giving serious consideration to what might be an attractive payday before he retires. Johann Zarco is likely to be on a Ducati again in 2021, the odds being that he is forced to accept another season at Avintia.

There are a couple of question marks too: the second seat at Aprilia is complicated, depending on the outcome of Andrea Iannone’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his doping ban. If the CAS upholds his suspension, Aprilia will need a replacement for the Italian.

If the CAS lifts the ban, then Aprilia has stated their intent to keep him. If Aprilia doesn’t take Iannone, then Crutchlow could go there. If he doesn’t, and stays at LCR, then Takaaki Nakagami could be forced to head off to WorldSBK, and race for the Honda WorldSBK team.

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Andrea Dovizioso Breaks Collarbone MX Racing

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Andrea Dovizioso was taken to hospital this weekend with what was suspected to be a broken left collarbone, after crashing during a regional motocross race in Faenza, Italy.

On Sunday evening, Dovizioso underwent surgery at the Policlinico di Modena, and he will be able to start physiotherapy immediately. This means Dovizioso should be ready for the first 2020 MotoGP race, which is July 19th at Jerez.

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Misano Private Test: Aleix Espargaro Fastest on Final Day, Redding Smashes WorldSBK Record

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Testing has concluded at the Misano private test, with a few changes to the riders present on Thursday. KTM skipped the final day, while a group of WorldSSP riders entered the fray.

Aleix Espargaro was the fastest rider on the final day, getting to within a couple of hundredths of Miguel Oliveira’s best time from the day before, demonstrating the potential of the 2020 Aprilia RS-GP.

Espargaro was happy with both the speed and the pace of the bike, though the reliability of the bike remains a question mark, which will only be removed once the racing begins. 

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MotoGP

Misano Private MotoGP Test: Miguel Oliveira Fastest, While Aprilia & Ducati Test New Aero

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It has been a busy couple of days at Misano, with the KTM and Aprilia MotoGP teams, and test teams from Suzuki and Ducati, joined by WorldSBK representatives from the KRT Kawasaki squad, and a small army of Ducati teams.

The MotoGP and WorldSBK riders have been able to try out the new asphalt at Misano in the blistering heat of an Italian summer.

Miguel Oliviera is fastest after the first two days, the Red Bull Tech3 rider just a couple of tenths faster on Wednesday than Pol Espargaro had been on Tuesday.

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MotoGP & WorldSBK Back on Track: Three Days of Testing at Misano

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World championship motorcycle racing takes another step back to the season returning at Misano.

The next three days sees both MotoGP and WorldSBK teams testing at the Italian circuit, preparing for the resumption of hostilities at Jerez in July and August.

Present are the MotoGP teams of KTM and Aprilia, allowed extra testing due to their status as concessions teams. Aleix Espargaro and Bradley Smith are riding for Aprilia, the second test for the Italian factory.

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