Episode 156 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one sees us finally talking again about some on-track World Superbike action, with Steve English and Gordon Ritchie on the mics after the Jerez round.
With plenty of action happening over the weekend’s three superbike races, there is no shortage of information to dissect and analyze, so you will definitely want to give it a listen.
As the restart of the 2020 WorldSBK Championship draws near, Dorna and the FIM have issued an updated calendar.
In the previous version of the calendar, the British, Dutch, and Qatar rounds of the WorldSBK series were listed as to be determined.
These three races, at Doningon Park, Assen, and the Losail International Circuit, have now been canceled due to the organizational headaches created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 151 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one sees Neil Morrison, David Emmett, and Steve English catching us up on the rider market movements from the past few weeks, as much has occurred since we last updated you on this topic.
Yamaha has announced that Michael van der Mark will be leaving their WorldSBK team at the end of the 2020 WorldSBK season. After what will be four seasons with the Pata Yamaha squad, the 27-year-old Dutchman has decided to leave for pastures new.
There is as yet no confirmation of where Van der Mark is heading, but reports on Speedweek suggest his destination is likely to be BMW.
With Kawasaki already having signed Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea, and little interest from either Ducati or Honda, BMW is the obvious choice.
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.
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.
After last week’s MotoGP calendar, this week sees the release of another schedule. Today, the FIM published the provisional calendar for the WorldSBK series for the rest of this year, and also announced some big changes to the schedule of the weekend.
It is a very provisional calendar. Six rounds are confirmed – insofar as anything can be confirmed during the pandemic, as they are subject to cancellation or change should governments impose new restrictions – with four rounds in Spain, one in Portugal, and one in France.
Two rounds are still subject to confirmation, at San Juan Villicum in Argentina, and at Misano in Italy. There are three further rounds on the schedule without a date. A round in the UK at Donington Park, the Dutch round at Assen, and a race at Qatar.
In a move that surprised no one today, Jonathan Rea has inked another multi-year deal with Kawasaki in the WorldSBK Championship.
The news was expected as Rea has been unstoppable ever since he joined the Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) in 2015, which has led to a record-breaking five WorldSBK titles in a row for the Northern Irishman.
One of the most talented riders on any track right now, Rea is the man to beat in the production-based paddock, and KRT has honed the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR into an absolute weapon for its riders.
Episode 149 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a special show that dives into everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about electronics and data as it pertains to motorcycle racing.
As such, this episode sees David Emmett hosting a special guest on the show, data engineer Peter Bom, who is a former crew chief and data recording engineer for the Moto2, Moto3, and WorldSBK classes, as well as an analyst and commentator for Dutch Eurosport
Admittedly, we had some technical difficulties with the recording, so it might be a bit rougher than you would normally expect from the Paddock Pass Podcast, but what Peter has to say is incredibly insightful and interesting, and certainly well worth the effort.
Episode 147 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is another special show, where we take questions from you, our listeners, and dive into those topics on the show.
As such, this episode sees David Emmett, Steve English, and Neil Morrison on the microphones, sharing their collective racing knowledge.