Acosta's errors and Ducati GP23 'downgrade' - Japan review

The 2024 MotoGP title fight packed so many more twists into the Thai Grand Prix weekend even though it ended with Pecco Bagnaia only three points closer to Jorge Martin than he had been before Buriram. But the crashes, near-crashes, Marc Marquez interventions, lunges, attempts to stoke Bagnaia/Martin animosity, track limits mysteries and non-penalties all add up to plenty for Simon Patterson, Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer to debate on The Race MotoGP Podcast and plenty of questions that The Race Members' Club want answered. The stewards' handling of Franco Morbidelli's latest piece of wayward riding, Marquez's drama-filled grand prix, a frightening and bizarre Moto2 practice pitlane incident, Pedro Acosta's return to the podium (at Jack Miller's expense) and Andrea Iannone's likely return to MotoGP all feature too. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jorge Martin has 20 points in hand over MotoGP title rival Pecco Bagnaia with three rounds to go in 2024 - but will he regret the five points Marc Marquez took off him at Phillip Island? And how was Marquez in position to do so anyway, given he was 13th heading into the first corner after a surreal tear-off mishap? Valentin Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson and Megan White tackle these questions on the Australian Grand Prix edition of The Race MotoGP Podcast. They also look at the big sprint crash between Marco Bezzecchi and Maverick Vinales, consider Phillip Island's wildlife problem and answer questions from The Race Members Club. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Ducati dominates not just the 2024 MotoGP season but inevitably also discussion on The Race MotoGP Podcast, we banned ourselves from talking about the championship leading team on this week's episode. Instead Simon Patterson, Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer delve into the big moves the rest of the paddock are making as they try to get out of Ducati's shadow. Honda's major technical signing from Aprilia, Aprilia's replacement for him, Yamaha's radical V4 engine switch and KTM's new team boss are all debated, as well as the impact of KTM's not-so-secret weapon Pedro Acosta. But we also look at the question marks over each project, from Aprilia's current on-track decline to Alex Rins's form for Yamaha and KTM's reputation for being less-than-cordial behind the scenes. Along the way we answer more of The Race Members' Club's questions on everything outside Ducati - join us on Patreon to be part of that community, put your questions in for our podcasts and get a host of exclusive members-only pods. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pecco Bagnaia put on a clinic in MotoGP's Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi - but was he the only real winner on a particularly drab Sunday of premier-class race action? The Race MotoGP Podcast panel of Valentin Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson and Megan White discuss a race that never really got going, and whether Jorge Martin should be happy to only lose 11 points after crashing in qualifying. Pedro Acosta's two falls from pole trigger a conversation about the merits and shortcomings of his rookie campaign, while several The Race Members Club questions are answered - including a closer look at that Ducati GP23 'downgrade' that made headlines during the weekend. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest swings in the 2024 title fight give The Race MotoGP Podcast panel Simon Patterson, Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer plenty to debate and puzzle over after the Indonesian Grand Prix. After Jorge Martin crashed from the sprint lead and Pecco Bagnaia struggled for most of the weekend yet still came away with a sprint win and a grand prix podium, The Race Members' Club asked us what on earth is going on with this title fight and why the contenders seem so incapable of consistent results. They were far from the only riders in strife at Mandalika, though, and we also look into the many other reasons why only 12 bikes made the finish on Sunday. Yet more tyre pressure angst, VR46 proteges going too easy on each other and Yamaha's sort-of-progress also feature heavily. Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace to activate your 7-day free trial Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Jorge Martin barged aside for the race win on the final lap and Pecco Bagnaia crashing out, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix wasn't a great one for either of MotoGP's title contenders. Should Enea Bastianini's win have stood given the manner of his last-lap move on Martin? Simon Patterson, Megan White, Valentin Khourounzhiy and Matt Beer have some differing views on that in The Race MotoGP Podcast - as did The Race Members' Club, whose questions we answer in the episode as ever. Bagnaia's crash didn't actually peeve him as much as his weird pace fluctuations before it, but what was really going on there? We delve into that too. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MotoGP's 2024 title fight is still raging on, but its 2025 season is beginning to take shape in the background - with several important developments occurring between the two Misano rounds. A positive test for a prototype new Michelin front tyre hints at a '25 introduction that would have wide-ranging consequences - including, crucially, an apparent big boost to Pecco Bagnaia, the new tyre's biggest fan of the grid. But why is Bagnaia so enamoured with it, who else is keen - and does it offer a sudden MotoGP pathway for World Superbike dominator Toprak Razgatlioglu? Plus, we discuss what factories ran in that same Misano test - and why there's talk of an impending engine freeze. Finally, we talk about MotoGP's plans for gradual implementation of in-race radio after the latest trial. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Jorge Martin's disastrous pit decision in the San Marino Grand Prix prove decisive in the 2024 MotoGP world championship fight? At least one member of The Race MotoGP Podcast panel reckons so. Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer debate all the events of Misano from Martin's championship-lead-slashing tyre choice blunder to the implications of Marc Marquez's win for his 2024 and 2025 seasons - and for perceptions of Pecco Bagnaia. The end of the Repsol Honda era being announced on a day when there weren't even any Repsol Hondas on the grid plus Yamaha's subtle rise are also discussed as we answer plenty of questions from The Race Members' Club too. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marc Marquez is finally a MotoGP race winner again, but his utter domination of the Aragon Grand Prix weekend was slightly overshadowed by his brother Alex taking out erstwhile championship leader Pecco Bagnaia in a frightening crash. And that frightening crash split opinions in the paddock and prompted some new conspiracy theories, which Simon Patterson, Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer dig into on The Race MotoGP Podcast. Marc Marquez's win, how he suddenly became so fast again and what it means for his 2025 partnership with Bagnaia in the works Ducati team, are all debated too, plus whether a sensible Jorge Martin is more worrying for his rivals than the old Martin even if he's not quite as fast right now, and why Bagnaia's weekend was so bad even before the Marquez crash. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Ducati monopolising the wins and even the podium finishes so emphatically at present, The Race MotoGP Podcast throws the spotlight on the rest of the field this week. Simon Patterson and Val Khorounzhiy are tasked by Matt Beer with creating a top six ranking of the best non-Ducati riders of the 2024 season so far. Who's overcoming their equipment disadvantage most impressively, who probably should be doing a bit better even though they don't have a Ducati, and how are the riders stuck on Yamahas and Hondas actually doing? We debate all that plus how the riders at struggling manufacturers feel about their career choices and when the underdogs we're celebrating might win again. Want more MotoGP podcast content? Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for that episode, ad-free listening and more. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow the Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices