The fourth episode in our special in-depth series takes us back in time to Grand Prix motorcycle racing’s much-loved 500cc era. Host Toby Moody and renowned MotoGP engineer Tom Jojic are in nostalgia heaven as they reminisce about the brutal elegance of the bikes and the bravery and skills of the riders.
There’s terrific technical insight from Tom on what made the bikes of the era so great, including a detailed explanation of the differences between big bang bikes and screamers. They also discuss how different the bikes were compared to the prototypes used today - and why they could so easily spit a rider off at a moment's notice.
There are also some great anecdotes from Tom about his experiences at Team Roberts in the late 90s, including what it was like trying to keep up with the big manufacturers and how the paddock camaraderie differed to today.

Got a question for the show? Send a voicenote to podcasts@the-race.com

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IN-DEPTH: Grand Prix racing's 500cc monsters

Everything you need to know from the fascinating world of MotoGP racing, with host Matt Beer, The-Race.com's MotoGP correspondent Simon Patterson and MotoGP editor Valentin Khorounzhiy, plus special guests. We'll be talking about all the races, the big storylines, and taking the occasional trip back into the sport's rich history as well. Join us for the ride!

Sports

Just when it seemed Ducati's 2025 MotoGP factory line-up plan was set, it was abruptly turned inside out. Now Marc Marquez is heading for a works seat and championship leader Jorge Martin is heading into the arms of Aprilia.
Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer gather for an emergency extra episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast to explain what changed and why it happened so quickly, with Simon reliving how the news spread through the paddock at Mugello testing and just how fast Aprilia moved to get its man once it knew it had chance.
We share your takes on what's happened and questions about the repercussions of it, covering everything from how Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia will work together (or not) in the factory Ducati team to whether Aprilia is going to live up to Martin's demands and expectations, plus all the other repercussions around Pramac, Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales' futures.

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Marquez to factory Ducati, Martin to Aprilia: How these bombshell moves happened

Pecco Bagnaia's double win at Mugello was a huge boost to his 2024 MotoGP championship bid. And as Simon Patterson reports from the scene as he joins Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer for The Race MotoGP Podcast, it was greeted by a more passionate crowd than the Italian Grand Prix has enjoyed in Mugello's barren years since home idol Valentino Rossi retired.
So as well as discussing the impact of Bagnaia's win on his title bid, we also delve into what it all means for Italy, MotoGP and Rossi's legacy.
Was Jorge Martin's combination of crash and last-lap position loss a sign of him returning to old bad habits or proof he can actually calmly sustain a title bid even on a bad weekend?
And how big an equipment disadvantage is Marc Marquez up against and is he holding Ducati to ransom over 2025 or just innocently focusing on what's best for him?
We debate those topics, compare Pedro Acosta to Thanos from the Marvel movies and Val wrecks his house while discussing stewarding and penalties - but his rage isn't the for the reason you might expect.

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Has Bagnaia now filled Italy's Rossi gap?

Pecco Bagnaia went from a bizarre final lap crash while leading MotoGP's Catalan Grand Prix sprint to pulling off a very intelligent Sunday race win that keeps things poised in the title fight.
But he was just one of three riders to crash from the sprint lead - all for different reasons. And with Bagnaia, championship leader Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez finding ways to all take nearly identical points hauls from Barcelona despite having wildly contrasting weekends, this strange event gives Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer plenty to delve into on The Race MotoGP Podcast.
That includes the latest round of 2025 rider market talk, with Aleix Espargaro's retirement announcement - and surprise likely next move - kicking things off, new talk of how Ducati might resolve its Martin/Marquez factory seat debate emerging and some very leftfield moves appearing in paddock speculation.
Throw in Enea Bastianini protesting the stewards by ignoring their penalties and Val and Simon having a passionate argument over Yamaha's form, and there's plenty packed into the episode.

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Bagnaia saves his title bid

We debate YOUR suggestions for what to change about MotoGP in the latest episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast.
And we've never had such a huge influx of listener input when we've done a callout for questions or suggestions.
With the 2027 rules freshly announced and plenty in the paddock making suggestions for what they think could be better about MotoGP regulations, organisation, officiating or promotion, your ideas covered everything from rules preventing riders remounting after crashes to MotoGP test chances for Moto2 stars to race format rejigs and electronic active suspension.
All that, and much more, is debated by Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer.

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What YOU'D change about MotoGP

MotoGP 2024's 'big three' Jorge Martin, Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez produced an absolutely epic French Grand Prix weekend at Le Mans between them.
But which of them looks most like the 2024 champion, and are two of them set to be 2025 team-mates?
Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer delve into both elements of that situation in The Race MotoGP Podcast, assessing what Le Mans told us about the trio's various strengths in the title fight and the varied scenarios around who Ducati will place where in 2025.
The future of championship leader Martin's Pramac team is another key element of that jigsaw that's discussed.
KTM's enormous reliance on Pedro Acosta, the prospect of Acosta and Martin as team-mates and Aprilia's place in both the title fight and the rider market are also delved into.
Plus Simon gives his take on the incredible French GP crowd experience and how their heroes Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco tackled coming to their home race on uncompetitive bikes.
Don't forget in the next episode we'll be debating YOUR ideas for how to improve MotoGP. Send them in written or voice note form to podcasts@the-race.com or contact us via our MotoGP social media channels @theracemoto on X or Instagram.
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IN-DEPTH: Grand Prix racing's 500cc monsters

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