In 1776, Adam Smith famously speculates on the concept of a free market and coins the term 'capitalism'. Then, in 2026, the organizers of MotoGP suddenly announce that Philip Island is gone from the official roster of the tournament. Coincidence? We think not! 

Yes, it's the cruel, cold, capitalist culling of a great circuit and the hosts are not amused. In fact, Mat's literally sick of it and has come down with an awful flu. But just like a certain racing organization, we're a bunch of brutal bastards - so get that man in front of a mic, pronto! 

And you, too, better press that play button. Because today we're discussing what it means to lose Philip Island, why this decision was made, what precedents it sets and why it's both aggravating and frightful. 

And stick around, because we've got plenty of other things, too, that we need to discuss before we start racing next week. Like, what bike do we now have the highest technical expectations of? Is it possible for riders to unionize? And what is the best way to keep your temper around awful bikes? Heads up: that last one might be particularly interesting to one specific rider...can you guess who? 

Please write down your guess on a piece of paper, open up a drink and press play to see if you were right...

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