VIDEO ALERT! We've got Mat and Peter taking a stroll across Jerez, and that's the episode version I'd most recommend!

There's this thing called the law of opposites. You know: for every Ying, there's a Yang. For every good thing, a bad thing. For every exciting sprint, one boring race. 

Oh bloody hell, we weren't allowed to say that!

Well never mind anyway, because it won't stay boring if you look a little closer. And you know who's really good at that? That's right, your hosts Mat and Peter! 

It's a little cliche to call Jerez "Marquez-country", but there's good reason: in the past, the Spanish 'King of Chaos' has always ruled supreme over his kingdom here. But this year, something's seriously wrong. Marc was out in the second lap; not a great sign for his condition this season. And now the king's younger brother reigns in his stead, while Aprilia is steadily cementing itself further and further as best in class. 

And right in the middle of this? Mat and Peter, taking a stroll across the grid. Want to come backstage with us and see what they thought of it all? Then jump in! 

(Small note: today's episode is pretty short, but tune in tomorrow night for a special surprise!)

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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!  

The song during the sponsor segment is called Dolphin Shores by flowerhead. 

And thanks to our sponsors, OnTrack Experiences. Check them out if you want an easy all-in-one package for your favourite race!

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

 Here's MotoGP. Here's World Superbike. Quickly: what's the biggest difference?

Speed, of course! Or at least that's what the answer would have been at any point in history. But here we are, at the threshold of the biggest rule shake-up in the history of the sport, laying down new regulations on aerodynamics, ride height devices, fuel and engine capacity. All to slow down the machines to a level where squishy humans won't get turned into goo when their bike flips out on a track that was never build for this kind of velocity. 

That this might end up bringing them below the top speed of a World Superbike machine was NOT the intended outcome - but it is a very real possibility that now confronts the sport. 

So, what's really going on and what is the new management going to do about it? Well, since they own both tournaments they've got plenty of options. But before all that, we might want to ask what's really going on here. 

Are superbikes faster than MotoGP-machines? Yes, sometimes, in very specific contexts. And to understand how that works, I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of Mat and Peter. 

Take it away, boys! 

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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

It's tiny. It's kind of hard to reach. It gets used at the start of the race, and then it gets folded away. Oh, and for riders and engineers it's the last big tool to shave off precious time in the corners. 

That's right, this week Peter's coming in clutch with a deep dive into...the clutch! How does it work, what influence does it have and why are these devices so different in MotoGP, compared to the ones on your own bike? 

Mat wants to know, and Peter has got the know-how. Some of it is proven, other bits are reconstructed from observation. So come with us as we courageously construct critical clutch knowledge...cheers!

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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: 
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

When not writing descriptions for episodes of the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast, I love to spend time on games. And I mean games in every format, from ancient boardgames to weird videogames and, of course, racing. It's not just about playing them, but also about appreciating the design behind them; the way every little aspect has been tweaked just so, in order to make it fun and meaningful. 

So trust me when I say: making a game flow right is so, so much harder than you'd think.

Why am I telling you this? Because I need you to understand how horrifyingly titanic a task it would be if someone walked up to you and asked you to build a multimillion dollar racing track...that feels good. Yet that is exactly the task that our guest of today specializes in. Everyone, give a round of applause for Bob Barnard!

Funny fact: he made a track called Phillip Island. 
(We miss it dearly!)

Anyway, we decided to give Bob a call and see if we could get him to tell us the juicy truths of track design. Luckily for us, he picked up - and here's the chat. Bob, it's been an honor! 

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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: 
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

During the week, he's an unassuming MotoGP-rider. But when the weekend comes around and Sunday's knocking, he changes into...Super Sunday Boy! This week, will our superhero have a mighty collision before parking his bike all the way at the front? 

Yes, he can! 

And speaking of the front, something we didn't find there was Ducati. Forget about that beautiful uninterrupted streak of victories last year - this season, they're being passed left and right in the same corner. So what is going on here? 

We've watched and understood it all, in a way we very much can't say about the Baggers! 

Oh, and on another note, remember we talked about sponsors during the Q&A-episode? Well, we got a lot of responses from you all...and something might be brewing!

Cheers!

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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

It's the second race of the season, and MotoGP is back in Brazil. It's been absolute ages since we've last been to the Autodromo Internacional de Goiania, so how has it faired? Well, they say love starts with first impressions - and Goiana definitely delivered. She's short, she's wet (especially after the rain), she's wild...and she's got a sinkhole that's ready to mingle! To quote Mat: "At least it gives you an interesting memory."

(Cue the Liberty Media exec's kicking their TVs: "Four billion pounds...for this?!")

In other news: Aprilia continues to impress, while KTM and Honda are scrambling to not start the season with too much of a stumble. And then there's Marc Marquez, whose fight with Fabio Di Giannantonio ended with both riders overtaken by Jorge Martin. Was this a normal error on Marquez' part? A nasty consequence of that infamous injury? Or is everybody's favourite alien...becoming suddenly human?
Marc, for his part, blames the asphalt.

And then we've got to talk about Bezzecchi, taking home the second win in a row, and so much more. Cheers!

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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

Last week, we asked our dear Patrons if they had any questions for us. And, well, you know the drill: lots of you responded, we picked our favourites and finally Mat and Peter do their best to answer them in an hour or so. Right?

I mean, how many questions in need of resolution could there possibly be?

Well, let's just say that if you normally pour yourself a glass for these episodes, then this time you might want to bring the bottle. Or just bring the whole damn cask, because we'll be here for awhile. If your question was: "What's the longest episode you've ever done?", then you've already found your answer here...

...Two hours, baby! 

So come hang out with us as we answer all your questions, and I do mean all your questions. Oh, and we've got mail from Graham Norton and other celebs! Or someone with the same name - but that NEVER happens on the internet, right? 

Cheers!

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

It's all good times for Aprilia. Their hardware is proving top-notch at the track, and even after one race they've already got some spectacular results in the pocket. In fact, if the world ends tomorrow they'd technically be world champions! But what are the chances of that happening?

In completely unrelated news, are we still doing that Qatar GP or are we canceling it due to a chance of missiles?

And speaking of apocalyptic disasters, we should probably peak over at Ducati and see how they're doing. The numbers don't look great, but there is always more to the story - so we're going to start digging, and we're going to keep digging even if that means we have to engage in some small, reverent grave-robbing over in Bolognia so we might solve the secrets of the desmo...

Oh, and we're also hitting on vortex generators (sounds a bit sci-fi!), dragon's teeth (sounds a bit fantasy!) and potential top speeds (sounds VERY MotoGP!).

Cheers! 

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

 Ah, take a whiff of that! You smell it? It’s that unique scent of jungle, petrol and excitement which can only mean one thing:

MotoGP is back, baby!

Now, you might wonder why we just described the above mentioned (and highly questionable) smell. But you have to understand that Mat is currently at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand while being sick as a dog. Seriously, some vicious flu has got him down and he’s purely holding on through the strength of willpower and lozenges. The poor lad has even had to give up drinking this week! Here’s to hoping he will get through this unfortunate period of sobriety…

Luckily, there’s plenty to take the mind off things as we dive head-first into the opening race of the 2026 season. And will you look at that: it’s Aprilia and KTM dominating! What has given them an edge, and what does this mean for the rest of the season? That’s what we’re here to find out! Also, why on earth is Mat suddenly interested in the Saturday Sprint? Does he have a fever, or is there something more going on here? 

Time to press that play button and find out...

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! 

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...

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!