Ready for racing? So is everyone, but there’s one more test we need to talk about first – and it’s an event that shows some very interesting changes... 

Welcome to Buriram, Thailand. It’s the last chance to get everything in order before the big circus starts. If you’re a competitor, this is the moment you most want your tech to be not just cutting edge, but also on the exact right side of familiar so you can be in complete control of it. Unless you’re Ducati, and you just decide to go back to last year’s engine. 

Say what?

Yes, it might sound weird, but Mat and Peter believe it’s not that outlandish. In fact, they’ve seen things like this before and have a pretty good idea what might be causing it. The answer involves things like engine breaking and crankshaft inertia, and if you know what those things mean you’re going to love this. And if you don’t know, we’ll just explain it so you do – and then just see the previous sentence. 

We’ve also got some interesting insights into why the Yamaha handles not completely unlike a rally car and get ready to meet the new Aprilla, which looks to be very friendly. Oh, and Peter admits he might have underestimated a rider...but also tells us who he thinks needs a stern talking to! Watch 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! 

We're back, we're back, we're finally back at the track! It might be a few weeks until the next season officially kicks off, but Mat and Peter need their fix yesterday. 

The solution? Send them to Sepang, where every team is getting their last tests in before the championship starts. It's hot, it's humid and when the rider kicks their machine into high gear, the power and the vibration will shakes your sternum all the way from the pitlane to the cheap seats. Man, it's good to be back!

So this week, come join us in the pitlane as your hosts dodge incoming riders and get in some final observations before we are, quite literally, off to the races...

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! 

Beattie. Doohan. Rossi. What do these legends all have in common? Well, they all had their bikes worked on by Alex Briggs, for starters. This week, we're interviewing one of MotoGP's old veteran mechanics. He's the man who saw 26 seasons and multiple championship victories before retiring in 2020, and he's got some great stories for us...

This week, join us as we discover what it was like to work with some of MotoGP's greatest riders and what drove them. Want to know why Doohan needed a different kind of anger to go fast than Rossi? What it was like to work with one of the best bikes of it's era's, before moving on to one of its more infamous? Or how to accidentally go viral on racing Twitter? Well, stick around because we're about to 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! 

 We've got another guest! This week, we're calling Frankie Carchedi. You might have heard of him - he's one of the legendary crew chiefs currently working in MotoGP, winning the 2020 championship with Joan Mir and working with Marc Márquez last year. And since one of our hosts has experience as a crew chief himself, we've got plenty of questions!

So, how do you deal with a rider's ego without shattering it? What tells you if a disappointing result is an issue with the rider, the tech or both? And that's not even getting into the secret strategy for using tires. Or a small discussion on the proper application of the tickling of riders' balls. Cheers everyone!

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! 

We've got a special guest this week, and if you've seen the title of this podcast you can probably guess who it is...

...that's right, it's the return of the legendary Livio Suppo!

So, what's on the menu today? Well, we're gearing up for what promises to be a spectacular season and we don't know what the outcome will be. There's top riders being positioned into intense rivalries, there's old paddock mainstays like KTM in dire, dire straits and there's technology that can make all the difference...if you can get your hands on it. Add to that the future passing of the reigns from Dorna to Liberty Media, and it becomes clear that this is the start of an era that's becoming stranger and more interesting by the day. We don't know what's going to happen - but we have Livio's number, so let's give him a ring and pick his brain about things. Shall we? 

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! 

Remember December? If not, don't worry, it's all a little blurry for us as well. Well, just before the holidays we discussed the top twelve riders and what the upcoming season might have in store from them. Which is all well and good, but what about the bikes? WHAT ABOUT THE BIKES?!

Well, don't worry because this week Mat and Peter are dusting off the old crystal ball to look at what MotoGP's next season might look like from a more...mechanical point of view. We're going to look at each manufacturer and their bikes, so we can ask where they are at, what they need and what could really throw a wrench in their plans.

Oh, and that last question might be a little more literal than you're imagining...

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! 

STOP! DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS AUDIO! THIS IS MEANT TO BE A VIDEO. GO WATCH IT ON OUR PATREON OR ON YOUTUBE!

Okay, still here? Hello, this is producer Sam. Normally, I'd be writing a description for our new episode here, but we're kicking off the new year with a very special scoop and we're going to need video to show it to you. I've put the audio here, but if you choose to listen to it rather than view it you will probably end up being incredibly confused. So go to our Patreon or YouTube, press play, kick back and enjoy!

Oh, and don't worry: next week, it's all back to our regular scheduled broadcasting!

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! 

Hey everyone! This week, I'm afraid that Mat and Peter are lost in the late-December limbo. So instead, we're giving all of you a holiday present in the form of a (formerly) Patreon-exclusive post. This interview with Casey was first published in March, and was one of the first things we uploaded exclusively for our subscribers. Like this? Then why not start 2025 with a subscription to our Patreon, and get cool stuff like this on the regular? Trust us – you’ll love it! We'll be back with you in 2025, so see you all in the new year!

Cheers,
Mat, Peter and Sam

Original Patreon description follows below: 

Mat's been a journalist for longer than our producer's been alive, so he's got quite the archive. For this series we've asked him to pick some of his favourites, and we're kicking things of with the legend himself: Casey Stoner!

 Mat called Casey to talk about how his riding technique changed over the course of his career, from the 990cc to 800cc and the inevitable 1000cc. Mat: “And oh my god, he's so fucking good at explaining how he rides the thing!"

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! 

 Ho ho ho! Are you feeling the holiday spirit yet? No? Well, have we got just the thing for you: a visit from Father Christmas himself! No, not Saint Nick – we’re talking about the one and only Kevin Schwantz, wearing a funny little red hat!*

Yes, we gave Kevin a ring and he picked up the phone for us. A few minutes later we were talking about his racing career, and before you know it there’s some pretty cool stories being shared. Some of them are about fighting for your life on a machine that seems to have a mind of its own, others are about one of the very best rivalries this sport has ever seen. And some stories may even be about the cheeky projectile launching of edible goods in a restaurant...

So grab yourself some eggnog, turn off the umpteenth rendition of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and gather everybody around the tree, because it’s time for some bloody great stories from the Christmas Schwantz!

*Because of the audio format of this podcast, the hat might be imaginary. On the topic of seasonal headwear, listener discretion is advised.

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! 

 This week, we're getting ready for the holiday season as we count down the Twelve Nights Riders of Christmas! Yes, Mat and Peter have been making a list (and checking it twice) from Bezzecchi to Martin, and they’re about to let you know who’s been naughty or nice…

So, who rides with the strongest emotions? Who has the most fighting spirit, the most crashes, the most wins and the most potential? Who should be proud and full of good cheer, and who might have been slacking a bit and finds coal in their socks?

There’s only one way to find out, so grab a drink, hit play and get ready...

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!