Tank Slappers - A Motorsport Network MotoGP Podcast

MotoGP’s delayed 2020 season gets underway this weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix - the first of two races to be held at Jerez in a shortened 13-round calendar.

With testing teeing up an enthralling season before the coronavirus shutdown, the intrigue has only been hieghtened by numerous big-name rider moves during the break.

To preview the new season, Autosport International Editor Lewis Duncan is joined by Motorsport.com’s Global MotoGP Editor Oriol Puigdemont and 13-times 500cc race winner Randy Mamola for a special edition of the Tank Slappers podcast.

Following specualtion that Danilo Petrucci's Austrian visit was to sign for KTM, it has been revealed that he will join the Tech3 team for 2021. Whilst it is a factory-supported team, it doesn't look like the obvious move to put a race winner into the satellite team. We ask: has KTM made a mistake by putting him with Tech3?

Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont talk about Danilo Petrucci's move to KTM as the next part of the 2021 rider market jigsaw puzzle falling into place. As he spend time in Austria introducing himself to the team, our sources suggested that a KTM contract was already signed. It was the most logical move for KTM, a team which is fast running out of too many options.

MotoGP has unveiled a revised calendar of 13 races for the 2020 season, with doubler-header events featuring heavily and no guarantee of any overseas races happening this year. What will be the rules for anyone going into the paddock? What will it mean for the riders and teams? Can WE go along to report on the races? And how will this affect the teams which go racing on a very tight budget? All those questions answered with your hosts Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont.

Lewis Duncan is joined by Oriol Puigdemont to talk about Pol Espargaro leaving KTM at the end of 2020 to join Marc Marquez at the factory Honda team for the 2021 season. After three years with KTM Espargaro was linked with Ducati but, following last week’s news about Jack Miller moving across from Pramac, that avenue was closed off.

Lewis Duncan is joined by Oriol Puigdemont to talk about Jack Miller officially becoming a Ducati factory team rider for the 2021 season, in a significant move as another young rider gets the opportunity of a factory seat. Also, as the British and Australian MotoGP races have been called off for this season, we ask if MotoGP will be racing at Jerez in July.

Lewis Duncan is joined by Oriol Puigdemont, from a very wet and rainy Australia! On the show today they talk about how Rossi will want to be supported by the right engineers at Petronas SRT in 2021 if the long-rumoured move comes off. Plus, when racing starts in 2020, we talk about why races will only happen in Europe.

Suzuki has firmed up half of its line-up for the 2021 MotoGP season after it confirmed it had retained the services of Alex Rins. If they retain Joan Mir as well, this week's Tank Slappers podcast asks if that makes them the most exciting pairing on the grid for 2021. With two young talented riders pushing each other, it could give Suzuki more wins to follow up their recent successes.

Production has stopped on road bikes and development has stopped on their race bikes. Both sides of their business are affected by the COVID-19 crisis. So what does this mean for the two Ducati factories and the staff who work across the company? Plus we ask if this break could influence the decision to have 21 races on the calendar and what about the costs spiralling over the next few years?

Last week Aprilia MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone was handed an 18-month competition ban for an anti-doping infringement, whilst he has maintained his innocence, claiming that ingestion of the steroid came from contaminated food. Why is this case not straightforward and what does it mean for MotoGP? Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont are on the case.