Tank Slappers - A Motorsport Network MotoGP Podcast

Honda finally announced the return of Mark Marquez over the weekend. Which version of Marquez will we see at Portimao? After being off a MotoGP bike for so long, it was always going to be a challenge to come back, let alone at a particularly difficult circuit. Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont analyse the challenges facing Marquez, and tackle some of the questions raised about how he will fare this weekend.

It was a race which ended in a commanding victory but was anything but predictable.  Relive the drama in Doha with Lewis Duncan  and Oriol Puigdemont.

Maverick Viñales drew first blood in the 2021 MotoGP World Championship with a commanding victory on his Yamaha in the Qatar Grand Prix. 

The Spaniard had shown strong race pace throughout testing and practice for the Qatar GP, but all too often in recent years has that form disappeared and Vinales left to offer a meek showing on Sundays.

But, despite being monstered by four Ducatis at the start, the new-and-improved Vinales took control of the improved Yamaha to carve his way through from sixth at the end of lap one to score his ninth MotoGP victory by over a second. 

World champion Joan Mir transformed his fortunes in the race from 10th on the grid only to be denied a podium on the run to the line by Johann Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia. 

Pol Espargaro’s Honda debut was an “amazing” start - though he was left “angry” by the end result - while Fabio Quartararo was at a loss to explain his deficit to his Yamaha team-mate Vinales. 

Marc Marquez will not race in this weekend's opening round of the 2021 MotoGP season in Qatar, nor in the follow-up Doha Grand Prix as he continues recovering from injury.

 

The Honda rider has only recently been able to start training on motorcycles again following his third operation on the right arm he broke in last July's Spanish GP.

In the latest Tank Slappers Podcast, Autosport's Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont discuss Marquez's decision and what effect it will also have on the grid this weekend in Qatar. 

The 2021 MotoGP season is just around the corner and it’s a big one for Suzuki rider Joan Mir.

The Spaniard stunned the world in 2020 by winning his first MotoGP world title in just his second year in the class, ending a 20-year wait for Suzuki in the process.

Now he gears up for the new campaign beginning on 28 March in Qatar with the target firmly on his back as he braces for the defence of his title.

Pre-season testing was solid for Suzuki, though Mir admitted afterwards he felt only “70%” ready for the first race having not had enough time to properly evaluate the 2021 Suzuki chassis.

The results from the Qatar tests suggest MotoGP is set for an even tighter campaign in 2021.

So we sat down with Mir and his crew chief Frankie Carchedi to discuss their pre-season, their championship-winning bond and how they are feeling ahead of the new season for a special edition of the Tank Slappers Podcast.

The MotoGP pre season for 2021 has come to a close two weeks before the first race. We think there are two main conclusions: 3 of the Yamaha's are very fast, and Miller on the Ducati will be a big threat. But what are the other lessons we learned from the testing at Qatar? Which riders and teams still be struggling when the season gets underway? Join Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont to find out.

The 2021 MotoGP season is drawing closer, with the first of two pre-season tests in Qatar taking place last weekend.

New factory Yamaha signing Fabio Quartararo topped the test outright as he got work evaluating the M1’s new chassis, though wasn’t totally sold on it just yet.

Ducati debuted a new aero concept, with Jack Miller going second fastest overall, while Aprilia made encouraging steps forward with its all-new RS-GP after Aleix Espargaro ended the test third quickest.

KTM remained under the radar as none of its race riders tested its new engine, while Suzuki even cast its eye towards 2022 with the debut of a prototype engine for next season.

And at Honda, Pol Espargaro got to grips with his new machine - though found it “stressful” not knowing the limits of the bike just yet.

In the latest Tank Slappers podcast, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss what we learned from the first pre-season test of 2021.

Firstly, on a sad note, we lost one of the biggest and brightest personalities in the paddock - Fausto Gresini. We pay our tribute and talk about how highly regarded he was.

Despite winning half of 2020’s MotoGP races, Yamaha factory riders struggled for consistency and came up well short of the title. After its 2021 launch event, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss Yamaha’s prospects for the season ahead