The Race MotoGP Podcast

Pedro Acosta is FINALLY a MotoGP grand prix winner - though only after putting KTM through the agony of his sprint blunder first.

Simon and Val report from the Austrian Grand Prix on that error, that breakthrough win yet another title fight twist, as problems for Marc Marquez and a mysterious lack of Ducati pace coincided with perhaps Jorge Martin's strongest Aprilia weekend yet.

Plus we answer The Race Members' Club's questions on everything from Taka Nakagami to Brad Binder and a particularly woeful Yamaha weekend.

Get our MotoGP insight straight to your inbox - Sign up for our new MotoGP newsletter The Lean Angle here!

Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our Revisited series, ad-free listening and more!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Marquez leads the MotoGP riders’ standings for the first time in 2026 after his Misano double win coincided with a weekend of pain for Aprilia.

Given how many races Marquez has missed, his injury struggles, and Aprilia often having the better bike, is Marquez on course for his greatest MotoGP championship win so far?

That’s one of the questions Val Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson and Eden Hannigan debate on the San Marino Grand Prix episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast.

Plus whether Marco Bezzecchi is psychologically strong enough for the pressures of a title fight and whether Jorge Martin is just not quite as fast as he used to be - regardless of Sunday’s arm pump issues.

Get our MotoGP insight straight to your inbox - Sign up for our new MotoGP newsletter The Lean Angle here!

Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our Revisited series, ad-free listening and more!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Development work and access to Pirelli tyres are at the centre of a genuine row between Yamaha and its Honda-bound MotoGP factory rider Fabio Quartararo.

But does Quartararo have a point, or is he simply being petulant?

The Race MotoGP Podcast crew of Matt Beer, Val Khorounzhiy and Simon Patterson discuss the merits of Quartararo's gripe - and talk about other seasons by riders on their way out, like Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia.

Then they give a preview of the championship run-in.

Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Marquez made a massive stride forward in the MotoGP title fight by winning both races at Aragon, but his 2027 Ducati team-mate Pedro Acosta gave him a few unexpected headaches along the way.

At a track where the other KTMs were miles behind, Acosta’s hassling of Marquez felt a little like a prelude to next season. But was Marquez just playing with him?

Val Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson and Matt Beer debate that on The Race MotoGP Podcast, plus whether Marquez is having to rely too much on his specialist circuits and, if so, whether he has enough of them left to beat the Aprilias to the title.

Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who has been the best MotoGP rider of the 2026 season so far?

Val Khorounzhiy ranks every rider after each MotoGP race weekend, and he's compiled a worst-to-best ranking by awarding points to each rider for their placement every weekend.

He presents the list unedited - so it purely reflects where each rider has placed in his rankings each week (and Matt Beer's for Assen) - so he, Matt and Simon Patterson can discuss it on the latest episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast.

Make sure you're signed up to The Race Members' Club to get exclusive MotoGP bonus content, ask questions for the podcast and ask about Val's rider rankings in the second half of 2026.

Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheRace/membership
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.