Valencia GP review podcast: A new champion is crowned
Joan Mir ended a 20-year wait for Suzuki in Sunday’s Valencia Grand Prix when he won the 2020 MotoGP world championship.
The 23-year-old’s rise to MotoGP title glory was rapid, making his debut in Moto3 in 2016 before winning the title the year after. A single season in Moto2 gave way to his MotoGP debut last year with Suzuki.
The most consistent charger this season with six podiums and a grand prix victory, Mir prevailed in the maddest of MotoGP season’s with a seventh-place finish in a “nightmare” Valencia are to seal the title with a round to spare. Not since Kenny Roberts Jr in 2000 has Suzuki crowned a MotoGP world champion, with Mir joining an elite list of six to have achieved that honour with the Japanese manufacturer.
In the latest Tank Slappers Podcast, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss MotoGP’s newest world champion.
They also delve into the conundrum that is Yamaha, after the 2020 M1 runners struggled while Franco Morbidelli took victory on his 2019 bike, while also discussing Cal Crutchlow’s MotoGP future.
How Mir became Suzuki’s humble MotoGP hero
Miller: "Unreal" to return to MotoGP podium at Valencia GP
The Rossi-less future MotoGP must now navigate
Motorcycle racing's greatest showman has left the stage, as Valentino Rossi calls time on his remarkable career on two wheels. But in his successors, all of whom were inspired by 'the Doctor', grand prix racing has vibrant new acts to keep us hooked
Valentino Rossi’s 10 greatest MotoGP races
As the Italian legend finally bows out and retires from MotoGP, it marks the end of one of the most incredible careers in motorsport history. Here is Motorsport.com's pick of his best rides and the stories behind them
How Ducati has drawn first blood in the 2022 MotoGP title race
The 2021 MotoGP season may have only just ended but preparations for 2022 are well underway following a two-day test at Jerez this week. Ducati has hit the ground running while a lack of progress dominated Yamaha’s and world champion Fabio Quartararo’s test. While no battle lines have been drawn yet for 2022, it appears Ducati has already drawn first blood...
Why Suzuki's quest for a new MotoGP boss may be too late
Suzuki is on the search for a new team manager after its decision not to replace Davide Brivio at the start of 2021 was backed up by its unsuccessful bid to help Joan Mir defend his 2020 MotoGP world title. But whoever Shinichi Sahara appoints next, it may have already come too late to convince Mir to stick with the project
How Rossi got the perfect send-off to his MotoGP career
The greatest chapter in MotoGP history came to a close at the Valencia Grand Prix as Valentino Rossi bid farewell after 26 seasons of grand prix racing. While his run to a strong 10th was a pleasing end to his time in MotoGP, it was what happened at the front of the grid that capped the Italian's ideal send-off
Why MotoGP's under-fire graduate has a point to prove
OPINION: MotoGP-bound Darryn Binder was already under the microscope as his jump from Moto3 to join RNF's new top-class team was announced. But his crash with title hopeful Dennis Foggia caused significant consternation among the ranks - with many current riders suggesting the top level should be harder to break into as a result
How Portugal exposed the biggest threat to Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo’s first DNF of his title-winning 2021 MotoGP season couldn’t have come at a better time. But the events of the Yamaha rider’s Algarve Grand Prix exposed the M1’s well-known major weakness, which could threaten his championship defence given the increasingly Ducati-heavy makeup of the grid heading into 2022
What's really fuelling junior bike racing's dangerous aggression
The pressure shouldered by young riders is at the root of the increased on-track aggression seen in lower categories of late, which motorcycling's governing bodies want to curb with new rules. But will stopping under-18s from racing in the world championship and capping grid sizes prevent the often desperate acts of youths pursuing their MotoGP dreams?