Sometimes a weekend just can't help but go your way. Take Marc Marquez, maybe the luckiest man on the grid right now. It seems this tournament really is going down to the wire, and playing a giant part in that is just how good these Aprilia bikes are right now. Playing four-in-a-row with a race's top positions is the kind of game we're used to seeing from Ducati, but it seems that The Other Italian Manufacturer is beating those Bologna Boys at their own game.

And then there is the hero of the hour, Raul Fernandez, with his exceptional finger work. How a man who has used his index finger for braking his entire life can just switch like that remains a mystery, even to Mat and Peter. And guess what: they know the brakes!

So get yourself a drink and get ready to hear us tell you all about the race at Mandalika this weekend. 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!

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Sometimes, a race summary sounds surprisingly like a rather laborous romantic rendez-vous: there was quite a lot of tension, not a lot of excitement and the outcome involved lots of rubber while each party involved is trying to finish as fast as humanly possible.

It's the latest chapter in a championship that refuses to appoint a clear winner and is all the better for it. Say what you want, this year is one for the books.

Speaking of those rubbers, what exactly was going on with the tires this weekend? Was there really a perfect option that almost everyone missed? Or is the story slightly more complicated? Not to spoil the surprise, but I'd place my money on the latter. Maybe our hosts Mat and Peter will know what's up...

So let's just dive right in this week as we take a look at Motegi 2026, Mat pontificates on World War Three and Peter presents a very controversial opinion. Also, there's lots of smoke being blown up arses.

Here we go, you weird perverts!

---

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!

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

With a small break in the racing this week, you'd think we’re taking it easy. But unsurprisingly for a sport in which speed is everything, things can move quite quickly and your hosts Mat and Peter have some big things to discuss this week.

So let's turn back the clock to last week, when Sunday's race was immediately followed by Monday's tests. And this is a big one, because there won't be much time until Valencia and then the pre-season testing in December. A new bike is always exciting, but this year's batch is extra special because we're saying goodbye to the current 1000cc bikes and welcoming a new generation of 850cc machines. It seems a downgrade, but there's some solid reasoning here: bikes are getting too fast, which means dangerous situations and impossible tracks. Also, it just doesn't give us very exciting racing. So sometimes, change can be good.

There's just one slight problem: these new bikes are really, really bleeding fast. In fact, they seem to be way faster than the current generation! While exact lap times aren't available publicly, it appears these new machines might shave off as much as a full second. It's ironic, but imagine the disappointment of spending potentially millions of dollars on developing a new engine - only to then discover that your racing bike is now too fast. They reduced the power, but they didn't reduce the performance.

So what's going on here? Are we looking at an accidental miracle of engineering? Or is there something else going on? With all due respect for the brilliant engineers working in this sport, Mat and Peter think it might be the latter that's at fault here. But to understand that, we first need to take a look at how the performance of a bike isn't just dependent on raw power alone. Instead, speed is a package deal. There’s tires, aerodynamics, weight, electronics and all the other things that make you fly. And all of those elements are subject to new rules and sometimes even whole new manufacturers, causing the end result to be something quite volatile and unpredictable.

Luckily, Mat and Peter are just itching to get to that whole picture and analyse it from every angle. Sounds like a good time? Yeah, I thought so too. 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!

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!