Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 324: MotoGP Season Preview With Simon Crafar

By David Emmett | Wed, 22/03/2023 - 23:57

With the 2023 MotoGP season on the verge of its opening race, the Paddock Pass Podcast crew gathered with a special guest to look ahead to the year. Former 500cc grand prix winner and MotoGP pit lane expert Simon Crafar joins Steve English, Adam Wheeler, Neil Morrison, and David Emmett to look back at testing and look ahead at the year to come.

As usual, we cover a huge amount of ground, and Simon Crafar gives us some spectacular insight into the mind of a racer. We walk through our biggest surprises of the preseason, who we expect to be the biggest disappointment, give our predictions for top independent rider and world champion, and give our opinions of sprint races.

Sprint Races: The Right Answer To The Wrong Question

By David Emmett | Wed, 22/03/2023 - 23:49

In its 75th season, the premier class of grand prix motorcycle racing is to introduce something revolutionary. For the first time since Assen moved race day at the Dutch TT to Sunday, MotoGP is to race on a Saturday. 2023 sees the introduction of sprint races, half-distance races to be held at the end of the day on Saturday, in addition to the usual full-length races on Sunday.

If you want to know exactly how this will work, I would refer you to the piece I wrote on Monday, answering most of the questions I have seen on the MotoGP sprint races. But it is worth asking what Dorna hope to achieve by the introduction of sprint races.

The short answer, of course, is to add some excitement to the series, and better value for spectators at the circuits. "It's time to give MotoGP more exposure, not only on television but also to the fans," said FIM president Jorge Viegas at the presentation of the new schedule at the Red Bull Ring in 2022. "We need more fans, we need a better spectacle, and we are going to fill the schedule on Saturdays."

Empty grandstands

This had been brought into stark contrast last year at some tracks. Attendance at the Portimão round of MotoGP had been mediocre, and Jerez had a little sparse. Mugello was almost deserted, a track where previously the hillsides had been packed. By contrast, Le Mans was sold out, and Assen was not far off being full. The German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring was heaving with fans, back to pre-pandemic levels.

2023 MotoGP FAQ: Everything You Wanted To Know About Sprint Races But Were Afraid To Ask

By David Emmett | Mon, 20/03/2023 - 23:54

The MotoGP championship faces one of the biggest shakeups in recent years in 2023. The biggest change is of course the introduction of sprint races (or "Sprints", as Dorna is trying to insist on calling them). That change, allied with a calendar expanded to 21 rounds, has a lot of knock-on effects in the championship.

All of this is likely to confuse regular fans who have committed the former schedule to memory. And it will confuse new fans, who are still struggling to work out what happens when during a MotoGP weekend.

To help you keep track of the new schedule and the sprint races, here's your handy FAQ for the most important changes to MotoGP for the 2023.

What The Actual Sprint?

What is this "sprint race" you speak of?

Sprint races are a new, shorter race added to the schedule. Only the MotoGP class will have sprint races, Moto2 and Moto3 will have just the one main race on Sunday, as last year. Dorna wants you not to call them "sprint races", but to refer to them as "Sprints". This request is almost certain to fall on deaf ears, especially as the FIM sporting regulations refers to them as "Sprint races".

When does the sprint race happen?

Saturday, 3pm local time. Sprint races will have a big impact on the schedule. I'll explain more later though.

How long is a sprint race?

Interview: Pecco Bagnaia's Crew Chief Cristian Gabarrini On Bagnaia's Turnaround, Sprint Races, Ride-Height Devices, And Rider Feedback

By David Emmett | Mon, 20/03/2023 - 09:15


Cristian Gabarrini (right) celebrating with Pecco Bagnaia after winning the Dutch TT at Assen in 2022

It is hard to overstate just how big the turnaround of Pecco Bagnaia's season was in 2022. Going into the Dutch TT at Assen, Bagnaia trailed championship leader Fabio Quartararo by 91 points. Ten races later, Bagnaia clinched the championship at Valencia with an advantage of 17 points. The Italian had clawed back 108 points in ten races, an average of nearly 11 points a race.

The man who helped Bagnaia achieve that incredible comeback has experience winning world championships. Ducati Lenovo Team crew chief Cristian Gabarrini already had two MotoGP titles under his belt with Casey Stoner, first at Ducati, then at Honda. He oversaw Marc Márquez' first championship in 2013, as technical advisor in the Repsol Honda team, before returning to Ducati.

He is a quiet, modest man, softly spoken, who weighs his words carefully. That meticulousness is also apparent in his work as a crew chief: Pecco Bagnaia's garage is well organized and well run, the bike always ready for Bagnaia when he needs it. He is thoughtful, his responses to questions revealing a very sharp intellect indeed.

At Sepang, I had a long and very in-depth interview with Cristian Gabarrini. We spoke about the pressure of defending a championship, how sprint races will change MotoGP this season, how Pecco Bagnaia turned his season around, and the change Gabarrini saw in the Italian.

2023 Portimão Moto2 Test Combined Test: Acosta Impresses, Aldeguer Challenges

By David Emmett | Sun, 19/03/2023 - 21:48

Pedro Acosta has ended preseason testing for the Moto2 class at the head of the pack, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider taking two tenths of a second off of Raul Fernandez' 2021 Moto2 lap record.

Fermín Aldeguer continues his strong showing with the Speed Up team, taking second, and only the second rider to lap the Portimão circuit under 1'42 on a Moto2 machine. Aron Canet was third quickest on the Pons Los40 Kalex, ahead of Somkiat Chantra of Honda Team Asia and Sam Lowes of Marc VDS.

Combined times from all three days:

2023 Portimão Moto3 Test Combined Test: Rossi And Rueda Under Lap Record As Testing Ends

By David Emmett | Sun, 19/03/2023 - 21:42

With the final three days of testing under their belts, the Moto3 riders head into the first grand prix of the 2023 season in a week's time. Sic58 Squadra Corse rider Riccardo Rossi ended the test on top of the pile, diving under Sergio Garcia's record from 2021 by a few hundredths of a second. Red Bull KTM Ajo and rookie José Antonio Rueda was third fastest, ahead of David Muñoz on the BOE Motorsports KTM. Ayumi Sasaki was the fastest Husqvarna in fourth, just ahead of Moto3 veteran Romano Fenati.

Combined times from all three days:

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