September 26, 2025 • 34 mins
Marc Marquez has his first chance to lock up the 2025 MotoGP title this weekend in Motegi - can he do it? I preview the Japanese GP, and make picks for the race!
The Rundown:
- Motegi! My preview of Round 17 of the MotoGP Championship - the JapaneseGP
- The Track - hard braking, chances to pass
- The Favorites - this could be the big weekend for Marc?
- The Watch List - Pecco and Pedro are headed in opposite directions
- The Hot Seat - looking for a Honda breakout
- The Picks! For the Sprint and MotoGP races (and a title prediction)
Who do you think will win the JapaneseGP? Let me know on Facebook or the Motoweek Reddit Sub.
Find all of the latest episodes at Motoweek.net, follow on Bluesky and Instagram – and you can support the show on Patreon!
Thanks for listening!
The Rundown:
- Motegi! My preview of Round 17 of the MotoGP Championship - the JapaneseGP
- The Track - hard braking, chances to pass
- The Favorites - this could be the big weekend for Marc?
- The Watch List - Pecco and Pedro are headed in opposite directions
- The Hot Seat - looking for a Honda breakout
- The Picks! For the Sprint and MotoGP races (and a title prediction)
Who do you think will win the JapaneseGP? Let me know on Facebook or the Motoweek Reddit Sub.
Find all of the latest episodes at Motoweek.net, follow on Bluesky and Instagram – and you can support the show on Patreon!
Thanks for listening!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Frommotoweek dot net. It's the MotorWeek podcast with your host
Wilson Why Hello, and welcome to motoweek. My name is Willsin.
Thank you so much for listening to the only MotoGP
show on the Internet that has a day job to
worry about. So the good part about being a fully
(00:24):
independent MotoGP show, and what I mean by that is
I don't work for a company. I don't do this
for a living. I just do it for fun, right.
The good part about that is I can give honest opinions,
uninfluenced by a sponsor or a boss, and there's no
pressure to sensationalize or makeup stuff just for a big
headline or extra clicks or extra listens or anything like that.
(00:45):
The downside is that means I got to have a
regular job too, and sometimes jobs kick your ass. And
that's exactly what's happening to me right now. I'm in
the middle of the biggest project I have ever done
at my current job. They threw it at me kind
of midway through last week, so I've definitely been burning
the candle at both ends as a result, and I
(01:07):
apologize that because of that, the show was going up
a day late, but there was no way that there
wasn't going to be a show because Moto GP is
back in action at one of the most fun tracks
in the entire sport and a place that I've always
wanted to go see a race Japan, partially because of
the track itself, partially because the fans are so enthusiastic
(01:30):
and fun, and on top of that, we're on the
verge of a historic championship, and I had to talk
about that because Mark Marquez has a great opportunity to
become just the third Premier class rider in history to
score his seventh Moto GP world title. And for those
that are keeping score, the other ones are a JackAM
(01:52):
Augustini and of course Valentino Rossi. And all Mark has
to do this weekend is gain three that's it, just
three points on his brother Alex to accomplish that, and
that's big enough in and of itself, but of course
he'll then be tied with Valentineo Rossi on championships. He'll
be doing it after his year's long recovery from injury,
(02:15):
his self, demotion to a satellite team, and of course
his age is maybe the biggest factor doing everything he's
done this year while being thirty two years old and
winning the championship potentially with those five rounds left in
the season. So, with all of that on the line
later or not, let's preview Round seventeen of the twenty
(02:36):
twenty five Moto GP World Championship the Japanese GP at
Mobility Resort Motegi. Can I just call it twim ring Motegi.
I'll try my best not to. But it's intil Chigi
Prefecture of Japan, just a couple of hours north of Tokyo.
So let's talk about the track, let's talk about the riders,
and let's talk about whether Mark Marquez can indeed win
(02:59):
the title this weekend. Before we dive in, though, I
do want to take just a brief moment to invite
you over to the website if you've never checked it
out before. You can get all of the latest episodes
as soon as they're released at motoweek dot net. You
can follow on social media. You can go to bluesky
and just search for motoweek, or you can go to
Instagram and follow at motowek USA, and most importantly leave
(03:22):
your comments, especially if Mark wins it this weekend. I
want to know what you think. You can leave those
comments on Facebook at Facebook dot com, slashmotoweek dot net. Yeah,
you have to put the dot net on the end,
it's weird. Or you can head over to the reddit
sub at our slash motoweek. And if you do want
to support the program, you can do that on Patreon,
although it's not required. Like I said a moment ago,
(03:44):
I don't do this for a living, so it's only
if you want to. You can go to Patreon dot
com slash motoweek. All right, so let's dive into Motegi.
And I do realize that there was a MotoGP test
last week on Monday, and we will be talking about
that on an upcoming episode. It's just with everything going
on this week, I didn't have time to really prepare
(04:04):
it the way I wanted to. And I want to
talk about the race before it happens. So let's get started,
and before we get to the riders heading into this weekend,
let's talk about where they're racing. The awesome mobility resort, Motegi,
Twimmering Motegi, whatever you want to call it. There are
two key components to this circuit breaking and acceleration. This
(04:30):
place is legendary for being one of the hardest breaking
tracks in the series, and it's the hardest on breaks.
In fact, you are on the breaks at this track
about a third of every lap, and the breaks heat
up so much as a result that everybody uses the
largest brake rotor allowed in the rule book, and for
a while it was mandated that you had to use
(04:52):
the largest rot setup that was available. I don't know
if it's that way for this year or not, but
I wouldn't be surprised at all if that was still
in the rule bok. So you might be wondering why
why is it such a hard breaking track? Well, I
have a lot of straits there. A lap at Moteke
starts with three consecutive straits, each joined by a pair
of double apex corners, and those corners actually add to
(05:13):
the drama because instead of just trail breaking to the
apex and then drag racing out, those double apexes give
you the chance to use some strategy for lack of
a better word. You can carry some corner speed in,
carry some momentum through the center, plan your line on exit,
and that in turn makes those second and third of
those few short straits deceptively fast and of course then
(05:34):
harder on the breaks. And I think that's a main
reason why, unlike you know, a place like Guitar, which
is you know, trail break to the apex and drag
race off or the red Bull ring, which is that way,
that this place up until the past year or two
hadn't been such a Ducati playground like those other tracks,
because there are these other opportunities. It's not just break
(05:57):
one corner break, it's break and then double ape and
then you're back at it again. Then you emerge from
under the bridge into a short section with a few
flowing corners, and then right back into of course more straits,
but these are more traditional stopping ghost style ones with
hairpins instead of the double apexes. And then you get
all the way to the end, and just to tease
(06:18):
those handling bikes a little bit, the final couple of
corners after you pass under the oval again and go
under another tunnel very much like the finish at ass
and left right chackne giving any bike that can keep
up with the Ducats. And I'm looking at you when
I say that, bez at least a chance to make
a last ditch move for the win, so multiple heartbreaking zones,
(06:41):
which naturally means multiple places to make a pass. And
for me, the really fun part of this track is
the back half, the long run down the back stretch
to turn eleven. It's really easy to overrun that one
since you have to get on the brakes really early,
so for the bravest of the riders out there, that's
a place to create an opportunity. Then you get the
left hander after that going into the final chicane. Both
(07:03):
of those offer up a great place for strategy, and
they don't call that final term victory corner for nothing.
It does have that real acid vibe when it comes
to potentially changing things at the end of a lap
or at the end of a race. So that's where
they're racing. But this place isn't just about the circuit.
It's also about the fans. The Japanese fans are so
(07:25):
over the top enthusiastic about their favorite riders and their
favorite manufacturers. They all show up decked out in every
piece of gear you could possibly imagine, and they make
some stuff at home to bring along too, so the
stands are going to be highly entertaining. If you're watching
all of the practice sessions this weekend, but that's where
they're racing. Now, let's talk about who to watch out for.
(07:48):
And there are going to be a lot of Japanese
fans that are rooting on Mark Marquez obviously all of
those championships for hometown Honda. I'm sure they still have
that affinity for him. So as we start with the
favorites for this weekend, let's chat about mister Marquez, because
unfortunately the news isn't good. Things are looking very shaky
(08:10):
for Mark. I mean, think about it for a second.
He lost in Catalunya. He didn't win the race. Hit
to settle for a second, he wrecked in the Missano sprint,
even though he was up at the front when it happened,
But he wrecked at the Missano sprint and didn't score
a point. Then after that, and this is the one
that really got the media going, he was hard pressed
(08:32):
by Marco Bitzeki, not just on Saturday in that sprint,
but also on Sunday in San Marino, even though he
ended up winning the race. And so you tie all
of that together, not winning a race, not winning another race,
and then having Marco Bitzeki within a second of him
while he did win a race. I don't know, this
(08:55):
could be it. The wheels could be coming off, The
dream could be over for mister Mark Kiss. Okay, of course,
I'm just kidding. Although I have heard people suggest that
the field may be catching Mark. I mean, yeah, Aprilia
definitely are making games in general, but it's really not
the case that they're threatening Mark. They're just getting a
little bit closer to him, which eventually they were going
(09:16):
to do one way or the other. And yeah, Mark
lost the race in Cataloonia to his brother Alex, and
he may have ultimately also lost the sprint in San
Marino to Marco Bozeki had Mark not wrecked out. But
he is still far and away the fastest rider in
Moto GP right now. He has still won two of
the last four point races. And the last time that
(09:39):
Mark didn't win at least one of the weekend's two
races was all the way back in May in Silverstone,
and of course there he still had a double podium.
And so apparently that is like a wheels coming off
the cart situation for Mark Marquez in this day and age,
is a double podium where you don't actually win one
(10:00):
of the two races, and so it would stand to
reason that even if he has an off weekend at Motegi,
that he'll at least double podium this weekend, and the
idea that he's going to do much better than that
is pretty obvious as well, because Mark has everyone on
the grid beat at Motegi in terms of career success.
(10:20):
He has three wins here, eight podiums, and then one
sprint podium in addition, and of course, on top of
all of that, probably the most important factor of Mark's
weekend and the most important motivator of Mark's weekend, He's
looking to wrap up his amazing seventh Moto GP and
ninth overall world championship, and he even brings the stats
(10:42):
in that department as well. Mark has already get this.
He's already clinched three Premier class titles at Motegi, including
his most recent, even though that one was back in
twenty nineteen. Now, that year Motegi wasn't six races from
the end of the season, but that only makes what
he's currently doing all the more impressive. That he's very
(11:04):
likely going to lock things up with so many rounds
and races left to go. So what does Mark need
to do to lock in the title? Well, I mentioned
this moment ago. He just has to gain three points
on his brother Alex. That's it. But keep in mind
that even if Mark wins the sprint and Alex finishes second,
which would get him the three points he needs, those
(11:24):
three points alone will not get him the championship because
remember they still have the Sunday race and Alex could
potentially score those points back. So it's not lock but
there is a very very good chance that Mark is
going to luck in the title on Sunday afternoon. Now
addressing some of the other headlines out there from well
(11:44):
last week in the week before, did Mark punt the
Moto GP racing Cataloonia to his brother to set up
this storybook championship winning day at this track where he's
had so many big moments in the past, and at
the same time avoiding winning it all in Valentino Rossi's
backyard in Misano. Well, I don't think that's the case
(12:05):
at all. That's a lot to plan out because there
was a round in between Catalunya and Motegi where anything
could happen. But hey, even if he did, it doesn't
make a difference. I mean, the points are and have
been so overwhelmingly in his favor that he doesn't even
have to try, and he's gonna win the championship, So
it doesn't matter what he did in Catalunya or what
he did in Misano or didn't do in those races.
(12:28):
Mark you look at the stats, he's still one hundred
percent the best rider in the sport and has still
been winning. So if he was really trying to delay
winning the championship, then we wouldn't see him on top
of podiums than we have in the last two rounds.
And he's also the favorite for this race. I think
he's the favorite to win yet another championship this weekend
as well, and the only rider with even a remote
chance to stop that happens to be the next rider
(12:51):
in the favorites category his brother Alex Marquez, who is
the only rider mathematically still in the race, but even
there where he's hanging on by the thinnest of threads.
The bad news for Alex is that he isn't nearly
as good at Motegi as his brother. His best performance
in Japan was a seventh that was last year, but
(13:13):
just in the sprint. Now, of course, the good news
is that Alex this year, in twenty twenty five is
one of the best examples ever in the history of
mankind of the phrase past performance isn't indicative of future gains,
because he has been fantastic this season at many many
other tracks where he hadn't done anything significant in the past.
(13:37):
And the really good news for Alex Marquez his speed
is back. After three straight bumpy rounds kicking off the
second half, he has been back on it in Catalounya
Anni Misano, with a win, three podiums and a poll
in the last four races. And remember he was leading
that Catalunya sprint before he wrecked out from a decent lead.
(13:59):
And the only riders that have beat him in those races,
and all those races I just mentioned were of course
his brother Mark and then in one Marco Pitzeki. Now
is all of that enough to prevent Mark from gaining
those three points on him? I don't think so. He'll
have to up his game yet another notch for short
even have a remote chance of taking this championship to Indonesia.
(14:23):
I find a rider in the Favorites category this week
is Marco Bitzeki, who came roaring back from a zero
point effort in Catalunya to win the sprint in Misano
and then put real pressure on Mark in the Modal
GP race, not just quickly re establishing that type of
consistency we've seen out of him starting just before the
(14:44):
summer break, but in my opinion, taking yet another step forward,
going from podium challenger to somebody who was able to
actually push Mark Marquez a bit and get the media's
attention and get them questioning what's going on with Mark
right now? Even nothing's going on with Mark, but that
success for bez that's not just a function of the
(15:05):
confidence he's riding with right now, but it's also the
progress that Aprilia have been making with the RSGP heading
into the latter half of the season, turning Marco into
a consistent podium contender, and then in Misano just a
little bit more than that. Now when we talk about Motegi.
Last year, Marco was pretty mid here, seventh in the
(15:28):
Modo GP race, tenth in the sprint, but during his
excellent twenty twenty three season he landed a solid fourth
in the Sunday race behind Jorge Martin, pecobag Yaya and
Mark Marquez. That's certainly understandable, and he was also sixth
in the sprint, so he does have at least some
sort of base confidence wise to build off of here.
And more importantly, not only is Bez racing well, he's
(15:50):
got something to race four, much like Mark trying to
lock down the championship. Marco Pitzeki is only eight points now,
just eight points behind the struggling pecobag Nyaya for third
overall in the rider's standings. Now I think that Alex
Marquez is out of his reach, but the race is
absolutely on for Marco to catch Peco, and I think
(16:12):
it could actually happen this weekend. I mean, that's really
much more on Peco than it is on Bez. So
not only is Marco fast, but most certainly motivated to
keep his podium momentum going and keep that pressure on
third overall in the rider's standings. And since we brought
up the topic of the struggling Peco bag Yaya, let's
start with him as we move on from the favorites
(16:33):
to my watch list. And these aren't necessarily writers that
I think are going to finish right off the podium.
They could challenge for a podium. They just have interesting
stories coming into this weekend, and because of that, I'm
going to be keeping an eye on how they perform, or,
in the case of Peco bag Nyaya, how he performs
and how he responds to his recent struggles. So let's
talk about Peko because he has pretty much been the
(16:58):
opposite of Marco Bitzek the past couple of rounds. He
is not looking very fast and he certainly isn't looking
very motivated. You know, We've talked about this multiple times
in the past few months. I don't get why Peco
has dropped so quickly off the cliff. I mean, we
all know that Moto GP is a mental sport as
(17:19):
much as it is a physical one. Or if you
don't know that, you should know that. And we know
that Peco isn't hurt, and we know it's not solely
the bike because everybody else riding that same bike is
able to perform better than him in the majority of races.
So if it's not his physical condition and it's not
(17:39):
necessarily the bike's condition, I'm gonna guess that Peco is
simply in his own head right now, and he has
been since July, which by the way, was the last
time he had a podium of any sort July and
it's now September. That is crazy to think about when
it comes to Peko bag Yaya. He has not finished
higher than seventh in the last four rounds, so like
(18:04):
several of the last few tracks, it makes it really
tricky to figure out what to expect from him as
we come to Motegi because he's not riding well right now.
We all know that, but he has excellent stats here
from the past two years. He's the defending Moto GP
winner at this circuit as part of a double win
weekend last year, and then he was third in the
(18:25):
twenty twenty three sprint. He was second in that Moto
GP race. So four podiums in a row in Japan
coming into this weekend will that help? Can Peco find
some way to rediscover his mojo? I'm not terribly confident,
you know. I saw a comment where Mark Marquez says
Peco just needs a reset quote unquote, and I agree
(18:48):
with that. I mean, Peco really just needs to forget
about his recent results. He needs to forget about whether
he thinks the bike is perfect or not. He needs
to forget about mark definitely. He needs to forget about
the fact that Marko Bitzeki is right behind him and
about to pass him in the standings and just focus
on going out there and riding and having fun. Now,
that's easy for me to say, and it's a heck
(19:08):
of a lot easier said than done. I get that
for sure. But if if you know, Da Katika back
off just a little bit and allow Bagnaya to just
go out there and have fun and feel what the
bike is doing, and see if he can kind of
figure his way through some of its difficulties and provide
a little bit better feedback that can get them to
(19:30):
make a little bit better adjustments, and then that cycle
just starts building on itself. Then I think the performance
can return. It's all be watching to see how Peco
Bagnaya approaches this weekend, if it changes at all based
on what we've seen the past couple of rounds, and
if so, how effective it is and if it helps
him going forward. So a lot of question marks and
(19:51):
a lot to watch for when it comes to Peco Bagnyaya.
Next up is Pedro Acosta, who didn't have the results
necessarily coming out of Misano, but I'll tell you he
sure had the speed. I mean, despite digging himself a
little bit of a hole by starting ninth in the
last round, he got up to fifth in the sprint,
and he was running fourth in that Moto GP race
before his chain snapped as part of that weird weekend
(20:13):
of mechanical difficulties for KTM. But bad luck doesn't equal
slow necessarily, sometimes it does, and Acosta really is finally
feeling it right now. We've talked about this the past
couple of weeks as well. He's been a top five
rider for the last five straight rounds now and he's
been doing it across sprints and Moto GP races. Sometimes
(20:35):
when we see these riders take a step forward, it
only really affects Saturday or Sunday. But for Acosta, that
speed has been consistent from start to finish in the
weekend outside of some qualifying difficulties. So he's doing for
KTM kind of what Marco Bitzeki is doing for a
parlier right now, leading the way and more importantly taking
(20:56):
full advantage and extracting maximum performance of whatever his manufacturer
can come up with and bring to the track for
each individual weekend. Now, Acosta didn't score any points in
his rookie outing in Japan, but he did start that
weekend on the poll, so there is some level of
confidence with Motegi. But really, when it comes down to it,
(21:18):
I just love the way he's riding right now, aggressive,
harnessing both the speed and the consistency, and he clearly
is showing more and more confidence in the bike. So
I'm looking forward to seeing if that continues this weekend
and what he can do with it. And then to
wrap up this category, I want to talk a little
bit about Franco Morbidelli. And you know, I was super,
(21:41):
super worried about Franco at the beginning of last year.
He had that preseason injury and that really limited his
time on the Ducati after making the switchover from Yamaha,
and it really really affected him. For the first six
rounds of twenty twenty four, he was absolutely dismal, to
the point where I thought that they might I'd actually
cut him loose at the end of last year, and
(22:03):
he was so bad that it was actually really really
easy to miss. The step he made over the next
six races of twenty twenty four, and then the step
he made from there until the end of the season
that really carried him over into this year is like
a top six level rider. And I point all this
out to compare what's happening this year to what happened
(22:26):
last year. So last year, like I said, he got
injured before the season started and it took him six
full rounds to really even start to get a handle
on the situation. This year, Frankie gets injured, he sits
out two rounds this was a couple of months ago,
comes back and it only takes him two rounds to
get back on a podium in this case it was
a sprint podium, then two more after that to put
(22:50):
together an entire weekend start to finish like he did
in Misano with a double fourth place effort that I
thought was excellent even if he missed out on both podiums.
So that's just how much more comfortable he is with
the Ducati and with that Vo forty six team now
than he was just a little over a year ago.
And I think that really helps him as he comes
(23:12):
back to tracks and gets to see them a second
time on this Desmo And so now he's back up
to speed in general on both Saturday and Sunday, and
he rolls into Japan having finished fifth in both races
last year. So the Japanese gip last year was part
of that momentum building experience that carried over to this year.
And now he comes back, gets a second look at
(23:32):
this track with a heck of a lot more confidence.
So he should already be in a place where he's
comfortable on the bike to start the weekend, and that
could lead to some really good results. Now, despite missing
those two rounds a little while back, Morbidelli is still
ahead of his teammate Fabio de jan Antonio in the standings,
but boy by the slimmest of margins, he has just
a one point lead for sixth in the standings, and
(23:55):
he's got Pedro Acosta that's passed him now for fifth.
But Pedro is only eight points up the road on Frankie,
and so Morbidelli has a lot to race for on
both ends. He's got to defend against Digia and he's
got to try to make up that ground on Pedro Acosta. Now,
both of those rivals are riding well right now, even
though Digitia is a little bit inconsistent. So now is
(24:16):
the time to see if, just like he did at
the end of last year, if Morbidelli can up his
game yet another step and get into some of these
podium battles, including this weekend in Japan, to make a
run for the last of those top five spots in
the championship. So those are my watch list riders. Now
let's move on to the hot seed, and these are
three riders who in my opinion, have to go out
(24:38):
and perform this weekend for one reason or another. Although
there's an asterisk next to one of those riders. But
let's start this category with Brad Bender. And the reason
Brad needs to perform this weekend is because of Pedro Acosta.
And I think it's pretty obvious Acosta has been finding
the speed on the KTM. He's been applying it consistently. Meanwhile,
(25:01):
his factory teammate Brad Bender, who used to be the
guy known for extracting maximum performance out of the RC sixteen,
he just hasn't been able to get a grip on
this current bike and perform the same way. He does
show speed here and there, but he doesn't have the
consistency right now, and he hasn't been able to take
that extra step forward that we've seen out of Pedro. Now,
Brad does have some success in Motegie. He had a
(25:23):
motor GP podium in twenty twenty two and a sprint
race podium in twenty twenty three. Both of those were
second place finishes, and he was good here last year
he finished sixth, but with a Costa consistently outperforming Brad.
Now is the time for Bender to start to discover
that extra notch of speed and consistency that's happening in
the garage stall next door. I mean, everybody knows that
(25:45):
Acosta is the star of the future for KTM if
he stays there. But Bender really is looked at as
the leader for KTM, the veteran leader for KTM. If
he wants to have that number one spot, he's got
to show us something and now is the time to
do that, all right. So the next rider on the
hot seat for me is Luca Mariini. And this is
where the asterix comes in, because Marini isn't really on
(26:09):
the hot seat. I mean, he just signed a new
contract and he deserves that. He's been riding really, really admirably,
and you guys know that because I won't shut up
about him. I talk about Luca Marini on a regular basis.
And on top of that, he's coming off of a
solid double seventh and Misano, and after coming back from injury,
he has scored points in the last six straight Moto
(26:29):
GP races and that's across Prince and Sunday races. So
why is he here? Well, the reason I put him
on the hot seat is really more like an extended
watch list, because I want to see him continue to
carry the line for Honda, but I also want to
see something extra. I want to see a little bit
of a breakout, because nobody at Honda has really broken
(26:52):
through outside of Joan Zarco, and that was earlier in
the season that didn't hold up. I want to see
a last signed that Honda is making the kind of
progress we've seen out of Aprilia and KTM in the
second half. Those manufacturers have taken two steps, maybe two
and a half. Honda's only take him one. And so
since nobody else seems capable of doing it or willing
(27:14):
to do it, I'm hoping that Luca Marini can say, hey,
give me some extra equipment and I will take another
half step forward for you this weekend. I don't know
if it's gonna happen, but that's why I put him
on the hot seat. And then the final rider that
I want to talk about is Anea Bastiennini, who is
frustrating his last five Moto GP races. This is how
(27:35):
they've gone. These are Sunday races. He retired in Bruno,
then he finished fifth at the Red Bull Ring, then
he retired in Hungary, then he finished third in Catalunya,
then he retired in San Marino. Now, if you look
at that as a trend, should be a big race
in Motegi. I don't know, though. You know, Bestia has
(27:55):
shown us these tantalizing flashes of speed and we know
because of pedroca To the bike is capable, right, but
those flashes have been combined with bad lucky mistakes, and
you know he doesn't need to battle for podiums at
this point. Nobody's expecting that out of an ABSTM. I mean,
even though he's capable of it. We saw that in Catalunya.
(28:16):
I just want to see consistency that matches his talent level.
That would help both him and KTM, and he knows
how to accomplish that at this track. He was second
in the Moteki sprint last year, fourth in the Moto
GP race after starting at the head of the second row.
Now that was all in the Ducati, but still there's
confidence in this track. If he can channel a little
(28:36):
bit of that momentum from a year ago, he can
start to try to match what we're seeing out of
Pedro Acosta right now. So those are the riders that
have wanted to chat about. Now. That means there's only
one order of business left to take care of. I
need to make picks for this weekend's race, So like
we normally do, I will pick the top three finishers
for the sprint and the top five in the Moto
GP race will start on Saturday, and in that sprint,
(28:59):
in third, I'm gonna go with the aforementioned Pedro Acosta
because I haven't mentioned him enough in this episode of
the program. He's been so fast recently and the poll
last year makes me think he has some real podium potential,
So I'll put him on the sprint podium second Alex Marquez,
and I think he will be super motivated to at
(29:21):
least try to put some pressure on his brother in
a last ditch effort to stay in the championship battle.
But unfortunately for Alex, I don't think it's gonna work.
I think mart Marquez is gonna win this one. I mean,
Alex isn't gonna have the advantage on Mark that he
did back in Catalunya, and Bez just doesn't have the
history or the home field advantage that he did in
(29:43):
Misano when he looks so good. So I'm hard pressed
to think of anybody who's going to beat Mark in
this sprint. So I'm gonna go with Mark Marquez. Then
we move on to Sunday in the Moto GP race,
where remember, Alex will still have a chance if he
can gain those points back on Mark. And here my
top five in fifth, I'm gonna go with a rider
we haven't even talked about on this episode of the program,
(30:06):
Jorge Martin. This is kind of my out of left
field wild card pick. He has been so good in
Motegi in the last three years. I mean, we know
that the Aprelia is fast. Bez has shown us that
on multiple occasions of late and eventually the Martin Nader
has to make nice with this bike and do something
significant with it. This could be a minor breakout weekend
(30:26):
for him. So I will pick Martine for fifth. In fourth,
I'm gonna go frank Go Morbidelli. He's got consistent speed
right now. He's got a bike that has performed really
well here over the last three years, and I think
his overall experience at this track is gonna help him
gain on his rivals, both the Costa ahead of him
and Digia behind him. So Franko in fourth, and then
we get to the podium and third, I'm gonna go
(30:48):
with Alex Marquez. You know he'll try, he'll try to
continue and be fast, but I think the competition is
really heating up right now and he's gonna have a
hard time holding off Marco Bitzeki, who I'm picking for second.
He'll still be chasing, but I'm just not sure that
Aprilia is gonna have this stuff to keep up with
your winner, Mark Marquez. I mean, Mark's got everything going
(31:11):
his way. He's got nothing to lose because he's got
such a huge lead. He has a ton of experience here,
a ton of success here, So I think he goes
out and wins the race and wins the title in style.
So to recap in the sprint, I'm going Pedro cost
To third, Alex Marquez second, and Mark Marquez, your winner
in Moto GP, Jorge Martin fifth, Franco Morbidelli fourth, and
(31:32):
on the podium Alex Marquez, Marco Pitzeki and then your
winner and twenty twenty five Moto GP world champion, Mark Marquez.
Do you agree? Do you disagree? You know what to do?
Let me know about it on Facebook or Reddit. Tell
me why my picks are terrible and who you think
is going to win the race instead. And since we
have a race, that means we will have a post
(31:55):
race show, so check back at the conclusion of the
weekend where I'll recap all the Moto GP action from
Japan or review the championship picture, which really means we'll
talk about our new champion, although we'll talk about some
of the other races in the top five as well,
and then we will immediately turn our attention to next
weekend's race in Indonesia. So until then, since we have
(32:17):
a lot of pre race shows coming up, a lot
of post race shows on the way, I don't want
you to miss a single one, make sure you subscribe.
That way, they'll all be hand delivered directly to you.
You can do that on Apple Podcasts, YouTube podcasts, Speaker,
Stitcher player, dot Fm, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Audible podcasts. Basically go
to any podcasting site type in MotorWeek and you should
(32:39):
be able to find the show. Of course, you can
always get all of the latest episodes as soon as
they're released on the website at motoweek dot net. You
can follow on social media on Blue Sky just look
for motoweek, or on Instagram at motoweek USA, and most importantly,
tell me what you think about whatever happens this weekend
or may not happen from Mark Marquez and everybody else.
(33:00):
You can do that on Facebook at Facebook dot com,
slashmotoweek dot net, or on the reddit subb it are
slash motoweek. And if you do feel so compelled and
don't feel obligated, if you do want to support the program,
you can do that on Patreon at patreon dot com.
Slash motoweek. Links to just about all of those can
be found on the website at motoweek dot net. All right,
(33:21):
so until we talk again, just a couple of days
from now, let's find out if Mark can do it
or if somebody can challenge him. He's either going to
be the champion this weekend or else, maybe in Indonesia,
one or the other, although I think we all really
know what's going to be this weekend, so until we
officially find out and then chat about it, I want
to thank you so much for listening ride say and
(33:42):
I'll talk to you soon.
Frommotoweek dot net. It's the MotorWeek podcast with your host
Wilson Why Hello, and welcome to motoweek. My name is Willsin.
Thank you so much for listening to the only MotoGP
show on the Internet that has a day job to
worry about. So the good part about being a fully
(00:24):
independent MotoGP show, and what I mean by that is
I don't work for a company. I don't do this
for a living. I just do it for fun, right.
The good part about that is I can give honest opinions,
uninfluenced by a sponsor or a boss, and there's no
pressure to sensationalize or makeup stuff just for a big
headline or extra clicks or extra listens or anything like that.
(00:45):
The downside is that means I got to have a
regular job too, and sometimes jobs kick your ass. And
that's exactly what's happening to me right now. I'm in
the middle of the biggest project I have ever done
at my current job. They threw it at me kind
of midway through last week, so I've definitely been burning
the candle at both ends as a result, and I
(01:07):
apologize that because of that, the show was going up
a day late, but there was no way that there
wasn't going to be a show because Moto GP is
back in action at one of the most fun tracks
in the entire sport and a place that I've always
wanted to go see a race Japan, partially because of
the track itself, partially because the fans are so enthusiastic
(01:30):
and fun, and on top of that, we're on the
verge of a historic championship, and I had to talk
about that because Mark Marquez has a great opportunity to
become just the third Premier class rider in history to
score his seventh Moto GP world title. And for those
that are keeping score, the other ones are a JackAM
(01:52):
Augustini and of course Valentino Rossi. And all Mark has
to do this weekend is gain three that's it, just
three points on his brother Alex to accomplish that, and
that's big enough in and of itself, but of course
he'll then be tied with Valentineo Rossi on championships. He'll
be doing it after his year's long recovery from injury,
(02:15):
his self, demotion to a satellite team, and of course
his age is maybe the biggest factor doing everything he's
done this year while being thirty two years old and
winning the championship potentially with those five rounds left in
the season. So, with all of that on the line
later or not, let's preview Round seventeen of the twenty
(02:36):
twenty five Moto GP World Championship the Japanese GP at
Mobility Resort Motegi. Can I just call it twim ring Motegi.
I'll try my best not to. But it's intil Chigi
Prefecture of Japan, just a couple of hours north of Tokyo.
So let's talk about the track, let's talk about the riders,
and let's talk about whether Mark Marquez can indeed win
(02:59):
the title this weekend. Before we dive in, though, I
do want to take just a brief moment to invite
you over to the website if you've never checked it
out before. You can get all of the latest episodes
as soon as they're released at motoweek dot net. You
can follow on social media. You can go to bluesky
and just search for motoweek, or you can go to
Instagram and follow at motowek USA, and most importantly leave
(03:22):
your comments, especially if Mark wins it this weekend. I
want to know what you think. You can leave those
comments on Facebook at Facebook dot com, slashmotoweek dot net. Yeah,
you have to put the dot net on the end,
it's weird. Or you can head over to the reddit
sub at our slash motoweek. And if you do want
to support the program, you can do that on Patreon,
although it's not required. Like I said a moment ago,
(03:44):
I don't do this for a living, so it's only
if you want to. You can go to Patreon dot
com slash motoweek. All right, so let's dive into Motegi.
And I do realize that there was a MotoGP test
last week on Monday, and we will be talking about
that on an upcoming episode. It's just with everything going
on this week, I didn't have time to really prepare
(04:04):
it the way I wanted to. And I want to
talk about the race before it happens. So let's get started,
and before we get to the riders heading into this weekend,
let's talk about where they're racing. The awesome mobility resort, Motegi,
Twimmering Motegi, whatever you want to call it. There are
two key components to this circuit breaking and acceleration. This
(04:30):
place is legendary for being one of the hardest breaking
tracks in the series, and it's the hardest on breaks.
In fact, you are on the breaks at this track
about a third of every lap, and the breaks heat
up so much as a result that everybody uses the
largest brake rotor allowed in the rule book, and for
a while it was mandated that you had to use
(04:52):
the largest rot setup that was available. I don't know
if it's that way for this year or not, but
I wouldn't be surprised at all if that was still
in the rule bok. So you might be wondering why
why is it such a hard breaking track? Well, I
have a lot of straits there. A lap at Moteke
starts with three consecutive straits, each joined by a pair
of double apex corners, and those corners actually add to
(05:13):
the drama because instead of just trail breaking to the
apex and then drag racing out, those double apexes give
you the chance to use some strategy for lack of
a better word. You can carry some corner speed in,
carry some momentum through the center, plan your line on exit,
and that in turn makes those second and third of
those few short straits deceptively fast and of course then
(05:34):
harder on the breaks. And I think that's a main
reason why, unlike you know, a place like Guitar, which
is you know, trail break to the apex and drag
race off or the red Bull ring, which is that way,
that this place up until the past year or two
hadn't been such a Ducati playground like those other tracks,
because there are these other opportunities. It's not just break
(05:57):
one corner break, it's break and then double ape and
then you're back at it again. Then you emerge from
under the bridge into a short section with a few
flowing corners, and then right back into of course more straits,
but these are more traditional stopping ghost style ones with
hairpins instead of the double apexes. And then you get
all the way to the end, and just to tease
(06:18):
those handling bikes a little bit, the final couple of
corners after you pass under the oval again and go
under another tunnel very much like the finish at ass
and left right chackne giving any bike that can keep
up with the Ducats. And I'm looking at you when
I say that, bez at least a chance to make
a last ditch move for the win, so multiple heartbreaking zones,
(06:41):
which naturally means multiple places to make a pass. And
for me, the really fun part of this track is
the back half, the long run down the back stretch
to turn eleven. It's really easy to overrun that one
since you have to get on the brakes really early,
so for the bravest of the riders out there, that's
a place to create an opportunity. Then you get the
left hander after that going into the final chicane. Both
(07:03):
of those offer up a great place for strategy, and
they don't call that final term victory corner for nothing.
It does have that real acid vibe when it comes
to potentially changing things at the end of a lap
or at the end of a race. So that's where
they're racing. But this place isn't just about the circuit.
It's also about the fans. The Japanese fans are so
(07:25):
over the top enthusiastic about their favorite riders and their
favorite manufacturers. They all show up decked out in every
piece of gear you could possibly imagine, and they make
some stuff at home to bring along too, so the
stands are going to be highly entertaining. If you're watching
all of the practice sessions this weekend, but that's where
they're racing. Now, let's talk about who to watch out for.
(07:48):
And there are going to be a lot of Japanese
fans that are rooting on Mark Marquez obviously all of
those championships for hometown Honda. I'm sure they still have
that affinity for him. So as we start with the
favorites for this weekend, let's chat about mister Marquez, because
unfortunately the news isn't good. Things are looking very shaky
(08:10):
for Mark. I mean, think about it for a second.
He lost in Catalunya. He didn't win the race. Hit
to settle for a second, he wrecked in the Missano sprint,
even though he was up at the front when it happened,
But he wrecked at the Missano sprint and didn't score
a point. Then after that, and this is the one
that really got the media going, he was hard pressed
(08:32):
by Marco Bitzeki, not just on Saturday in that sprint,
but also on Sunday in San Marino, even though he
ended up winning the race. And so you tie all
of that together, not winning a race, not winning another race,
and then having Marco Bitzeki within a second of him
while he did win a race. I don't know, this
(08:55):
could be it. The wheels could be coming off, The
dream could be over for mister Mark Kiss. Okay, of course,
I'm just kidding. Although I have heard people suggest that
the field may be catching Mark. I mean, yeah, Aprilia
definitely are making games in general, but it's really not
the case that they're threatening Mark. They're just getting a
little bit closer to him, which eventually they were going
(09:16):
to do one way or the other. And yeah, Mark
lost the race in Cataloonia to his brother Alex, and
he may have ultimately also lost the sprint in San
Marino to Marco Bozeki had Mark not wrecked out. But
he is still far and away the fastest rider in
Moto GP right now. He has still won two of
the last four point races. And the last time that
(09:39):
Mark didn't win at least one of the weekend's two
races was all the way back in May in Silverstone,
and of course there he still had a double podium.
And so apparently that is like a wheels coming off
the cart situation for Mark Marquez in this day and age,
is a double podium where you don't actually win one
(10:00):
of the two races, and so it would stand to
reason that even if he has an off weekend at Motegi,
that he'll at least double podium this weekend, and the
idea that he's going to do much better than that
is pretty obvious as well, because Mark has everyone on
the grid beat at Motegi in terms of career success.
(10:20):
He has three wins here, eight podiums, and then one
sprint podium in addition, and of course, on top of
all of that, probably the most important factor of Mark's
weekend and the most important motivator of Mark's weekend, He's
looking to wrap up his amazing seventh Moto GP and
ninth overall world championship, and he even brings the stats
(10:42):
in that department as well. Mark has already get this.
He's already clinched three Premier class titles at Motegi, including
his most recent, even though that one was back in
twenty nineteen. Now, that year Motegi wasn't six races from
the end of the season, but that only makes what
he's currently doing all the more impressive. That he's very
(11:04):
likely going to lock things up with so many rounds
and races left to go. So what does Mark need
to do to lock in the title? Well, I mentioned
this moment ago. He just has to gain three points
on his brother Alex. That's it. But keep in mind
that even if Mark wins the sprint and Alex finishes second,
which would get him the three points he needs, those
(11:24):
three points alone will not get him the championship because
remember they still have the Sunday race and Alex could
potentially score those points back. So it's not lock but
there is a very very good chance that Mark is
going to luck in the title on Sunday afternoon. Now
addressing some of the other headlines out there from well
(11:44):
last week in the week before, did Mark punt the
Moto GP racing Cataloonia to his brother to set up
this storybook championship winning day at this track where he's
had so many big moments in the past, and at
the same time avoiding winning it all in Valentino Rossi's
backyard in Misano. Well, I don't think that's the case
(12:05):
at all. That's a lot to plan out because there
was a round in between Catalunya and Motegi where anything
could happen. But hey, even if he did, it doesn't
make a difference. I mean, the points are and have
been so overwhelmingly in his favor that he doesn't even
have to try, and he's gonna win the championship, So
it doesn't matter what he did in Catalunya or what
he did in Misano or didn't do in those races.
(12:28):
Mark you look at the stats, he's still one hundred
percent the best rider in the sport and has still
been winning. So if he was really trying to delay
winning the championship, then we wouldn't see him on top
of podiums than we have in the last two rounds.
And he's also the favorite for this race. I think
he's the favorite to win yet another championship this weekend
as well, and the only rider with even a remote
chance to stop that happens to be the next rider
(12:51):
in the favorites category his brother Alex Marquez, who is
the only rider mathematically still in the race, but even
there where he's hanging on by the thinnest of threads.
The bad news for Alex is that he isn't nearly
as good at Motegi as his brother. His best performance
in Japan was a seventh that was last year, but
(13:13):
just in the sprint. Now, of course, the good news
is that Alex this year, in twenty twenty five is
one of the best examples ever in the history of
mankind of the phrase past performance isn't indicative of future gains,
because he has been fantastic this season at many many
other tracks where he hadn't done anything significant in the past.
(13:37):
And the really good news for Alex Marquez his speed
is back. After three straight bumpy rounds kicking off the
second half, he has been back on it in Catalounya
Anni Misano, with a win, three podiums and a poll
in the last four races. And remember he was leading
that Catalunya sprint before he wrecked out from a decent lead.
(13:59):
And the only riders that have beat him in those races,
and all those races I just mentioned were of course
his brother Mark and then in one Marco Pitzeki. Now
is all of that enough to prevent Mark from gaining
those three points on him? I don't think so. He'll
have to up his game yet another notch for short
even have a remote chance of taking this championship to Indonesia.
(14:23):
I find a rider in the Favorites category this week
is Marco Bitzeki, who came roaring back from a zero
point effort in Catalunya to win the sprint in Misano
and then put real pressure on Mark in the Modal
GP race, not just quickly re establishing that type of
consistency we've seen out of him starting just before the
(14:44):
summer break, but in my opinion, taking yet another step forward,
going from podium challenger to somebody who was able to
actually push Mark Marquez a bit and get the media's
attention and get them questioning what's going on with Mark
right now? Even nothing's going on with Mark, but that
success for bez that's not just a function of the
(15:05):
confidence he's riding with right now, but it's also the
progress that Aprilia have been making with the RSGP heading
into the latter half of the season, turning Marco into
a consistent podium contender, and then in Misano just a
little bit more than that. Now when we talk about Motegi.
Last year, Marco was pretty mid here, seventh in the
(15:28):
Modo GP race, tenth in the sprint, but during his
excellent twenty twenty three season he landed a solid fourth
in the Sunday race behind Jorge Martin, pecobag Yaya and
Mark Marquez. That's certainly understandable, and he was also sixth
in the sprint, so he does have at least some
sort of base confidence wise to build off of here.
And more importantly, not only is Bez racing well, he's
(15:50):
got something to race four, much like Mark trying to
lock down the championship. Marco Pitzeki is only eight points now,
just eight points behind the struggling pecobag Nyaya for third
overall in the rider's standings. Now I think that Alex
Marquez is out of his reach, but the race is
absolutely on for Marco to catch Peco, and I think
(16:12):
it could actually happen this weekend. I mean, that's really
much more on Peco than it is on Bez. So
not only is Marco fast, but most certainly motivated to
keep his podium momentum going and keep that pressure on
third overall in the rider's standings. And since we brought
up the topic of the struggling Peco bag Yaya, let's
start with him as we move on from the favorites
(16:33):
to my watch list. And these aren't necessarily writers that
I think are going to finish right off the podium.
They could challenge for a podium. They just have interesting
stories coming into this weekend, and because of that, I'm
going to be keeping an eye on how they perform, or,
in the case of Peco bag Nyaya, how he performs
and how he responds to his recent struggles. So let's
talk about Peko because he has pretty much been the
(16:58):
opposite of Marco Bitzek the past couple of rounds. He
is not looking very fast and he certainly isn't looking
very motivated. You know, We've talked about this multiple times
in the past few months. I don't get why Peco
has dropped so quickly off the cliff. I mean, we
all know that Moto GP is a mental sport as
(17:19):
much as it is a physical one. Or if you
don't know that, you should know that. And we know
that Peco isn't hurt, and we know it's not solely
the bike because everybody else riding that same bike is
able to perform better than him in the majority of races.
So if it's not his physical condition and it's not
(17:39):
necessarily the bike's condition, I'm gonna guess that Peco is
simply in his own head right now, and he has
been since July, which by the way, was the last
time he had a podium of any sort July and
it's now September. That is crazy to think about when
it comes to Peko bag Yaya. He has not finished
higher than seventh in the last four rounds, so like
(18:04):
several of the last few tracks, it makes it really
tricky to figure out what to expect from him as
we come to Motegi because he's not riding well right now.
We all know that, but he has excellent stats here
from the past two years. He's the defending Moto GP
winner at this circuit as part of a double win
weekend last year, and then he was third in the
(18:25):
twenty twenty three sprint. He was second in that Moto
GP race. So four podiums in a row in Japan
coming into this weekend will that help? Can Peco find
some way to rediscover his mojo? I'm not terribly confident,
you know. I saw a comment where Mark Marquez says
Peco just needs a reset quote unquote, and I agree
(18:48):
with that. I mean, Peco really just needs to forget
about his recent results. He needs to forget about whether
he thinks the bike is perfect or not. He needs
to forget about mark definitely. He needs to forget about
the fact that Marko Bitzeki is right behind him and
about to pass him in the standings and just focus
on going out there and riding and having fun. Now,
that's easy for me to say, and it's a heck
(19:08):
of a lot easier said than done. I get that
for sure. But if if you know, Da Katika back
off just a little bit and allow Bagnaya to just
go out there and have fun and feel what the
bike is doing, and see if he can kind of
figure his way through some of its difficulties and provide
a little bit better feedback that can get them to
(19:30):
make a little bit better adjustments, and then that cycle
just starts building on itself. Then I think the performance
can return. It's all be watching to see how Peco
Bagnaya approaches this weekend, if it changes at all based
on what we've seen the past couple of rounds, and
if so, how effective it is and if it helps
him going forward. So a lot of question marks and
(19:51):
a lot to watch for when it comes to Peco Bagnyaya.
Next up is Pedro Acosta, who didn't have the results
necessarily coming out of Misano, but I'll tell you he
sure had the speed. I mean, despite digging himself a
little bit of a hole by starting ninth in the
last round, he got up to fifth in the sprint,
and he was running fourth in that Moto GP race
before his chain snapped as part of that weird weekend
(20:13):
of mechanical difficulties for KTM. But bad luck doesn't equal
slow necessarily, sometimes it does, and Acosta really is finally
feeling it right now. We've talked about this the past
couple of weeks as well. He's been a top five
rider for the last five straight rounds now and he's
been doing it across sprints and Moto GP races. Sometimes
(20:35):
when we see these riders take a step forward, it
only really affects Saturday or Sunday. But for Acosta, that
speed has been consistent from start to finish in the
weekend outside of some qualifying difficulties. So he's doing for
KTM kind of what Marco Bitzeki is doing for a
parlier right now, leading the way and more importantly taking
(20:56):
full advantage and extracting maximum performance of whatever his manufacturer
can come up with and bring to the track for
each individual weekend. Now, Acosta didn't score any points in
his rookie outing in Japan, but he did start that
weekend on the poll, so there is some level of
confidence with Motegi. But really, when it comes down to it,
(21:18):
I just love the way he's riding right now, aggressive,
harnessing both the speed and the consistency, and he clearly
is showing more and more confidence in the bike. So
I'm looking forward to seeing if that continues this weekend
and what he can do with it. And then to
wrap up this category, I want to talk a little
bit about Franco Morbidelli. And you know, I was super,
(21:41):
super worried about Franco at the beginning of last year.
He had that preseason injury and that really limited his
time on the Ducati after making the switchover from Yamaha,
and it really really affected him. For the first six
rounds of twenty twenty four, he was absolutely dismal, to
the point where I thought that they might I'd actually
cut him loose at the end of last year, and
(22:03):
he was so bad that it was actually really really
easy to miss. The step he made over the next
six races of twenty twenty four, and then the step
he made from there until the end of the season
that really carried him over into this year is like
a top six level rider. And I point all this
out to compare what's happening this year to what happened
(22:26):
last year. So last year, like I said, he got
injured before the season started and it took him six
full rounds to really even start to get a handle
on the situation. This year, Frankie gets injured, he sits
out two rounds this was a couple of months ago,
comes back and it only takes him two rounds to
get back on a podium in this case it was
a sprint podium, then two more after that to put
(22:50):
together an entire weekend start to finish like he did
in Misano with a double fourth place effort that I
thought was excellent even if he missed out on both podiums.
So that's just how much more comfortable he is with
the Ducati and with that Vo forty six team now
than he was just a little over a year ago.
And I think that really helps him as he comes
(23:12):
back to tracks and gets to see them a second
time on this Desmo And so now he's back up
to speed in general on both Saturday and Sunday, and
he rolls into Japan having finished fifth in both races
last year. So the Japanese gip last year was part
of that momentum building experience that carried over to this year.
And now he comes back, gets a second look at
(23:32):
this track with a heck of a lot more confidence.
So he should already be in a place where he's
comfortable on the bike to start the weekend, and that
could lead to some really good results. Now, despite missing
those two rounds a little while back, Morbidelli is still
ahead of his teammate Fabio de jan Antonio in the standings,
but boy by the slimmest of margins, he has just
a one point lead for sixth in the standings, and
(23:55):
he's got Pedro Acosta that's passed him now for fifth.
But Pedro is only eight points up the road on Frankie,
and so Morbidelli has a lot to race for on
both ends. He's got to defend against Digia and he's
got to try to make up that ground on Pedro Acosta. Now,
both of those rivals are riding well right now, even
though Digitia is a little bit inconsistent. So now is
(24:16):
the time to see if, just like he did at
the end of last year, if Morbidelli can up his
game yet another step and get into some of these
podium battles, including this weekend in Japan, to make a
run for the last of those top five spots in
the championship. So those are my watch list riders. Now
let's move on to the hot seed, and these are
three riders who in my opinion, have to go out
(24:38):
and perform this weekend for one reason or another. Although
there's an asterisk next to one of those riders. But
let's start this category with Brad Bender. And the reason
Brad needs to perform this weekend is because of Pedro Acosta.
And I think it's pretty obvious Acosta has been finding
the speed on the KTM. He's been applying it consistently. Meanwhile,
(25:01):
his factory teammate Brad Bender, who used to be the
guy known for extracting maximum performance out of the RC sixteen,
he just hasn't been able to get a grip on
this current bike and perform the same way. He does
show speed here and there, but he doesn't have the
consistency right now, and he hasn't been able to take
that extra step forward that we've seen out of Pedro. Now,
Brad does have some success in Motegie. He had a
(25:23):
motor GP podium in twenty twenty two and a sprint
race podium in twenty twenty three. Both of those were
second place finishes, and he was good here last year
he finished sixth, but with a Costa consistently outperforming Brad.
Now is the time for Bender to start to discover
that extra notch of speed and consistency that's happening in
the garage stall next door. I mean, everybody knows that
(25:45):
Acosta is the star of the future for KTM if
he stays there. But Bender really is looked at as
the leader for KTM, the veteran leader for KTM. If
he wants to have that number one spot, he's got
to show us something and now is the time to
do that, all right. So the next rider on the
hot seat for me is Luca Mariini. And this is
where the asterix comes in, because Marini isn't really on
(26:09):
the hot seat. I mean, he just signed a new
contract and he deserves that. He's been riding really, really admirably,
and you guys know that because I won't shut up
about him. I talk about Luca Marini on a regular basis.
And on top of that, he's coming off of a
solid double seventh and Misano, and after coming back from injury,
he has scored points in the last six straight Moto
(26:29):
GP races and that's across Prince and Sunday races. So
why is he here? Well, the reason I put him
on the hot seat is really more like an extended
watch list, because I want to see him continue to
carry the line for Honda, but I also want to
see something extra. I want to see a little bit
of a breakout, because nobody at Honda has really broken
(26:52):
through outside of Joan Zarco, and that was earlier in
the season that didn't hold up. I want to see
a last signed that Honda is making the kind of
progress we've seen out of Aprilia and KTM in the
second half. Those manufacturers have taken two steps, maybe two
and a half. Honda's only take him one. And so
since nobody else seems capable of doing it or willing
(27:14):
to do it, I'm hoping that Luca Marini can say, hey,
give me some extra equipment and I will take another
half step forward for you this weekend. I don't know
if it's gonna happen, but that's why I put him
on the hot seat. And then the final rider that
I want to talk about is Anea Bastiennini, who is
frustrating his last five Moto GP races. This is how
(27:35):
they've gone. These are Sunday races. He retired in Bruno,
then he finished fifth at the Red Bull Ring, then
he retired in Hungary, then he finished third in Catalunya,
then he retired in San Marino. Now, if you look
at that as a trend, should be a big race
in Motegi. I don't know, though. You know, Bestia has
(27:55):
shown us these tantalizing flashes of speed and we know
because of pedroca To the bike is capable, right, but
those flashes have been combined with bad lucky mistakes, and
you know he doesn't need to battle for podiums at
this point. Nobody's expecting that out of an ABSTM. I mean,
even though he's capable of it. We saw that in Catalunya.
(28:16):
I just want to see consistency that matches his talent level.
That would help both him and KTM, and he knows
how to accomplish that at this track. He was second
in the Moteki sprint last year, fourth in the Moto
GP race after starting at the head of the second row.
Now that was all in the Ducati, but still there's
confidence in this track. If he can channel a little
(28:36):
bit of that momentum from a year ago, he can
start to try to match what we're seeing out of
Pedro Acosta right now. So those are the riders that
have wanted to chat about. Now. That means there's only
one order of business left to take care of. I
need to make picks for this weekend's race, So like
we normally do, I will pick the top three finishers
for the sprint and the top five in the Moto
GP race will start on Saturday, and in that sprint,
(28:59):
in third, I'm gonna go with the aforementioned Pedro Acosta
because I haven't mentioned him enough in this episode of
the program. He's been so fast recently and the poll
last year makes me think he has some real podium potential,
So I'll put him on the sprint podium second Alex Marquez,
and I think he will be super motivated to at
(29:21):
least try to put some pressure on his brother in
a last ditch effort to stay in the championship battle.
But unfortunately for Alex, I don't think it's gonna work.
I think mart Marquez is gonna win this one. I mean,
Alex isn't gonna have the advantage on Mark that he
did back in Catalunya, and Bez just doesn't have the
history or the home field advantage that he did in
(29:43):
Misano when he looks so good. So I'm hard pressed
to think of anybody who's going to beat Mark in
this sprint. So I'm gonna go with Mark Marquez. Then
we move on to Sunday in the Moto GP race,
where remember, Alex will still have a chance if he
can gain those points back on Mark. And here my
top five in fifth, I'm gonna go with a rider
we haven't even talked about on this episode of the program,
(30:06):
Jorge Martin. This is kind of my out of left
field wild card pick. He has been so good in
Motegi in the last three years. I mean, we know
that the Aprelia is fast. Bez has shown us that
on multiple occasions of late and eventually the Martin Nader
has to make nice with this bike and do something
significant with it. This could be a minor breakout weekend
(30:26):
for him. So I will pick Martine for fifth. In fourth,
I'm gonna go frank Go Morbidelli. He's got consistent speed
right now. He's got a bike that has performed really
well here over the last three years, and I think
his overall experience at this track is gonna help him
gain on his rivals, both the Costa ahead of him
and Digia behind him. So Franko in fourth, and then
we get to the podium and third, I'm gonna go
(30:48):
with Alex Marquez. You know he'll try, he'll try to
continue and be fast, but I think the competition is
really heating up right now and he's gonna have a
hard time holding off Marco Bitzeki, who I'm picking for second.
He'll still be chasing, but I'm just not sure that
Aprilia is gonna have this stuff to keep up with
your winner, Mark Marquez. I mean, Mark's got everything going
(31:11):
his way. He's got nothing to lose because he's got
such a huge lead. He has a ton of experience here,
a ton of success here, So I think he goes
out and wins the race and wins the title in style.
So to recap in the sprint, I'm going Pedro cost
To third, Alex Marquez second, and Mark Marquez, your winner
in Moto GP, Jorge Martin fifth, Franco Morbidelli fourth, and
(31:32):
on the podium Alex Marquez, Marco Pitzeki and then your
winner and twenty twenty five Moto GP world champion, Mark Marquez.
Do you agree? Do you disagree? You know what to do?
Let me know about it on Facebook or Reddit. Tell
me why my picks are terrible and who you think
is going to win the race instead. And since we
have a race, that means we will have a post
(31:55):
race show, so check back at the conclusion of the
weekend where I'll recap all the Moto GP action from
Japan or review the championship picture, which really means we'll
talk about our new champion, although we'll talk about some
of the other races in the top five as well,
and then we will immediately turn our attention to next
weekend's race in Indonesia. So until then, since we have
(32:17):
a lot of pre race shows coming up, a lot
of post race shows on the way, I don't want
you to miss a single one, make sure you subscribe.
That way, they'll all be hand delivered directly to you.
You can do that on Apple Podcasts, YouTube podcasts, Speaker,
Stitcher player, dot Fm, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Audible podcasts. Basically go
to any podcasting site type in MotorWeek and you should
(32:39):
be able to find the show. Of course, you can
always get all of the latest episodes as soon as
they're released on the website at motoweek dot net. You
can follow on social media on Blue Sky just look
for motoweek, or on Instagram at motoweek USA, and most importantly,
tell me what you think about whatever happens this weekend
or may not happen from Mark Marquez and everybody else.
(33:00):
You can do that on Facebook at Facebook dot com,
slashmotoweek dot net, or on the reddit subb it are
slash motoweek. And if you do feel so compelled and
don't feel obligated, if you do want to support the program,
you can do that on Patreon at patreon dot com.
Slash motoweek. Links to just about all of those can
be found on the website at motoweek dot net. All right,
(33:21):
so until we talk again, just a couple of days
from now, let's find out if Mark can do it
or if somebody can challenge him. He's either going to
be the champion this weekend or else, maybe in Indonesia,
one or the other, although I think we all really
know what's going to be this weekend, so until we
officially find out and then chat about it, I want
to thank you so much for listening ride say and
(33:42):
I'll talk to you soon.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.