MotoGP: Everything You Wanted To Know | Highside/Lowside S09E05

[@RevZilla]

It’s time to get your bike on the road, Motul has what you need! rvz.la/4eNWdA5 Enter to win a 2024 Triumph Speed 400 or 2024 Triumph Scrambler 400! rvz.la/40jZyCy Subscribe to the podcast! Spotify - rvz.la/474fqdG Apple - rvz.la/479rWsC Have you signed up for our Rider Plus Membership yet? rvz.la/4fcRojq Don’t miss out on the latest Moto news on Common Tread rvz.la/3BVkhCx

[@clintfromhere]

Absolutely one of, if not THE, best Highside Lowside podcast I’ve listened to. Loved Matt’s insight and his enthusiasm, which he seems to share with Zack, about Moto GP and the history.

[@treverrussell9466]

Saw the title for this one and got so excited. Clicked immediately this time.

[@BillyBob-ie6zq]

same here, going to saver this one!!!!!!

[@malcomthewasp]

That’s was pretty much the best hs/ls I’ve listened too… Mat Oxley is incredibly engaging and knowledgable… excellent work everyone!!

[@shpritzer]

Mat is a complete legend! Best guest ever! 👍👍👍

[@juhaszpici]

Mat Oxley on highside/lowside? Unexpected but more than welcome, absolute legends, best from both sides of the pond!

[@edwardtodd2833]

Thanks for bringing Mat Oxley on the show. Here in Australia, we don't have Moto GP on free to air either so people don't care compared to when growing up. That is something us kids loved.

[@danielmonteiro5543]

Would love a RevZilla motogp podcast

[@a_uniq]

+1

[@DirtChainy]

Agree. A weekly special with Zack, short form, could get people on the teams, track experts, etc. RZ MotoGP with ZC

[@adamr8878]

Yep with Zack and Ari !

[@bruceleong9534]

Paddock pass Podcast, twice a week

[@DirtChainy]

@@bruceleong9534 that’s good. I’m ready to subscribe now

[@magellanicspaceclouds]

Highside/Lowside, you really outdid yourself this time. My favorite topic and guest you ever had! 👏

[@SpottedCreeper]

This was a fascinating highside/lowside - thanks for bringing it to us! Mat is a super interesting guy - brimming with MotoGP knowledge.

[@jcrewguy123]

Outstanding. Simply outstanding. Mat and I are close to the same age, and while I too have been on 2 wheels also for 40+ years and logged over 300,000 miles, it has only been these past 4-5 years that I've been on the track riding my Ducati Panigale V2 and deep into MotoGP (I go to COTA each year looking to meet Zack and Spurgeon) - I can only live vicariously through Mat and his experiences racing and WINNING the Isle of Man TT back in '85 when I was riding a Honda CX500 at far far lower speeds. Mat's MotoGP podcast is the bomb for old riders like me who are in absolute awe of today's MotoGP racers. Would love for you guys to add a segment giving your POV on the most recent MotoGP races and the championship. Zack knows his stuff when it comes to racing and Spurg brings the "track day" perspective which makes for great banter and insights.

[@nugsy_mcb7920]

It’s always a great ride to work when a new HSLS drops!

[@whiskeyshots]

You guys seem concerned that the audience wouldn't enjoy this. I'm not a MotoGP fan, and I loved this. Mat was an amazing guest and I loved hearing him talk about the history.

[@Rickmac22]

Best episode EVER!

[@Samfixit]

Just finished listening. Great episode. Super knowledgeable guy

[@urbanstrencan]

Ok, this was one of the best podcast episodes jet, finally MotoGP and racing focused, now we need an MXGP episode ;) Guys amazing work as always keep it up :)

[@kawabungah20]

These interview sessions at HSLS are always so interesting! The first use of "Juggernaut" that I learned as a kid was in reference to the big battleships in Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet and into WWI. However, in GP Moto lingo, the big 18-wheelers makes sense, too. Maybe the new BMW 1300GS Adventure could be called a Juggernaut as well (?) - a big, powerful, relentless monster that will roll over anything that gets in its way.... Hmm.

[@timothymills733]

Best guest you have had to date! And for Spurge and others, MotoGP is now on Max, all sessions it appears. I have the MotoGP subscription, but now it looks like I may not need it.

[@csposir]

Great show with a stellar guest.

[@Samfixit]

After listening to this podcast, i now have a new found respect for the whole team pit crew and race engineers. HSLS please bring in a race engineer next. We really want to nerd out on the technological aspect of racing😊

[@Robinsbro17]

Great episode. Thank you.

[@timtamslam28]

Woo new episode! Perfect timing, I just finished the last one

[@harrygreene5571]

Moto GP in the US! What!? Amazing guys! Loved it and bought Mat's books. More of this, please. Needs more juggernaut.

[@box510motorcycles3]

Other than the basic fact that moto GP is the F1 of motorcycle racing, I know nothing on the subject. That being said, I greatly enjoyed this episode. Keep up the good work. And I'd love to hear Mat talk about the history of the Isle of Mann.

[@br1anzkilLs]

I just came back from Australia to go to the Philip Island MotoGP race. Absolutely epic. All the way from Los Angeles, CA.

[@obsidian....]

1:31:05 We don't have spec bike racing over here... EG Moto 3, Moto 2 etc racing on this side of the pond. The fact that the skill ladder is based on that over there is why the skills aren't transferring anymore... And it's sad.

[@babyfknblu]

MAT OXLEY IS MY FAVOURITE

[@alancrombie8484]

Enjoyed that! Only comment would be it did not touch on the differences between the 125 / 250 / etc... some of the craziest faring scraping racing I've ever seen has been in the lower classes, 5 abreast going into the last corner of the last lap was not unusual in the 125 series.. 😂😂😂

[@DouglasRosser]

As someone who wanted to start following MotoGP all I can say is, “Get out of my mind!!!”

[@therocket280z7]

Around the 80 minute mark they talk about the difference between watching and actually being in the race. I remember my first time being in a car in a race like it was yesterday. I later did a few seasons of racing myself, and took others for rides too. For most folks it's alarming. I usually explain how it feels to be in the car like this: it's like doing an emergency maneuver every 5 seconds.

[@vijaychauhan46]

Matt is just an amazing guy, have been reading his articles for around 20 years, like his writing his podcast with Peter Bom is fantastic too, I would love to see him again on here, and here more about the motogp and may about some specific Era of motogp, how the riders think, would love to listen about some of our favourite riders like Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, keep up the good work guys, cheers

[@slowsteve3497]

Love the helmet clean from Motul.

[@runrin_]

just preordered the reprint of stealing speed. great ep. thanks y'all.

[@pardonmyfrench86]

This was a sick episode!!

[@colonelclaw]

Best Highside/Lowside episode ever? It's gotta be up there

[@naturalconditions]

Spurgeon, as a former teacher myself, I understand what you're trying to do, and it's a good idea in general, but sometimes you're just slowing down the class a little too much, I think.

[@RamblingRuters]

Yea some of the content was too much in the weeds

[@cromulentpotato]

For the audience at home, I think what natural conditions is saying here is that Spurgeon likes to give context for everything and make it all accessible to every single listener. Sometimes this makes everything a little verbose and might frustrate listeners who have a background in motorcycles, as they are waiting for his explanation to catch up with their understanding. This is something teachers are taught to do, but it is best done judiciously and not in reaction to every motorcycle model named.

[@UnruHorizon]

I disagree! As someone who hasnt watched a single race start to finish and hasnt ridden before (hopefully not true for much longer) i loved all the visceral details and nuances that I would never learn without this

[@timtamslam28]

@naturalconditions I see what you’re saying but honestly I thought your explanations and pausing was done very tactically, Spurge! I really appreciated it. Learned a lot as someone very new to all this

[@obsidian....]

​@@UnruHorizonSorry, but this is a motorcycle podcast, at the very least it's expected that you understand what a bike is, an engine and a track. In these types of interviews they need to serve the 95% and not ruin the flow of the conversation for the remaining 5%. . Whenever I've been part of that 5% I understand that I may have to pause here and there and pull up Google. . The OP on this is 100% correct. Spurgeon was a major hindrance and really hurt the natural flow of the conversation.

[@montrussell]

Great episode!

[@docchung9085]

Please have a Motogp show cover results, news and rumors. I would watch every video 5 times!

[@Latitude3324]

Such an interesting one. I listen to all your podcasts and I'm always very interested but this one is very special. I'm more than an average track day rider but I totally rely on Spurge exhaustion after a few laps. I follow motoGP and WSBK watching all races with some delay. And I so looooved listening to you 3. I'm lazy too and that's why I never wrote before except maybe 2-3 short comments . And I also listen on Spotify and I agree the video is bringing a lot. Cheers Fred

[@cbr9nmr]

There were lots of bikes in the late 80s and the 90s with carbs and fuel pumps. When you have down-draft carbs sitting atop the engine and the airbox on top of that the bottom of the fuel tank is lower than the float-bowls making a pump necessary to get fuel up into them.

[@shubhamde3205]

Yessss. I guessed the engine sound correctly I knew that it's deffinetly a V4.

[@stevencote7951]

Great guest , I have read his book Stealing Speed, fantastic story, it should be made into a movie. Also Juggernaut was also a name for Geman warships in WW2.

[@RugbyRyan]

I just discovered this channel but you should also do a deep dive into speedway style motorcycle racing and ice speedway which is one of the craziest sports I’ve ever seen

[@SamuelLudden]

Had to stop and watch the board track racing documentary. Wild times those were 😂😮

[@esardut]

very good episode. well done. thank you.

[@morrisbagnall2690]

Brilliant! Get him back again, lads.

[@TomaszSkwarek83]

OXLEY BOM MotoGp Podcast is really worth checking out !

[@TheSleepieKing]

Thanks Spurge for asking the "audience" questions! Some of them were exactly what I was wondering.

[@tompava3923]

"Don't leave the rear pegs down" . . . It's a kick-start era thing. ✌😎

[@Poise716]

Spurg you should listen to this. You keep stopping the flow of conversation to talk about how your audience is this or that. Say that once at the start of your talks. This is a podcast, not a bring your dad to work day. Just talk! Pretend the audience isn’t here. We want to be a part of the conversation. You keep putting us in these boxes. Just talk to your friend. That’s what we want. Every time you have something to say you like make excuses for it.

[@theprodigalstranger5259]

Not a motorcycle racing fan but Im going in with an open mind. A few years back I went as The Stig for Halloween and no one got it, yeesh! I think those superstitions are naught but pure hokum! I think the green motorcycle myth is like the red cars get more speeding tickets myth. I should think that as black is the preeminent motorcycle color more black motorcycles would be involved in accidents. BTW the most ticketed car color is white not red. Interesting turn of phrase there Matt "Death is something the riders lived with!" Someone needs a lamp lol I got nothing on that bike for the game. Sounds like a sport bike but thats it. Great use of "philistine" there Spurg. I watch plenty of British TV and that is the fist time I have ver heard a lorre referred to as a juggernaut, but I concur with Zack let start the trend. Another great show old sports see you in two!

[@timtamslam28]

I appreciate the switch up from the motorcycle icon series. Cool series but I was concerned every episode of the season was going to be a new icon lol!

[@xxrikixx967]

Immediately clicked on this one

[@michaelblake2862]

Yay i got the Engine sound guessing game right. I had a VT500E and dreamt of having a V4

[@bhtooefr]

Apparently the green thing began as a car racing superstition in 1911, and ended in cars with British Racing Green. (And Kawasaki apparently chose green *because* of the superstition.) However, green cars are one of the less safe colors, likely for visibility reasons. (Which makes me suspect that modern Kawasaki *bright* green is less of a problem than a dark green.) Black is the worst, white is the best (with yellow, orange, and gold also being good), apparently.

[@Audfile]

Play Ride 5 with all the assists off! Its awesome, will keep you sharp through the winter.

[@therocket280z7]

What was so different about the 70s-90s Moto gp, F1 and WRC for cars, is that technology was still at an infantile stage. So, these race series really made huge contribution to the retail market. Really by the 2000s vehicle performance tech had basically hit it's peak, and the contributions from racing have declined dramatically. Same is true for a lot of industries though. Computers, and the internet had also hit their peak too. Big companies could still run Windows XP late into the 2010s, 5gb internet is all you need to do HD internet, and processor speeds really haven't gotten any better in the last 20yrs either. Just like a 05 gsxr1000 is gerally just as fast as today's 1000s.

[@devonnobles1083]

I listen to the Oxley Bom podcast all the time on spotify, but I've never seen Mat Oxley. Definitely not what I pictured. I really got some Russell Crow vibes from that voice for some reason.

[@nonflyingfinn2173]

Now I understand why Pete Cooke's game was called Juggernaut. Thanks Mat.

[@cacaoueterealisateur]

nicu mat oxley 😗👍

[@Daschickenify]

I had guessed the correct bike in the guessing game at first, but changed my guess! So close!

[@Roy_Godiksen]

I would love to see/hear an episode on all the tech we are getting on bikes these days. Are we really getting our moneys worth when we buy it? We (relatively) recently got radar and E-clutch. Now we see AI around the corner. But are these technologies really making our rides better/safer? Don't people just get lazy when a machine breaks for them when the car in front slows down, and when ABS and TCS takes care of all your inputs. I learned to ride a bike with no aids other than the lights and gauges, and i trust that over electronics. When AI starts doing things, what will that do to our focus and awareness? I see lots of riders fiddling with their phone while riding because they have it on the handlebar. When the bike brakes, accelerates and god forbid turns for you. How safe is it Really? (Dream guest for this "too much tech?" episode is Ryan F9, of course)

[@Motoguzzi750]

Superb.

[@lovelessissimo]

Live MotoGP was on HBO the other day. I don't know if it that was a one off, but it was there.

[@obsidian....]

Nope, it's been there since the merger. They have the contract. It's on live, all practices, qualifying and races. It then goes on demand. 👍

[@justcommenting4981]

Great!

[@t1d_bikeguy420]

We're yall at barber for the wera gnf races or the weekend before for vintage fest?

[@aussiebloke609]

1:02:40 Motorcycle-curious? I may have to remember that phrase. For some reason, whenever I called it "bike-curious" I'd get some funny looks, particularly in mixed company. 🤔

[@marksmith8663]

Wow fantastic to listen hear all the tine line history facts . Is I was brought up with 2stoke motorbikes . Wouldn’t be cool to have a 4 stroke Then bought a Honda CBR 600 injection relished 4 stoke have come on a long way .

[@jimh1021]

please explain the reason North America doesn't show British Sport bike Racing. Also I would love to see a show on GP2 and the differences with moto GP.

[@LupusAdNoctem]

Considering HSLS is biweekly, why not make the episodes 3-4hrs long. Two hours is just not enough to chew on over two weeks.

[@jxparra2]

From the TV in USA point ... I think it makes sense, kind of. However, I think fanatics would prefer to watch it live. Well, at least I would. I don't mind getting up at 3am to watch Philip Island Grand Prix, including all the dialogue leading up to Moto3- MotoGP. It's usually at the end of the week. But it would be extremely convenient to watch it in US national programming. But so is the app. But how many actually would, And at what time? I'd love for others to chime in and see what y'all think.

[@flexywing]

Sorry Matt, but the UK did have the Honda VF 500

[@naturalconditions]

Exactly

[@sofakingcrazy1]

I'm curious to see the analytics on this video in 3 months time and compare it to the other highside/ lowside podcasts.

[@HerbieRedoak]

Would like to have heard more about the upcoming 2027 spec and what the panels' expectations might be. We've done this before, and it produced some pretty underwhelming racing. Should we be expecting a different result this go around?

[@mattmccallum2879]

A blue motorcycle!? That’s a drink, sir

[@joshuasmith5538]

didn't dorna just re-up for another 5 years or so? i've got both the motogp and motoamerica subscription services. i think they're worth it. you get so much coverage especially for practice, qualifying and press conferences that wouldn't be possible on regular tv. also, commercials are minimal on motoamerica and non existent on the motogp app. you can watch whenever you want. they even have a "no spoiler" setting so you can keep the suspense if you're watching after the actual racing is done. i think the last thing racing fans want is to NBA, NFL or F1 the sport.

[@ReignitedAuto]

Couldn't agree more. In the first couple years the moto gp app was really buggy and barely worked. But these days it works perfectly and the no spoiler setting is great.

[@John_Ridley]

I appreciate the history and it was an interesting discussion. However I sometimes hear people say that every motorcyclist is interested in racing. I just am not. Riding a motorcycle no more makes me want to watch MotoGP than driving a car makes me want to watch Formula 1, or riding a bicycle makes me want to watch the TdF. I watch MotoGP clips once in a while and appreciate the skill and everything but I have zero interest in watching a race. I did VERY much like "Stealing Speed" - I read it shortly after Spurge mentioned it a few years back on this podcast.

[@danielcarroll5667]

The consequences of shooting that hoop from ten yards farther and going into that corner ten yards deeper before braking are quite significant...

[@joeblack4565]

Spurgeon Dunbar - cringeworthy mansplainer.

[@davidgearardo1788]

No green motorcycles, always heard they were bad luck

[@IXMANMOXI]

Great podcast gentleman. 👏🏼. Thank you 🏍️💨

[@stevewilson3603]

I'm from the UK and I always thought "Juggernaut" was an American word!! - what was the console game "Bart vs the juggernauts" called in the states in that case lol

[@7overland514]

Liberty may not care where the money comes from, but they do care where the money is that isn’t being made. They will do the same thing they did with F1 to grow the MotoGP footprint in the US

[@hrsjohnny]

I hope purple glasses is sipping wisky!

[@philipdarnall787]

Cheap blue filter glasses.

[@clintfromhere]

It got so dark so fast at Matt’s.

[@iainwilson4463]

Motorbikes/Motorcycles...two great nations divided by a common language.

[@John_Ridley]

FWIW, Stealing Speed is $7.99 for Kindle.

[@Motoguzzi750]

I've just ordered the real thing. If a book is that good, I like a physical copy.

[@John_Ridley]

@@Motoguzzi750 To each their own. I very much dislike paper books.

[@Robert_Hall90]

I’d love to watch MotoGP but as someone that doesn’t watch it and doesn’t know any of the teams or riders I just can’t justify the cost of the video pass subscription (£30 per month here in the UK) i just can’t commit to spending to £360 a year to watch something I know nothing about….. they should make it more affordable/ accessible

[@tonyluff5856]

It's on tnt sport free with an ee contract

[@UnclePaulgarage]

Why MotoGP is not more popular in America?

[@paultaylorduke]

1) No Americans in it 2) It's an expensive subscription 3) Many of the races are in the middle of the night in North America MotoAmerica is a great alternative.

[@IXMANMOXI]

TV coverage and marketing is nil in North America.

[@RamblingRuters]

​@IXMANMOXI 💯, compared to the other major professional sports coverage (NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR etc) soccer teams and MotoGP is just not as popular and how many Americans that actually ride motorcycles (small percentage). I personally love watching MotoGP & WSBK as it's not watching it for hrs (unlike NASCAR) & MOST of the time there's some action going on, some good competition, those speeds on these tracks while being that precise is amazing. I do like that being more European I don't blatantly see political garbage being promoted which turned me off watching other sports.

[@CraigSmith568]

I wasn't even close on the engine guessing game.

[@coryfielding9219]

“Ride to Survive” Netflix Series?

[@michaelch6536]

start moto gp podcast

[@sbeast1216]

Get that man a lantern or something

[@lovelessissimo]

Kawi picked green specifically to show they could win races and fck superstitions. True story

[@michaelreina8598]

Matt Oxley woke AF!

[@PjotrRotteveel]

Funny enough, I’ve heard of the superstition about dropping your helmet, but I understood it a bit differently. Two different guys told me that if you get a new helmet, you should drop it before wearing it so that the first impact is “out of the way” (or something like that). It’s worth noting that this was in the context of dirt biking, which might explain the difference. Anyway, I ended up dropping my brand-new helmet because of this superstition.

[@mrzx626]

For the algo.

[@TeeOna2Stroke]

Finally these jokers talk about 2 strokes ! Fumbled the guessing game though, should've done a 2T

[@davidgearardo1788]

Putin your helmet on the ground