Oxley Bom MotoGP podcast

It’s the fourth of July, and that means we have something to celebrate! Yes, on this very day, a very long time ago, a bunch of dudes thought up something that would grow into a world-changing institution whose age has reached the triple digits. So, congratulations Ducati!  Let’s be honest: your hosts are giant history nerds, and Peter has a very long history with this particular manufacturer. In...

Today's race was brought to you by the letter 'A'. That's 'A', like in 'Assen', 'Aprilia', 'Ai' and, of course: "Aaaaaaaaaargh, why is there so much sharp gravel everywhere?" That gravel is especially nasty, as Peter assures us that the stones here are particularly unfriendly. And that's not even getting into those killer c...

Sometimes we get by with a little help from our friends. Case in point: Marc Marquez, taking first place with the help of Martin and Bezzecchi. The latter's help was especially unconventional, as the Bez managed to get himself suspended for a race when he decided to slap a race official.  And no matter what you say, you just can't go around slapping stewards or mauling marshals. It'...

 Ah, the holeshot device. If you've heard Mat and Peter talk about it before, you'd fear to think what would happen if they ever met the poor devil who invented it... ...well, his name is Robin Tuluie and he's joining us this week!  To say Tuluie is an important figure in motor sports is slightly underselling the man. Yes, he invented both the ride height device in MotoGP and introd...

Last year was the first time we went to Balaton, and the result wasn't great. This year? Hate the track, love the riders. And I say 'riders', plural, because it takes two to tango.  And people, did we get one hell of a dance between Acosta and Marquez today.  Yes, the king is back and schooling everyone with 1,5 functional arms. Keen readers might notice that this is slightly less t...

It's a party at Aprilia and occasion for some very cross glares over at Ducati this Sunday at Mugello. Good race? You bet! So let's go over to Italy, and see what caught the eye of our hosts Mat and... ...wait, I'm getting word that Peter is still on a secret mission somewhere? Oh dear. Have we got anyone else on the ground, then?  Nope, nobody but Mat and his incredible social skil...

You've heard it here first, everyone!  THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAR RIGHT NOW. 'What war?', you might ask? Well, I couldn't possibly tell you! Maybe the Duke of Luxembourg decided to invade Thailand. Maybe it's the manufacturers versus Liberty. Maybe cats and dogs are finally getting serious about it. All just as likely, right? Okay, maybe if there was a war it would be abou...

Well, that wasn't what we expected, nor what we wanted. Bloody disaster!  In case you're reading this from some far-off future where people (hopefully) don't remember this race very well anymore, know that we had a pretty mess on our hands with bad, avoidable crashes galore. You could call it a lottery, you could call it a farce...but you can't call it racing.  Understandably,...

Oh dear, what a weekend! For want of a screw, the race was lost. Or, maybe I should say: for want of a proper screw. Yes, I'm talking about Marc Marquez, him having a screw loose leading to a rather painful absence for the man who'd absolutely shattered the lap record at Les Mans on Saturday.  And it's bad news for Ducati, too, as Alex took a tumble within the first rounds today and...

Come on, it's time to check out the best race ever.  You might have noticed, but a lot has been changing in MotoGP recently. New owners, new rules, new tracks and the end of the 1000cc-era. It feels weird, doesn't it? Most humans, when unsure about the future, start ruminating on the past in search of answers. After all, it's often only when seeing where we came from that we can act...

VIDEO ALERT! We've got Mat and Peter live from Jerez, with their mugs on camera! I'd click this, if I was you!  Normally after a race, you just pack up and go. If you hurry up, you've got just enough time to celebrate your victory or mourn your losses and still catch your plane. But if you did that this week you'd feel pretty silly at the airport, because we've got testing...

VIDEO ALERT! We've got Mat and Peter taking a stroll across Jerez, and that's the episode version I'd most recommend! There's this thing called the law of opposites. You know: for every Ying, there's a Yang. For every good thing, a bad thing. For every exciting sprint, one boring race.  Oh bloody hell, we weren't allowed to say that! Well never mind anyway, because it...

 Here's MotoGP. Here's World Superbike. Quickly: what's the biggest difference? Speed, of course! Or at least that's what the answer would have been at any point in history. But here we are, at the threshold of the biggest rule shake-up in the history of the sport, laying down new regulations on aerodynamics, ride height devices, fuel and engine capacity. All to slow down the m...

It's tiny. It's kind of hard to reach. It gets used at the start of the race, and then it gets folded away. Oh, and for riders and engineers it's the last big tool to shave off precious time in the corners.  That's right, this week Peter's coming in clutch with a deep dive into...the clutch! How does it work, what influence does it have and why are these devices so differe...

When not writing descriptions for episodes of the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast, I love to spend time on games. And I mean games in every format, from ancient boardgames to weird videogames and, of course, racing. It's not just about playing them, but also about appreciating the design behind them; the way every little aspect has been tweaked just so, in order to make it fun and meaningful.  So tr...

During the week, he's an unassuming MotoGP-rider. But when the weekend comes around and Sunday's knocking, he changes into...Super Sunday Boy! This week, will our superhero have a mighty collision before parking his bike all the way at the front?  Yes, he can!  And speaking of the front, something we didn't find there was Ducati. Forget about that beautiful uninterrupted streak of v...

It's the second race of the season, and MotoGP is back in Brazil. It's been absolute ages since we've last been to the Autodromo Internacional de Goiania, so how has it faired? Well, they say love starts with first impressions - and Goiana definitely delivered. She's short, she's wet (especially after the rain), she's wild...and she's got a sinkhole that's r...

Last week, we asked our dear Patrons if they had any questions for us. And, well, you know the drill: lots of you responded, we picked our favourites and finally Mat and Peter do their best to answer them in an hour or so. Right? I mean, how many questions in need of resolution could there possibly be? Well, let's just say that if you normally pour yourself a glass for these episodes, then th...

It's all good times for Aprilia. Their hardware is proving top-notch at the track, and even after one race they've already got some spectacular results in the pocket. In fact, if the world ends tomorrow they'd technically be world champions! But what are the chances of that happening? In completely unrelated news, are we still doing that Qatar GP or are we canceling it due to a chan...

 Ah, take a whiff of that! You smell it? It’s that unique scent of jungle, petrol and excitement which can only mean one thing: MotoGP is back, baby! Now, you might wonder why we just described the above mentioned (and highly questionable) smell. But you have to understand that Mat is currently at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand while being sick as a dog. Seriously, some vicio...

In 1776, Adam Smith famously speculates on the concept of a free market and coins the term 'capitalism'. Then, in 2026, the organizers of MotoGP suddenly announce that Philip Island is gone from the official roster of the tournament. Coincidence? We think not!  Yes, it's the cruel, cold, capitalist culling of a great circuit and the hosts are not amused. In fact, Mat's literall...

Here at Oxley Bom, everyone knows that the thing we're most famous for are our 'charming' personalities. Like, we can promise we don't physically bite - but that's about the limit of what we can guarentee. So you'll understand when I say it is a great honor to have an actual returning guest to our show! Who is this dauntless fellow? Why, it's the awesome Livio Su...

It's hard being a motorsports journalist, you know? Always traveling the world, visiting exotic countries and having to tell people about all the cutting-edge machines you saw there. It's a horrible job, really, but someone has to do it. And this time, that arduous task fell to Peter. Sorry Peter, you're up! So yes, we sent our most intrepid expert packing and told him not to come b...

Hey, want to score a special deal? How about a nice MotoGP-rider, pretty fast and only slightly used. No? Maybe prefer a rookie, instead? Someone promising but without proven records, so dirt cheap if you act fast. Better act fast before they're all gone... Yes everyone, it's Auction Day at Oxley Bom and we are your auctioneers! In front of us: a collection of riders, contracts currently...

We've talked about the riders.  We've yapped about the manufacturers.  And today?  Today we get to the real meat and potatoes...the bikes!  Never mind that  everybody's still getting ready to start testing in Sepang - we've already got plenty to discuss. We already know a lot about these bikes, so it's time we start looking at the hard questions. Questions like: Are they g...