Press Release: LCR Honda - More Than A Number [ 02-Feb-26 10:31am ]The LCR Honda team sent out the following press release and photos after their online team launch:
EVERY NUMBER TELLS A STORY
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The MotoGP Silly Season is in full swing at Sepang, with rumors and speculation swirling. But there is also the first official and confirmed signing, with Aprilia announcing a contract extension of two years with Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian will remain with Aprilia for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
The news does not come as a surprise. At the Aprilia launch in Milan in January, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola said that they were already talking with Bezzecchi and expected to sign a deal soon. Bezzecchi's strong 2025 season, and especially the second half of last year when he outscored everyone to finish third behind the Marquez brothers, was a testament to how well Bezzecchi fitted at Aprilia. So it was a natural step for both parties to continue.
David Emmett Mon, 02/Feb/2026 - 07:11 2026 Sepang MotoGP Test Preview: What Each Factory Hopes To Achieve [ 01-Feb-26 10:18am ]
The long wait is over. MotoGP takes to the track again, in public at least. The shakedown test is supposed to be held behind closed doors, though the few journalists and photographers who attend are only allowed into the paddock and the service road, and access to riders is limited. No times are published, leaving journalists reliant on screenshots of timing screens from team staff who are feeling generous.
On Tuesday, though, it all starts for real. The entire MotoGP grid will roll out of pit lane for their first laps of 2026. Well, not quite the entire MotoGP grid: Jorge Martin will be absent as he recovers from surgery in December to correct previous operations on scaphoid and collarbone, and Fermin Aldeguer is missing after breaking his femur in a training crash at the Aspar circuit in Valencia.
David Emmett Sun, 01/Feb/2026 - 10:18 Press Release: Gresini Ducati Launch Their 2026 MotoGP Campaign [ 31-Jan-26 6:00pm ]The Gresini Ducati team held the online launch of their 2026 MotoGP campaign on Saturday, and issued the following press release:
BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP - PURE ESSENCE
Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 535: MotoGP Silly Season Explodes, And Sepang Testing Preview [ 31-Jan-26 12:49pm ]The MotoGP Shakedown Test had barely got underway or a series of rider contract bombshells arrived. Fabio Quartararo heading to factory Honda, Jorge Martin to replace him at Yamaha, and Pedro Acosta to join Marc Marquez in the Ducati Lenovo team. It is all heating up, so Neil, David, Steve and Adam try to pick it all apart and make sense of it.
And of course we are on the eve of the Sepang MotoGP test, so the crew dissect what we can expect to see at the test, what each factory has to do, and answer some questions from our Patreon backers.
Please join our merry band of supporters by signing up to the Paddock Pass Podcast Patreon to get access to our Discord server and a host of exclusive content. Show you are listening to the world's smartest racing podcast by getting your t-shirts, caps, hoodies and more from our merch store. Enjoy the show!
David Emmett Sat, 31/Jan/2026 - 12:49 Was Mika Kallio Riding A KTM 850 At The Sepang Shakedown Test? [ 31-Jan-26 11:54am ]The most intriguing times posted at the Sepang Shakedown test were set by KTM's reliability test rider Mika Kallio. The Finnish veteran's times on Thursday and Friday were 5 and 6 seconds off the best times, whereas today, on Saturday, he was just 2.6 seconds behind. That kind of variation is a sign of something going on.
Day1 Day2 Day 3
Mika Kallio KTM RC16 2:03.203 2:04.376 1:59.807
The most obvious explanation would be that KTM are testing their 850 at Sepang. I have approached KTM for comment, but frankly, do not expect a reply. The shakedown test is a private test, and factories typically don't comment on private tests. Two things I did notice from looking at photos, however, just add to the confusion. Here's one, from Hazrin Yeob Men Shah's instagram feed:
David Emmett Sat, 31/Jan/2026 - 11:54 2026 Sepang MotoGP Shakedown Test Day 3: Aleix Espargaro Fastest, Moreira Makes Big Step [ 31-Jan-26 10:58am ]The MotoGP Shakedown Test at Sepang is over, and it is Aleix Espargaro who ended the three days as fastest, the Honda test rider roughly seven tenths off the outright testing lap record set here last year by Alex Marquez. Brother Pol Espargaro was a tenths slower on the KTM RC16, while Fabio Quartararo was the fastest of the Yamahas, half a second slower than the Honda test rider.
David Emmett Sat, 31/Jan/2026 - 10:58 Steiner-backed Group Completes Takeover Of Tech3 Team [ 30-Jan-26 2:41pm ]The group of investors led by former F1 team boss Günther Steiner have completed their purchase of the Tech3 team from Hervé Poncharal and the other owners of the squad. The proposed purchase was announced last summer, with Steiner giving a press conference at Barcelona. It has taken until January to finalize and complete the deal.
The press release issued by the investor group offers an insight into their ambitions, and perhaps a view into why Liberty Media purchased MotoGP. The group see the potential for MotoGP to grow and to expand outside of its European base. The press release underlines this in the following statement: "MotoGP has a unique opportunity to grow its North American and Asian footprint, draw widespread appeal to a sport that has traditionally attracted European fans and motorcycle enthusiasts, and invest in the institutionalization efforts necessary to build the value of the World Championship and its competing teams."
David Emmett Fri, 30/Jan/2026 - 14:41- Read more about Steiner-backed Group Completes Takeover Of Tech3 Team
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2026 Sepang MotoGP Shakedown Test Day 2: Jack Miller Fastest As Yamaha Joins The Fray [ 30-Jan-26 11:20am ]
Penny 3: Pedro Acosta To Join Marc Marquez At Ducati [ 29-Jan-26 9:16pm ]It has been the wildest day of MotoGP silly season news in many years. In fact, probably since I started working in MotoGP 18 years ago. Although nothing is officially confirmed yet - understandably, given that both Honda teams and Gresini Ducati have not even held the launches of their 2026 seasons - the extremely reliable journalist Oriol Puigdemont is reporting that Fabio Quartararo will be joining Honda for 2027 and 2028, and that Jorge Martin will be taking his place in the factory Yamaha squad for the next two years.
David Emmett Thu, 29/Jan/2026 - 21:16- Read more about Penny 3: Pedro Acosta To Join Marc Marquez At Ducati
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2026 Sepang MotoGP Shakedown Test Day 1: Aleix Espargaro Fastest As Testing Gets Undeway [ 29-Jan-26 3:01pm ]The 2026 MotoGP season is underway, or rather the prelude to the prelude to the 2026 MotoGP season is underway, with the MotoGP test riders plus rookies Toprak Razgatlioglu and Diogo Moreira putting in the first laps of 2026 at the Sepang International Circuit on day 1 of the MotoGP shakedown test.
David Emmett Thu, 29/Jan/2026 - 15:01Just a few moments after the news that Fabio Quartararo is to sign a deal with HRC to ride in the factory Honda team for 2027 and 2028, Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont dropped the second piece of MotoGP rider market news. According to Puigdemont, Jorge Martin is closing in on a two-year deal to replace Quartararo in the factory Yamaha team.
David Emmett Thu, 29/Jan/2026 - 14:18
The MotoGP Silly Season is kicking into gear. With riders, teams and a handful of journalists already gathered in Sepang for the MotoGP shakedown test, news is starting to be gathered. And the first piece of news is both expected and unexpected.
Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont is reporting that Fabio Quartararo has agreed a two-year deal with HRC, to race in the factory Honda squad. That means that Fabio Quartararo is set to leave Yamaha after eight seasons with the Japanese manufacturer. The Frenchman was first brought into the then Petronas Yamaha satellite squad at the recommendation of Wilco Zeelenberg, and backed by former Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis.
David Emmett Thu, 29/Jan/2026 - 11:53The first day of the second preseason test of 2026 for the WorldSBK series has been a washout. The tail of Storm Ingrid left the Algarve coast of Portugal a very wet and windy place, with only a handful of riders lapping on Wednesday, choosing instead to conserve their precious test days.
Of the riders who did turn some laps, Kawasaki's Garrett Gerloff was fastest, but his time of 1'46.242 is nearly 7 seconds off the race lap record of 1'39.441 set by Toprak Razgatlioglu in the Superpole race at the 2025 Portimão round. Track conditions rendered the times set meaningless.
David Emmett Wed, 28/Jan/2026 - 18:14Aprilia have today officially confirmed that Jorge Martin is to miss the Sepang MotoGP test, due to start next Tuesday, February 3rd. Martin is still recovering from surgery in December on his scaphoid and collarbone, which were needed to revise earlier operations on his arm and shoulder. Test rider Lorenzo Savadori is to take his place during the entire Sepang test, spending three days on the bike at the shakedown test starting on Thursday, January 29th to Saturday 31st, and then another three days during the official IRTA test from February 3rd to 5th.
David Emmett Wed, 28/Jan/2026 - 11:55- Read more about Jorge Martin Confirmed To Miss Sepang Test
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KTM launched their 2026 MotoGP campaign on Tuesday, presenting both the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad and the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. They issued the following press release and photos:
Race Ready: 2026 MotoGP™ gets live
Press Release Tue, 27/Jan/2026 - 20:52We've answered questions from our Patreon backers before, we've answered questions from listeners, but we've never answered our own big questions about MotoGP and motorcycle racing. Steve asks David, Neil and Adam all the major existential questions about racing: Is there life after Marc Marquez? Will MotoGP go electric? Where is the next big British or American star coming from? Would you watch if robots raced instead of humans? And will Adam's walk on part in the latest MotoGP movie Idols open the door to Hollywood? All this and more...
David Emmett Tue, 27/Jan/2026 - 18:02A new week, and the world of motorcycling is starting to get into gear. It is the week that MotoGP bikes take to the track again, as the three-day MotoGP shakedown test starts on Thursday at Sepang, ahead of the official test starting on February 3rd. Access to the shakedown test is restricted, and there will be very few people on the ground, though updates may filter out. No doubt GPOne.com will be heading to Sepang and at least in Malaysia for the test. I will be flying out at the weekend to cover the test in full on the ground.
Until then, here are a few snippets of news, updates, and articles worth reading, to get you ready for the week in motorcycle racing.
Circuit updates: Brazil ready...
David Emmett Mon, 26/Jan/2026 - 22:01Useful track action was limited to the afternoon for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes on the second day of the first preseason test at Jerez, though it was an improvement on Wednesday, when a large part of the grid sat out the day due to a wet track. The track was cold and wet in the morning, most riders waiting until after lunch to venture out and start to pursue a decent lap time.
David Emmett Thu, 22/Jan/2026 - 19:58With the first MotoGP launches behind us, and a chance to speak to riders, managers, and team members, as well as the FIM and IRTA getting to work again, there is at last some real news emerging about MotoGP. The first salvos have been fired in the MotoGP silly season. And as expected, it is Marc Márquez leading the way.
Márquez stays put
At the Ducati Lenovo presentation on Monday, Marc Márquez acknowledged that he would likely be among the first riders to sign a contract beyond 2026. And that means he is almost certain to stay at Ducati, despite his coyness about an answer. "Of course 2026 will be tricky, not on track, outside the track, because 2027 is open. Nobody can promise the best bike," Márquez said.
David Emmett Wed, 21/Jan/2026 - 22:59The first day of the first WorldSBK test of 2026 was a washout. It rained to start the day, and even when it stopped raining, the track never really dried out. Only one rider racked up more than 30 laps, and that was Miguel Oliveira on the BMW M1000RR, and he managed just 31 laps.
David Emmett Wed, 21/Jan/2026 - 17:42
