Tank Slappers - The MS Network MotoGP Podcast

• 117: Marquez Dominates Thailand On Debut In Red, Ogura Surprises With Top 5

  Tank Slappers is back for the 2025 Season! Taking over the reins is Dre Harrison, alongside Autosport’s Chief Motorsport Writer Ben Hunt, and Motorsport.com MotoGP reporter Oriol Puigdemont. The trio sit down to review the opening round of the 2025 MotoGP season in Buriram, Thailand at the Chang International Circuit. It was a dream debut for Marc Marquez in the Ducati red, dominating the proceedings to finishing in a 1-2 in both the Sprint and Grand Prix with his brother Alex. How impressive was Marc’s performance? How concerned should Francesco Bagnaia be after only managing a pair of third places?  There’s also the fact that Marquez had to concede an early second-and-a-half advantage to comply with MotoGP’s tyre regulation rule. A necessary evil, or bad for the show? There’s also a discussion on Ai Ogura and the best debut performance in the sport since 2013 after finishing 5th in his first race with Trackhouse, the latest on Jorge Martin’s broken hands, and asking if Honda and Yamaha are finally closing the gap to Ducati and Aprilia. 

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• 116: Marquez Set For Factory Ducati Switch As Martin Moves To Aprilia

  The 2025 MotoGP rider market exploded on Monday after Autosport revealed that Ducati had changed its mind and decided to promote Marc Marquez over Jorge Martin to its factory team. Ahead of last week's Italian Grand Prix, it looked as if championship leader Martin was set to get the nod for the factory Ducati team. Then it all unravelled as Ducati's hopes of placing Marquez on a factory bike at Pramac faded when the eight-time world champion said the team was "not an option". Ducati faced a crossroads and the possibility of having to lose Marquez or Martin to a rival factory in 2025. On Sunday, it decided it would have to lose Martin to keep Marquez. Martin duly went to Aprilia and a deal was put together on Sunday night and signed on the Monday. In the latest Tank Slappers podcast, Autosport's Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont discuss the Martin/Marquez situation, how it came to pass and what it means next for MotoGP. They also look at the other dominoes that will no fall into place in the wake of this.

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• 115: Espargaro Retires As Bagnaia Launches Catalan Comeback

  The 2024 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix offered up a raft of talking points as Francesco Bagnaia bounced back from a sprint crash with victory on Sunday. The reigning world champion crashed out of the lead on the final lap of the Catalan GP sprint to end a Saturday win drought dating back to the Austrian GP last year. It softened the blow of a difficult sprint for championship leader Jorge Martin, who was able to extend his points lead over Bagnaia. The factory Ducati rider bounced back brilliantly in the grand prix, however, to beat Martin for his third GP win of the season. Martin extends his championship lead to 39 points, while Marc Marquez rose from 14th on the grid to seal podiums in both races at Barcelona. Prior to the weekend, Aleix Espargaro announced he will retire from MotoGP at the end of the 2024 season. But he proved he is going out on a high with pole and victory in the sprint. In the latest Tank Slappers podcast, Autosport's Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont discuss Espargaro's career and the on-track action at Barcelona. They also look at the looming decision Ducati must make about its factory line-up for 2025 and why it's not as easy as it may seem.

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• 114: Jorge Martin Wins Classic Three-Way Fight At Le Mans

  A thrilling French Grand Prix at the fifth round of the 2024 MotoGP season looks to have drawn the battle lines for a three-way title fight. Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin put in a perfect weekend to claim pole, sprint and grand prix wins, the latter coming after absorbing immense late pressure from Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia. Martin is now 38 points clear in the standings and put in the best weekend of his career at a point in which Ducati is nearing a final decision on its second factory team rider for 2025. He is facing stiff competition from Marc Marquez, though, who came from 13th on the grid to finish second in both the sprint and the grand prix to move to within 40 points of the championship lead. Having scored his first grand prix podium of the year at Jerez, Marquez is now proving consistent on the year-old Ducati and has set his sights firmly on a factory bike for next year. On the latest Tank Slappers podcast, Autosport's Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont discuss Martin and Marquez's races and what they mean for Ducati's 2025 decision. They also look at the ongoing troubles for Honda after another dismal weekend, while ponder what the 2027 regulations will do for MotoGP.

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• 113: Bagania Triumphs Over Marquez In Epic Spanish GP Fight

  MotoGP returned home this past weekend with the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix from Jerez, and the fans were treated to an all-time classic between two of the very best riders in the world. Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia had an intense battle for the win, taking advantage of a Jorge Martin crash from the lead in the middle period of the race, and Bagnaia ultimately triumphed with his third straight Jerez victory by just four tenths of a second. On this week's edition of Tank Slappers, Autosport's Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont discuss the intoxicating fight, as well as Martin's role in the action, and where all three of the riders title campaigns could he heading with Le Mans next up in a fortnights time.  Also discussed on the show this week, more struggles for Honda as Luca Marini was the last rider over the line, Johann Zarco getting kicked out of Race Direction after a crash with Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, and whether Jerez can be a "blue ribbon" race for the sport, like Monaco could be for Formula 1, now both sports are under the Liberty Media umbrella. 

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