Episodes

  • 125: Lucio Cecchinello on IRTA Presidency, Liberty Media Buying MotoGP And Its Future

    125: Lucio Cecchinello on IRTA Presidency, Liberty Media Buying MotoGP And Its Future
    Jun 5 2025
    Dre Harrison introduces a special episode of Tank Slappers, featuring a sit down interview with former rider, LCR Team Principal and new President of the IRTA, Lucio Cecchinello.

    In a wide-ranging interview, Lucio talks about what he misses most about being a rider, his new role as IRTA President, and what it was like juggling being both a rider and a team boss at the same time. There's also a chat about his partnership with Honda, and having the last two wins the manufacturer has earned in MotoGP.

    There's also a deep dive into what he thinks of Liberty Media, whose takeover of MotoGP is imminent, what the sport can learn from Formula 1 in terms of fandom, entertaining and sporting merit, and how he thinks the 2027 regulations could shake up the sport, and what the other manufacturers can learn from Ducati's dominance.
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    19 mins
  • 124: Marco Bezzecchi Wins In Britain, Heartbreak for Quartararo, Drama for Aprilia and KTM

    124: Marco Bezzecchi Wins In Britain, Heartbreak for Quartararo, Drama for Aprilia and KTM
    May 28 2025
    Dre Harrison is joined again by Richard Asher and Uri Puigdemont to review what was an incredibly dramatic Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone.

    It was a shocking win for Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia winning their first race of 2025, and it couldn't have come at a better time with the unstable future of World Champion Jorge Martin still looming over the horizon. But will that win and Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivera's plea for Martin to stay hold up?

    There's also a discussion on the heartbreaking rear ride-height device failure that almost certainly cost Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo his first victory in nearly three years. The trio react to the emotional outpouring from the French rider and the solace Yamaha can take from the performance.

    Also on the podcast, Ducati's surprise struggles in Britain, Pedro Acosta's possible ultimatum to the bosses at KTM, Johann Zarco scoring another podium for Honda, and what the British GP can do to attract more fans after another disappointing attendance of under 100,000 for the weekend.
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    56 mins
  • 123: Jorge Martin Intends To Leave Aprilia, Zarco Wins Chaotic French GP

    123: Jorge Martin Intends To Leave Aprilia, Zarco Wins Chaotic French GP
    May 12 2025
    Dre Harrison, Richard Asher and Oriol Puigdemont host an emergency edition of Tank Slappers off the back of one of the biggest bombshell MotoGP stories of 2025 so far.

    The majority of the show is taken up with the breaking news that Jorge Martin met with Aprilia discreetly during the French GP weekend at Le Mans and told the team that he intends to leave at the end of the season via a performance clause that was in his contract that gave him an option to leave after six races if Martin wasn't placed high enough in the Championship.

    Oriol breaks down how this story came about, the logic behind Martin activating the clause in his contract, where Martin may intend to move to as a result if he fully commits to leaving, and what this means for Aprilia going forward if their news talismanic rider wants to leave despite just one GP weekend with the team so far.

    There's also a short review of the French GP itself, as Johann Zarco become the first premier class home winner of the race since 1954, as well as why it was a huge weekend for Marc Marquez in the Championship fight, and Pecco Bagnaia's latest explanations for his struggles after leaving the weekend without a single point.
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    37 mins
  • 122: Alex Marquez Wins A Home Spanish GP As Brother Marc Crashes Again

    122: Alex Marquez Wins A Home Spanish GP As Brother Marc Crashes Again
    Apr 30 2025
    Alex Marquez said to the media at the start of the season that he might win a MotoGP race, 'If his brother let him." And in his 93rd attempt, at his home Grand Prix, the younger Marquez brother finally has his first GP victory.

    Dre Harrison is joined by Autosport MotoGP reporter Richard Asher, and Motorsport.com MotoGP writer Uri Puigdemont to review an incredibly dramatic Spanish GP weekend with 100,000 in attendance in Jerez.

    If you didn't know any better, you may have thought Alex Marquez took a page out of his older brother's book to win across the weekend. Two crashes on Friday, then a lap record in practise, and then taking advantage of Marc crashing early on, making one pass for the lead, and then taking off. But is the Spaniard a genuine title contender now he's leading the standings again by just a single point.

    What about the factory Ducati camp? Pecco Bagnaia was very vocal about struggling to extract the full speed out of his GP25, esepcially with the Sprint tank in on Saturday's. And as for Marc Marquez, is he struggling to figure out where the limit is on his bike after another Sunday crash?

    Fabio Quartararo had an incredible weekend, with his first pole position for Yamaha in nearly three years, and second place in the GP, their first podium in a year and a half. Is there hope for the factory, and how is their V4 coming along?

    And with back-to-back strong races from Maverick Vinales, is Pedro Acosta under more pressure to leave KTM? All that and more on a busy episode of Tank Slappers!
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    46 mins
  • 121: Marquez Supreme in Qatar As Martin Horror Crash Collapses His Lung

    121: Marquez Supreme in Qatar As Martin Horror Crash Collapses His Lung
    Apr 15 2025
    Dre Harrison is back to host another episode of Tank Slappers after a newsworthy Grand Prix of Qatar, joined by Autosport and Motorsport.com writers Uri Puigdemont and Richard Asher.

    Once again it was Marc Marquez who dominated from the front to take his third double victory of the season in the Sprint and the Grand Prix. The trio talk about Marquez’s brilliance despite the early clash with his brother Alex, and the worry for teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who was expected to win on a track he’s won at multiple times before.

    There’s also the latest news on the condition of World Champion Jorge Martin, who suffered a horrendous crash after being struck by Fabio DiGiannantonio, and is set to miss three months of racing after having his lung collapse and breaking 11 of his ribs.

    Maverick Vinales shocked everyone in the sport by giving Marquez a run for his money by finishing second on the road, only to drop to 14th after the race finished due to a breach of the tyre pressure regulations. Dre and Richard discuss whether the rule needs changing after Vinales spent multiple laps leading to bring his tyre pressures down.

    There’s also the polarising performances coming from the Japanese manufactures, as Honda’s Johann Zarco continues to impress with a fourth-placed finish, while Fabio Quartararo falls down the order after claiming his first front-row start in nearly three years.
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    51 mins
  • 120: EXCLUSIVE: Regrets, Family and Ducati: A Deep-Dive with Marc Marquez

    120: EXCLUSIVE: Regrets, Family and Ducati: A Deep-Dive with Marc Marquez
    Apr 10 2025
    In an exclusive interview, Uri Puigdemont sits down with eight-time World Champion and newest Ducati MotoGP rider, Marc Marquez.

    In it, Marc talks about his career-defining switch from Honda to Ducati in 2023, the relationship between himself and brother Alex as they both compete for the sport’s greatest prize, how his family are dealing with the fights on-track, and how he’s getting along with new teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

    There’s also a deep dive into Marquez’s mentality, from the recent chaos of that aborted start in Austin, the crash that ended his perfect start to 2025, and what Marc would tell his 18-year-old self, nearly 15 years after his first World Championship in the 125cc class.
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    22 mins
  • 119: Marquez's Chaotic Start And Crash Gifts COTA to Bagnaia, w/ Kevin Schwantz!

    119: Marquez's Chaotic Start And Crash Gifts COTA to Bagnaia, w/ Kevin Schwantz!
    Apr 1 2025
    Given MotoGP came out of Austin, Texas this weekend, it’s safe to say we got The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Marc Marquez, who’s controversial last-minute bike switch caused chaos just minutes before the start of the Grand Prix of the Americas.

    Dre Harrison and Uri Puigdemont break down all the angles from the incident, including the dialogue that led up to Marquez’s last-minute switch. This includes why the conditions made that decision so difficult in the first place, why Race Director Mike Webb threw the Red Flag to abandon the start, and why Marquez avoided the ride-through penalty he should have gotten as per the regulations.

    The race itself also had a dramatic flashpoint with Marc Marquez crashing from the lead of the race, handing a comfortable victory to Francesco Bagnaia, his first of the year. With it, Alex Marquez now leads the Championship, and Bagnaia sits just 11 points behind.

    The show also features a sit-down interview with Suzuki legend and 1993 MotoGP World Champion Kevin Schwantz, who discusses the dynamics between Ducati teammates Bagnaia and Marquez, where brother Alex fits into the title fight. There’s also Kevin’s opinion on the state of developing talent in the United States via MotoAmerica, and what MotoGP can learn from F1’s Drive to Survive as the sport tries to extend its reach in the US.
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    57 mins
  • 118: Marquez Doubles Down In Argentina For Historic 90th Grand Prix Win

    118: Marquez Doubles Down In Argentina For Historic 90th Grand Prix Win
    Mar 18 2025
    Welcome back to Tank Slappers. On this week's episode, host Dre Harrison is joined by Motorsport.com writers Oriol Puigdemont and Federico Faturos to report on all the action and news coming out of the 2025 Grand Prix of Argentina.

    At the front, it was almost a case of Deja Vu as Marc Marquez defeated his brother Alex in a one-on-one fight. But the trio ponders on whether Marc was at 100% of his speed in an attempt to win, or whether there could be even more potential in the tank for the Spaniard as he took his 90th Grand Win, tying him with the great Angel Nieto for third all-time in GP history.

    There's a chat about Francesco Bagnaia's side of the garage. The Double World Champion could only finish fourth in the race, with the rider himself admitting they're "missing something" from the feeling of the latest Ducati GP25. With the Italian 31 points behind Marquez in the standings, how concerned should be?

    There's also a deep dive on Ai Ogura's technical disqualification as Aprilia could only manage one bike finishing in 15th place across their weekend, and whether reigning Champion Jorge Martin may get a test before returning from his injuries, with his recovery time extended through the United States GP in a week and a half's time.

    Finally, there's talk about Pirelli becoming the sport's official tyre supplier from 2027 and why it may be adding to the "Monopoly" arguments in the midst of Liberty Media's attempted purchase, and whether Argentina has a future on the calendar with the sport confirming a race in neighbouring Brazil in 2026.
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    52 mins