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 vicious flu has got him down and he’s purely holding on through the strength of willpower and lozenges. The poor lad has even had to give up drinking this week! Here’s to hoping he will get through this unfortunate period of sobriety…

Luckily, there’s plenty to take the mind off things as we dive head-first into the opening race of the 2026 season. And will you look at that: it’s Aprilia and KTM dominating! What has given them an edge, and what does this mean for the rest of the season? That’s what we’re here to find out! Also, why on earth is Mat suddenly interested in the Saturday Sprint? Does he have a fever, or is there something more going on here?

Time to press that play button and find out...

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!

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 literally sick of it and has come down with an awful flu. But just like a certain racing organization, we're a bunch of brutal bastards - so get that man in front of a mic, pronto!

And you, too, better press that play button. Because today we're discussing what it means to lose Philip Island, why this decision was made, what precedents it sets and why it's both aggravating and frightful.

And stick around, because we've got plenty of other things, too, that we need to discuss before we start racing next week. Like, what bike do we now have the highest technical expectations of? Is it possible for riders to unionize? And what is the best way to keep your temper around awful bikes? Heads up: that last one might be particularly interesting to one specific rider...can you guess who?

Please write down your guess on a piece of paper, open up a drink and press play to see if you were right...

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!

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 Suppo!

For those not in the know (or those who haven't listened to our interview two years ago) we should probably tell you that Livio is an actual real-life legend in the pit, leading teams for Ducati, Honda and Suzuki. Oh, and he worked with some small riders like Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez. I don't know, you might have heard of them...

So get ready to hear some insights from our man on the inside – but be warned, because this week we’re taking no prisoners!

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!

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 back until he's got some good stories for us.* And here he is, ready to give Mat the debrief on everything he saw at Sepang. Were our predictions last week on the money, or did we miss the mark completely?

One thing's for sure: we're definitely excited about 2026, now...

Cheers!

*Which some of you have already had a sneak peek at, as Peter shared daily updates with our fantastic Patreon-supporters.

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!

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 still unsigned. Who will ride into a new season, and who will step out of the race? That's what we're about to find out. It's mean and merciless - but that's business, baby!

So come with us and get bidding, because these riders are going fast...

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!

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 going to make the racing better? Will they be safer? Are they fun to watch? What's their zodiac? And who might have to get ready for a frosty chat?

Just, you know, plenty of questions about the machines that define this sport. Let's get some answers!

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!

A certain German philosopher once warned that he who stares into the racing grid long enough must know that the racing grid also stares back.* This week, Peter discovers that we have some very particular fans in high places, and wishes they stayed anonymous. We can't talk crap about you if we know who you are - stop being friendly to us! Rather, we prefer our listeners and us to be like estranged spouses: cold and distant strangers, drawn together by a shared mania.

Love you, though, and give our regards to Toprak!

So, to stay on theme, let's get to know our anonymous audience on a first name basis by interacting with them through listener questions! We've got time traveling what-if's, fear for Australia and the tricks to a zen-like flow. Also, one of the above examples is the answer to last weeks' cliffhanger. Exciting!

So hit play, grab a fresh one and enjoy!

*Or something like that; my German is a bit rusty these days.

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!

Everybody has questions. Wait, let me rephrase that: everyone of you has questions for us. And you know? We were kind of asking for it – literally, since we asked our sweet Patrons to donate not just their money, but their MotoGP-inquiries as well.

And let me tell you, our Patrons can be very generous!

So here we are, four pages of questions ranging from the mundane to the bizarre and everything inbetween. Do we have enough time to get through all of them? Not this week, we don’t. But trust us when I say we’ve got some juicy bits here!

So maybe you’re curious about what parts of a MotoGP-bike will never make it onto the street. Perhaps your wondering how difficult it is to make the jump from Superbike to MotoGP. Or maybe you just want to know what the most debauched thing Mat and Peter ever saw was. In any case, we invite you to crack open your drink of choice and join us for the start of Wet January.

Cheers!

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music!