Episode 179 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is our final show of 2020. Naturally, we have something special for you, as we take a look at Joan Mir’s season.
On the mics, we have Neil Morrison, Steve English, and our newest member to the show, Adam Wheeler (from the magazine On-Track Off-Road).
Joining the trio is MotoGP World Champion Joan Mir, along with his manager Paco Sanchez. This is definitely a show you want to give a listen.
Is Maverick Viñales the next Alien? There are many who claim that he will be. Yamaha clearly believe he has the potential to become one, as they signed him as Jorge Lorenzo’s replacement for 2017 and beyond.
In 2016, Viñales has show real potential with some impressive performances. Yet at other times, he has been positively middling. The jury is still out at the moment.
On the Monday after the Austin round of MotoGP, the Suzuki team stayed on to do an extra private test, which we attended. Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales had hoped to start relatively early, but heavy overnight rain left the track both wet and dirty, taking some time to dry out.
When they did start, the times were poor – around 2’08, rather than the 2’05s both riders had been posting in the race. But conditions improved as the day went on, and the session turned into a very productive test for both riders.
After two races on back-to-back weekends, there was little time to be testing new parts. Both men had some new electronics to try, aimed at helping the seamless gearbox be a little smoother. They also both tried the 2016 chassis again, after having spent the first three races on the 2015.