MotoGP is the highest level of professional motorcycle racing. Riders race specialized bikes on tracks, and it’s one of the biggest motorsport series in the world.
Doing well right at the beginning helps because it builds confidence and puts you near the top of the points race. It can also change how hard everyone else is pushing.
Even if the bike gets better, the rider still has to learn how it feels. “Adapt to the bike” means adjusting your riding style so you can use the bike’s strengths.
The “factory” is basically the official manufacturer team behind the bike. They have engineers and resources to bring upgrades and help the bike improve.
“Every session” emphasizes the MotoGP workflow: riders and teams use practice, qualifying, and warm-up sessions to refine setup and technique. Consistent effort across sessions helps turn development progress into race-ready performance.
Racing series sometimes change the rules that control how the bikes/cars are built. When the rules change for 2027, teams have to redesign parts to fit the new requirements, and that can change how fast and how the machine behaves.
F1 is Formula 1, the highest-profile open-wheel racing series. The speaker is using it as an example of what can happen when rules and car design get complicated.
The rider’s feedback helps the team understand what’s working and what isn’t. When the rules can’t be changed, good feedback is how the team still improves the bike.
Building a new bike is harder than updating an old one because you’re starting from a different “feel” and performance baseline. The rider and team have to work closely to dial it in.
Michelin makes racing tires. If you’ve been using Michelin for a long time, switching to something else can change how the bike grips and feels, so you have to adjust.
Pirelli also makes racing tires. Even though they’re both great, a new tire brand can feel different, so riders may need to change how they brake, accelerate, and turn.
Braking is when you slow down before a corner. If the tires or engine feel different, you may need to brake a little differently to keep the bike stable and gripping.
Acceleration is how the bike speeds up when you open the throttle. If the engine is different, it may pull differently, so riders have to learn the right throttle timing.
Power delivery is how the engine sends power to the wheels. It’s not just how much power you have, but whether it comes on smoothly or abruptly when you twist the throttle.
It means you don’t try to go as fast as possible immediately. You build up gradually so you can feel when the bike starts to lose traction. That way you learn the safe limit without crashing as often.
Tires are what actually grip the track. As you ride, they heat up and wear, and that changes how much traction you have. The rider uses that feedback to learn how close they can go to the limit.
Dorna is the organization that helps run MotoGP. The speaker is saying Dorna has done a great job already, and that adding Liberty could make things even better.
A chicane is a twisty section that slows you down and forces you to change direction. If it’s very long, it can be especially tricky to brake and turn smoothly.
Formula One is the highest level of car racing in the world. The cars are very specialized, and racing them is totally different from riding a motorcycle.
The Dakar is a huge off-road race across tough terrain. It’s famous for being really demanding, not just for fast driving but for handling rough conditions for a long time.
Riding style means how a rider controls the vehicle—how they steer, brake, and use their body in corners. The way you do that on a bike is very different from doing it in a car.
A track day is when people go to a race track to practice and learn, not to compete in a formal race. The idea here is mixing F1 and MotoGP people to share tips.
They’re talking about crashing risk in racing. In racing, crashes can ruin your session or even your whole weekend, so drivers think about it differently depending on the vehicle.
“Early in the championship” highlights that the points standings are still forming, so teams may avoid locking into title-chasing calculations too soon. The focus is often on learning, consistency, and staying in contention.
LIVE
Honestly, I never thought about living the two weeks.
I will try to race with motorbike as long as I can,
and then in the future, maybe I will open a bar instead of racing again.
Hello and welcome to Speed with Harvick and Buxton.
Let's start racing.
Welcome to Speed with Harvick and Buxton, fueled by Poet.
Let's talk racing, Will. I'm excited for this one.
We certainly are, mate,
and we're delighted to welcome somebody to the show
who we've been talking about all year.
We've been watching for a long time,
and enjoying massively watching him race and dominate this year.
It is the one and only Marco Bezeki.
Marco, complimenti, grandi complimenti for the season so far.
What a way to start the year in MotoGP.
How much are you enjoying it?
And what is the secret to your success?
Hello, guys. Thanks for having me. It's a big pleasure.
Well, I'm having fun, of course.
It's been a good start of the season,
a good end of last year's weather,
so I'm very, very happy till now.
No secrets at all and just a lot of effort from me
and from the whole team and the whole factory in Oale.
So just giving everything every race.
Well, you've gone through the first three races of the season
with three wins, and I know before I got on a few rolls like that,
when I was racing, it was always fun to watch the team
and their motivation to be able to try to keep that streak rolling.
I know for you as a rider, you're there every week.
I got to prepare the best that I can.
What's it like when you get on a roll like this for a MotoGP team
and rider like yourself who's had so much success
to be able to stay motivated, not only yourself, but the whole team?
What's the team like right now as far as continuing to push forward?
Well, the team is really working hard
to try to keep the motivation always super high.
I'm making the same.
At the end, I try to arrive to the races in the best way possible,
train well at home, find a good stability at home
to be always good prepared.
And the team does the same at the end.
We all race for the same target.
We all want to try to be strong and make good races.
So the only way to do it is to always give our best.
My character is always quite motivated,
so it's good to find that I found a group of people
that are working with me that are also super motivated,
so this can only improve everything.
When you look at this season and the amazing start that you've had,
how much of this has been down to not just the preparation
that you put into this year, but the work that's come leading up to this?
Because MotoGP now is such a technical sport,
the rate of development, the level of complexity.
That you have on the bikes now,
it feels so far removed from MotoGP even of five, ten years ago.
How important is that team that you have around you?
And all of that preparation that you've done to get you to this point with them?
Well, it's for sure very, very, very important.
We started our adventures together last year
and immediately we noticed that the potential was good,
but the bike still was not at the level that it is right now,
so we started working all together to try to make everything a little bit better.
Also myself as a rider, because at the end I needed to adapt to the bike,
I wasn't riding in the best way possible at the beginning,
so I think it was a combination between the two,
so the factory for sure improved a lot the bike
and bring us many, many developments that were super positive,
and I also tried to improve my riding
and try always to give everything every session
and try to look at every detail to try to be riding in the best way possible.
I think this combination makes a big improvement during the races
and has to be like this till the end,
so we need to keep working because as soon as you stop,
then you immediately go down,
so we need to always keep our mentality in the same way.
As you go through all the development and all the things that happen,
you've got regulation changes being talked about for 2027.
I'm obviously a little bit of a novice at this,
but in the NASCAR world, the driver has a lot of input on the direction of the car.
As you go into these changes for 2027,
how much input will you guys have from the rider standpoint
on what that bike looks like?
Obviously it's a different power plant that you'll have on the bike.
How much input will the riders have going forward
to try to not get in a position like F1 has
with their cars and the technical regulations this year?
Well, at the end, the only thing that we can do
is try to give our feedback in the best way possible.
Of course, the regulation is already fixed,
so we have to adapt with it
and ensure that we'll be a very good change.
It will be super interesting to try the new bike
and to see how it will be with all these changes.
Also, the engine will be different.
What we can do is try to give our feedback in the best way possible
to try to immediately start in a good way with the bike
and with everything together with the team,
because at the end, working on a new bike is always different.
We will have to work all together as always,
but at the end, this is what we will do.
Do you anticipate the riding style being very different next year?
Given how phenomenal you are on this generation of bike
and how brilliant this season has started for you,
do you think that you will have to change the way in which you ride
with this new generation of bike in 27,
from what you're seeing and what you're hearing about it?
Well, at the end, for sure, we will have to adapt a little bit,
because at the end, there are also small changes
that need to have a consequence on the riding.
So, for sure, we will have to adapt a little bit,
especially because we will change tires.
So, this is, I think, the biggest difference
in terms of riding at the end.
We are used to the Michelin from many years,
and we will move to Pirelli that is, of course,
both tires are fantastic, but anyway, are different.
So, we will need to adapt.
But also, a smaller engine will take a bit of time
to understand very well how to ride it in braking, in acceleration,
how it feels under the bike, this engine.
So, for sure, the riding will change a bit,
but at the end, it will be the same for everyone.
So, it's a matter of trying to adapt quickly
and try to work and try to find a base setting quite soon,
but it's difficult to save now because it's very early.
Yeah, but there's so much change in for you guys as well, isn't there?
Because it's an aero regulation change,
as you say, the tires are changing, the engines are changing.
Which of those three facets do you think will have the biggest impact,
not necessarily on lap time or on competitiveness?
I'm just thinking purely in riding styles.
You say the tires are going to be critical,
but is it going to be power delivery? Is it going to be aero?
Is it going to be... Or is it, like all these things,
is it a combination of all three?
Well, power delivery, I think, no,
because we are used to have a lot of power on the bike.
At the end, for sure, we'll be powerful a lot,
but we can try to handle this.
I think the biggest difference maybe will be the tires,
because it's really what gives us the feedback from the bike.
We feel a lot how the tire is working on the tire,
on the track, on the bumps and everything.
So I think this will be the main difference.
But of course, I think it's a combination between all the changes,
and it's very difficult to predict which one will be the most difficult.
I think the tires, but at the end,
also the aero make another step.
So we will see. I don't know.
When Ricky Carmichael was a great friend of mine,
and the thing that always motorcycle racing for me,
I raced in a cage in a car,
and when you made a mistake, you crashed and you got out,
and you guys crash and fall off the bike
and slide through the sand traps and across the asphalt.
When you get on this bike, what's the process
of finding that grip level as you go into something new like that?
I mean, just from a mental standpoint, I never can wrap my arms around
knowing that I got to find the edge,
but I know when I find the edge, I'm going to fall off
and slide across the ground and tumble.
So what's that process for a rider like to get used to something that is new?
And second part of that question,
when do you get to ride that bike for the first time?
At the end, to find the limit,
there are many different ways to reach the same result.
I mean, of course, you would fall sometimes
because it's normal, it's part of the process.
At the end, you try to reach the limit step by step,
especially on testing because it's very important to ride
and to make laps.
So you try step by step to make a little bit more always.
And then lap by lap, you get more information
from what you are trying, from the bike, from the tires and everything.
So at the end, only with this...
Maybe in this way, it's the best way that you can try to do,
but at the end, I don't really know.
But this is maybe how I do.
I think I'm trying to make it in this way.
But the others, I don't know.
Marco, when we look at this season, a big change for MotoGP recently,
obviously, was the acquisition by Liberty Media.
What changes have you seen on the ground?
I remember seeing it at first hand in Formula One,
and the immediate positive steps that they took with the championship.
What have you seen on the MotoGP side from Liberty?
Well, I have to say that they are also trying to make some good changes.
I think the level of the championship is growing a lot.
We are reaching new countries, we are reaching a lot of new funds,
and this is very important for the championship and for us as riders.
Of course, still is the beginning,
so I think that this will continue changing,
will continue growing, but honestly, I'm happy and I'm enthusiastic
to see what will happen.
Of course, already Dorna did a wonderful job till now,
but I think that together they can make everything even better.
One of the big stories earlier this year was the loss of Philip Island
on the schedule and bringing in the Adelaide Street Race.
What are your thoughts on MotoGP racing on the streets of Adelaide?
I guess at the same time, MotoGP losing one of its classic circuits
and one of the favorite circuits in the world, in Philip Island.
Yes, of course, it's a pity to don't go in Philip Island anymore.
Of course, as you said, this wonderful track is an historical one
and it's very, very beautiful to ride.
But at the end, it's also super cool to reach new cities
and we will go to Adelaide.
It looks fantastic.
Of course, racing in the city with the bikes will not be easy
and I'm sure that they will organize everything in the best way possible
to maintain and to keep the safety as the first target.
But yeah, it will be cool.
I mean, we will try to make a last dance in Philip Island
in the best way possible and then we will try to go in Adelaide
and make a good first dance.
So you raced at Kota the last event that you guys had.
What's your opinion of that racetrack
and what's the biggest difference for you as a rider and team
MotoGP in general, when you come to the US to have your race?
Well, Kota is a wonderful track.
It's very unique because of the corners that you have in this track.
It's very particular.
The first part, especially with this super, super long chicane.
But also the heartbreakings are amazing and the vibe is unbelievable.
I mean, when we come to the US, it's always amazing.
And now that the years go on and the people get more into MotoGP,
the support that we receive is fantastic.
We have fans from all over the United States, also South America,
and it's fantastic.
The track is very beautiful, of course.
It's super complete with all the kind of corners
that you can have in motorbike tracks.
Because at the end, you have heartbreakings, long corners, chicane,
fast corners, so it's very, very beautiful.
And for me, of course, this year was even better
because I was able to make a very good race.
So I wish I could race in the same way all over the country.
Is there a circuit that you wish was on the calendar that isn't?
Or even just like a country or a city that you'd love to go and race in?
Well, yeah, honestly, Shanghai was a track that MotoGP used to race some years ago.
But the track looks fantastic.
I never had the possibility to ride there, and I wish I will try it.
But of course, seeing Kimi winning there with the Formula One,
I would love to ride there.
Love that, love that, love that.
Do you keep an eye on Formula One a lot?
And I guess, with that in mind, is there any championship,
any other type of racing that you'd like to do beyond MotoGP?
I remember back in the day, I remember Valentino testing in the Ferrari
and all the talk of, was Valentino going to move to Ferrari?
Could he possibly go and race Formula One?
And there was such a buzz.
I'm sure you remember it too, there was such a buzz around it.
Would you ever consider moving off two wheels and doing a John 30s
and coming and racing off four?
Of course, we are Italian, so we love Ferrari, obviously.
But now we are Italian, and he's Italian as well.
So I'm very proud to be able to follow his way in Formula One.
But honestly, I never thought about leaving the two wheels.
It's the only thing I can do going on the motorbike,
called the rest time a disaster.
So, honestly, I love motorbikes, all the kind of bikes,
and I will try to race with motorbikes as long as I can,
and then in the future, maybe I will open a bar instead of racing again.
Supercross, would you come and do Supercross?
I went to see Supercross, not in the US.
I saw Supercross in Italy, that was also super cool.
I would love to go to the US to see.
I met Zett Lawrence, but I also met Marcia,
and Musken, and Sexton a couple of years ago.
I have the East Jersey as well.
So I would love to go to see a race from them.
It's amazing the show that they do.
We follow always the races from home,
but it's not easy with the difference of timing,
but anyway, I will go soon from live.
Would you do the Dakar?
I follow also the Dakar,
because my dad is very passionate about trucks, he's a mechanic.
Of course, I love to watch the Dakar as well.
I know Petrucci that went there, and won also one race,
so it's super nice also the Dakar.
So what do you do outside for fun?
When you're not training and you're not riding the bike,
what do you enjoy to do?
Do you have a hobby?
Do you do anything else that you have a good time at?
Well, I have a dog.
I love to spend time with my dog, going, working everywhere.
And enjoy the nature.
Fortunately, I live in a very, very nice place in Italy,
and we have a lot of countries and a lot of places
that we can go there and just enjoy.
And of course, I love to stay with my family, my friends.
I have not a lot of time to see them,
so when I come, when I am at home, I love to spend some time with them.
I like to play basketball, I'm not super, super high, super tall,
but I like to play with my friends.
And basically, it's just a normal life, nothing crazy.
What do you think drivers would struggle with the most
on a transition to two wheels?
And what do you think riders would struggle with the most
on a transition to four?
Odeof is very difficult to answer to this.
At the end, the difference between the riding style
in four wheels and in two wheels is huge.
First of all, we move a lot outside the bike,
and the drivers in Formula One, they sit there,
but I think that also to reach the corner speed
that the Formula One drivers have for a MotoGP rider is a safe thing.
We can't even think about going so fast in a corner.
So at the end, both riding styles have huge and different characteristics.
So probably it will be super tough to adapt for a MotoGP rider
to a Formula One, but also the opposite.
So it could be fantastic to make a track day with Formula One
and MotoGP all together trying to give us some advices,
but I think the schedule that we have is very difficult.
I think we need you to do the Mercedes.
We need to get the Mercedes and Kimmy Antonelli onto Bezz's bike.
Let's do that. Let's like, let's pitch that now.
Let's get that done. No way, Will.
There's no possible way.
The four guys are not brave enough.
They're not brave enough.
Lewis did it. Lewis and Valentino did it.
Lewis jumped on the bike.
Valentino jumped in the Mercedes and they had a day.
Let's get Bezz in the F1 car.
The four-wheel guys are just, all we worry about is how we're going to crash.
And they worry about nothing. They don't worry about crashing.
You already talked about it earlier. I'm not worried about crashing.
I fall off. That's just part of it. Not for me.
It's different. It's different.
Yeah, that's for sure.
They're made different, man. They're made different.
Yeah, it's quite different, but also, at the end,
hit the wall at the speed that they...
Sometimes they hit the wall. It's impressive for us.
So, at the end, I think it's complicated from both sides.
But I would love to try, maybe one day, just for fun, the car.
But I never thought about racing with the cars.
I love too much motorbikes.
We love that. We love that.
Bezz, we're going to have to let you go in a minute, man.
But just want to finish this off by asking you,
you've had such a brilliant start to the season.
And everything's going so great.
How do you continue this run now?
Do you have to approach every weekend
almost as something unique and individual
and approach it on its own?
Or are you looking already at the season as a whole
and thinking about the championship
and how you have to approach the season now
as one continuously long beast on itself?
It is a unique race.
So, it's so early in the championship.
In the championship, that is, I think, useless
to think already about the championship at the end.
It's not my main target, of course.
I would love one day to be able to win one, of course,
or more, is my dream.
But my mentality at the end right now
is trying to give my best.
Every race we can, try to be competitive.
Every race we can, together with my team,
and then more forward during the championship.
If we are still in the position to fight,
we will maybe change our target.
But at the moment, it's not the time to already sit
and think too much.
We just have to enjoy, we just have to put our effort
all the time.
And the next one is Jared.
So, in Jared, we will try to make the same.
We are loving watching your season
and we are loving watching your race.
We appreciate your time so much.
Thank you for coming on.
And from Kevin and me, all of our best for the rest of the season.
We will be watching with great interest
and wishing you nothing but the best of luck.
Thanks so much for being on the show.
Thank you, guys. Thank you very much.
It was a big pleasure for me to meet you
and hopefully we can meet by person very soon.
I'd love that. I'd love that.
Grazie.
Grazie. Ciao.
Ciao.
About this episode
Marco Bezzecchi talks through his dominant MotoGP start—three wins in the first three races—crediting relentless effort from himself, his team, and the factory for bike development and his own adaptation. He breaks down the 2027 rule changes, emphasizing that riders can only provide feedback while the sport adapts, with tires and a smaller engine likely reshaping riding style. He also weighs Liberty Media’s impact, the switch from Philip Island to Adelaide, and his experience at COTA, plus thoughts on racing other disciplines like Supercross and Dakar.
Marco Bezzecchi breaks down his dominant start to the MotoGP season, revealing winning strategies, race mindset, technical insights, grip optimization, Aprilia Racing performance, and future MotoGP 2027 changes in this high-level motorsports deep dive. Kevin Harvick and Will Buxton welcome the MotoGP star to discuss his five-race winning streak, staying motivated, the critical role of the Aprilia Racing technical team, how riders find grip and adapt on track, racing in the United States, and his approach to maintaining momentum for the rest of the championship season.
Chapters:0:00 Intro1:10 Marco Bezzecchi Joins The Show1:20 Secret To His Success This Year4:00 How Important Is Your Team5:50 Preparing For MotoGP Changes In 202710:30 Process Of Finding Grip Level On The Track13:00 Loss Of Phillip Island14:20 Racing In The USA15:40 Place He'd Love To Race16:28 Switch To F1?18:40 Hobbies Outside Of Racing20:15 Drivers vs Riders24:20 Outro
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