Author Archives: Solomon N-S

After quite a while of working in the background, I’m extremely excited to announce that the SolomonTalksBikes podcast is here! This will be an episodic series where we talk about the ins and outs of MotoGP, including news, highlights, predictions and more. It’s something that I think people are going to seriously enjoy, so makeContinue reading “The SolomonTalkBikes podcast is here!”

When Suzuki stormed to the 2020 championship, it took a lot of people by surprise. Many talented riders had been and gone within their factory squad since they returned to the championship, and none had ever come particularly close to taking down a rider’s championship. Sure, Vinales and Rins had both previously managed race winsContinue reading “Suzuki need to fix their internal issues – or they risk losing their star rider”

Welcome to 2022! With the start of the season less than two months away and pre-season testing soon to be underway, it’s time to complete my series reviewing my rider rankings for the 2021 season. With only two manufacturers left to go, can we end the series with a positive overall score, or did IContinue reading “Revisiting my 2021 Rider Rankings, part 3”

Last time out, I reviewed the ratings I gave to the Ducati and Aprilia riders before the start of the 2021 season. Today, it’s time to cover Honda and KTM, and see which riders I was able to accurately predict and which ones I was a country mile off. Pol Espargaro – 3.6“In a fairlyContinue reading “Revisiting my 2021 Rider Rankings, part 2”

After the final pre-season test for 2021, I sat down with a cup of tea and a list of the times and placings from all of the testing sessions in the leadup to the season. After looking over the results and considering each rider’s history, I gave them all scores based on how I expectedContinue reading “Revisiting my 2021 Rider Rankings, part 1”

MotoGP racing has concluded for this year. The 18-round championship has come to a close, the awards ceremony has been and gone, and the sole Jerez test that begins the 2022 season is already in the books. Riders are finally going on some well deserved holidays, or catching up with family and friends. It willContinue reading “A retrospective look at 2021”

2021 is finished. As of Sunday, MotoGP has wrapped up for the year. All the titles have been decided, all the trophies awarded, all the storylines come to a close. It has certainly been an odd season, though not nearly as odd as the one that preceded it, and the paddock can finally begin lookingContinue reading “2021 Valencia Review: The final show, Ducati’s dominance, and looking ahead to 2022”

At long last, we reach the final race of 2021. It certainly has been a rollercoaster of a season (and no, we’re not back at Portimao again this week), with a number of surprise packages and a lot of drama throughout the year. I think the biggest relief among viewers will be that we appearContinue reading “2021 Valencia Preview: A fond farewell, and the battles left to fight”

There can be something of a misconception when it comes to races being held after the title has been decided. Some people have in the past suggested that with no real stakes at play other than personal glory or satisfaction, riders are less incentivised to push to their limits and race on the very edge.Continue reading “2021 Algarve GP Preview: Rematch in Portimao”

It was a Sunday to remember, led into by something of a weekend to forget. With so many storylines coming together across all three classes – two world titles on the line, a number of farewells from local heroes and more – it was rather disappointing to have the majority of sessions ruined by rainContinue reading “2021 Emilia Romagna Review: A champion crowned, and a fond farewell”