Editor's Blog: Happy Holidays, Raising Funds, And See You In January

By David Emmett |

It's that time again, when the motorcycle racing world slows down and, in Europe and the US at least, everyone involved takes some time off to celebrate the holiday season. This year, that has been harder than usual for some, as KTM's bankruptcy protection proceedings have hit the people working there, and caused a stir among fans and media. The good news is that KTM will continue to race in MotoGP, at least for 2025.

But it is also time for MotoMatters.com to take a break. It has been a tough year for me personally, with the death of my mother and the mountain of bureaucracy that generates. So much so that I fell ill after the season finished, and am only now back on my feet again after a couple of weeks of illness.

So it's also time to thank you, dear readers, for following MotoMatters.com. Your support and kind comments have been enormously appreciated (and all read, though not responded to as often as I should). A very special thank you to everyone who has supported the site by either taking out a subscription or backing us on Patreon.

This website only exists thanks to the financial support of readers. So if you want to ensure that MotoMatters.com can continue into the future, or you have appreciated our reporting over the past year, you can make a huge difference to keep us going. You can join the community by becoming a subscriber, or support us through Patreon. You can also make a one-off contribution through Ko-fi, our GoFundMe page, or through Paypal. Every little bit helps!

The website will be taking a break until early January. Unless something massive happens (such as a factory withdrawing or a rider swapping teams) there will not be much happening on the website, beyond community chat. We will be back in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again, happy holidays, and a very happy and healthy 2025. Here's to a new year full of exciting motorcycle racing!

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Comments

... for your tireless work and dedication.  I am better informed and educated every time I leave this site as a result of your reporting and the excellent input from my fellow Mutterers who I must also thank for their wisdom, knowledge and humour.  The podcasts make my walks even more enjoyable than just savouring the beauty of Ireland and I find myself adding on many kilometers in order to avoid turning a podcast off.

I hope you, and your wife, enjoy however you choose to spend your time and look forward to a resumption next year.

To the Mutterers, have a great one and see y'all in '25.

Best Wishes,

Brendan.

Thank you for your work throughout the season in keeping us readers informed (and listeners to the podcasts, which I really enjoy).  We appreciate the time and effort you make and your excellent writing skills.  You make MotoGP better with all the information given.  

Best wishes for rest and recharging and Happy Christmas and New Year.

 

Just renewed, thanks for your excellent work! We can tell you’re run down as your voice sounds different, maybe due to your dealing with the lurgy. I hope you can enjoy some well deserved rest. I find cleaning or attending to any part of my bike during the darkness of winter improves my mood. Best wishes from the darkness of Canada! 

Thanks and best wishes David to you and yours...the same for all mutterers...mutteres ? Mutterings ? Mutteret...

....searched 'people who mutter' on google, I have bad news,

"Mental Health Conditions: There are some cases where talking to yourself can be a sign of a mental health condition. Muttering and speaking random sentences out loud could be a sign of schizophrenia."

Bugger.

Happy Holidays !

 

Thanks to David for his tireless work keeping us informed and entertained, and to all the mutterers enjoy whatever break you are having, I know I am looking forward to next year as it seems it will be anything but boring!

Thank you David, Zara, and the rest of the MM crew for your hard work, and thanks also to the Mutterers for your wise and civil comments. MotoMatters is one of a handful (actually less) of websites which I support financially, and one of the best communities online. 

Well, we like it grim oop 'ere but a big thank you to you David and your team from the shortened tips of my fingerless gloves (really!). Whether this particular forum and the human make up was designed, or simply happened through evolution, it's an absolute pleasure to debate and flail around on here; there's always something interesting from someone, and the catalyst of that is always your insightful, considered and entertaining features. We can debate from opposite views without anybody 'seeing their arse,' praise MM93 without a dozen boring 'crash' comments, we can mention VR46 without a dozen 'fanboy' insults: hell, it's a special place and you should be proud. 

I actually have in the back of my mind how good it would be to return to my hotel after a GP and encounter your good self, or one of the team, or even one of the contributors-me & Apical nearly met up in, I think, Loughboro' a while ago but we just missed each other. I do feel the world-wide contact we all share shouldn't be ever taken for granted. Compliments of the season to you all, but particularly to you sir and your family: tough times don't last, brilliant writing though, fortunately, most certainly does.. 

Your writing and the posts from other writers, reporters, photographers, and subscribers reveal the dimensions of this sport most of us would be challenged to find in another online resource: Truly, what matters in moto at this level of the sport. Enjoy your downtime (and find more during The Season, too!)

Cheers,

Greg

Q: do you play guitar by chance? Ever used CAGED to emulate Bob Weir? Making the complex simple is elegant eh?

https://youtu.be/inky7XvvWYU?si=5q6fcQxfPEe5da4B

Winterconnection, I'm off Shrink duty for a while. But watching LOTS of moto schtuff and still in the zeitgeist, esp focused on Supersport (bye bye R6, hello R9 = betcha the bike arrives at the front!). Again, this is THE class paving the way for the future, leaving chaos to land on the feet of tomorrow both on track and sales floors. RC990 won't have enough power, new Duc will pull off a coup via playing w rules. And Honda's V3 will arrive 2026 to do something wild!

Enjoy recuperating Mr Emmett

I am a big music fan, and I am in favor of any system or technique that helps someone become more proficient. However, that being said, my musical skill peaked when I played the recorder in 3rd grade. Therefore I long ago decided to listen and appreciate rather than spend maximum time for minimal results creatively.

Lately in addition to GD and related musical paths I have been re-exploring a favorite genre (if it is actually a genre): female rock vocalists...Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, Linda R, Linda Thompson, Bonnie Raitt. And one of my current favorite bands, Tedeschi Trucks. Just an amazing vocalist next to that stellar slide guitar...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M45fhW6iZ0g

Anyway, we're already at 25 inches of rain here in Sonoma County since October 1st, impressive even when held to PNW standards, so instead of putting miles on the bikes I'm just checking the local track day schedule updates to see if there is a Laguna Seca appearance this year. And wondering if Pecco can really win his third in 2025.

Cheers!

Yes mate! Me too on those very bands, esp Linda Rondstat early on. Also been in proto and post punk. Buzzcocks as I type.

Marc vs Pecco will be brilliant next season. A couple other manus are going to get their kettle on the boil as well, perhaps with an unlikely rider like Zarco or Ogura. Looking fwd to the intrigue of Martin and if Aprilia are able to step forward again. Curious if we have a surprise awaiting in someone like DiGia too!

Bon apetite!

(^ That Peter Day mix has gems, thanks! Listening now - Wintertainment goodness)

Cheers St. Stephen, I've just discovered another great band. The guitar and vocals are great, and in the live show you linked to, the drum "duo" starting around 1:07:00 is briliiant!

I'm a wannabe percussionist but can't play an instrument to save my life. I absolutely love listening to music though :)

Completely off-topic everything. My company has this prompt for authentication that puts up a 2-digit number that you have to key into your phone to confirm that it's you trying to sign in. I'm always trying to think of riders with those numbers when it comes up :D. Does anyone else have this?

Authenticator prompt showing number 36

(I can't get it to show the image inline. The only option is to insert via URL, the upload from computer option says I'm not authorised)

Back when I sort of followed David Emmett's Twitter feed I recall him posting a bunch of musical preferences (some quite off the wall) so maybe this is not so off topic. Anyway.

Shrink: Don't avoid Belinda and the GoGo's if you are a punk fan. Yeah, Vacation and Our Lips are Sealed cemented their reputation as a cute girl group, but their origin is heavy punk. They kick butt. Live at The Greek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBFKcE8lb4c

Sponge: thanks for the links! Good listening.

dewang: It's great when musicians finally sell enough tickets to afford some back-up singers and...two drummers! That was a great set, fun when it's a musical conversation between two folks playing the same instrument (like Kreutzmann and Hart, but I digress). And while a world does not exist where I am a big Harry Styles fan, Sign of the Times is for me the peak of this live concert. Glad you liked Tedeschi Trucks.

I have a Scala headset, but I don't listen to music when I'm riding more than a couple times per year. If there is a flow the right music is already playing in my head. 

Cheers Mutterers!

Yeah, that song really lets her voice come through. I've never even heard the Harry Styles version so had to go and look it up! For those that want to listen to the Tedeschi version, this is it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRMjcMuO2lI. It's always interesting to listen to cover versions of songs. For instance, this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJKeNOk3DTI of the already excellent Pearl Jam's Black is great.

With the infinite universes theory there must be one where you're a Styles fan. It might even be the same one where I'm a Rossi fan :D.

I have a headset too, and it depends on the ride for me. I ride on my commute so I always have something on, either music or a podcast depending on the mood.

'Shrink you need to keep to a tight schedule. If you miss Mir and end up starting the brew at Acosta then when will it be done?

Last yr, done at Aleix rather than Rossi...glad Acosta has his 37 back. That was sneaky him running a 31 w just a BIT long of a tick on top. 

Orange seemed to miss their mark a bit with their bike after a good 2024 start eh? And now the whole program is cast under a dire cloud of doom. A very sad story! 

I tend to see KTM and Aprilia as doing well. Our issue is that Ducati has done TOO well. Really, the rule book and tires have too much red on them. 

The Japanese are coming, right? These next two seasons may end up being a bit of an oddity. Marc continuing his rebirth is going to offer much to appreciate. Even Pecco may enjoy the ride, and we get to see what he has in store as well.

Starting to get curious about how the mid pack is lining up...

 

"Our issue is that Ducati has done TOO well. Really, the rule book and tires have too much red on them." 

The only reason the rule book and tires have too much red on them is because Ducati was smart enough to make use of what was afforded them and added the color themselves. I, personally, commend them for their achievement. Maybe the racing has suffered, but not because Ducati was so good, but rather the other manu's were so bad.

Nothing was stopping any other factory from having similar success besides their egos or their pocket book. I think Aprilia is really the only manufacturer hampered by budget. KTM and Yamaha defeated themselves be it by attitude, or being not quite as smart as they thought they were. Take your pick.

HRC...I think we all pretty much understand why that ship floundered.

Feel free to disagree. ;-)

Haha, yeah I meant Acosta's true number 37 :)

It will definitely be interesting to see the mid-pack this year. Ducati will definitely have the top few spots sewn up. I'm really looking forward to see what Martin can do at Aprilia. He's the first properly fast rider they've had.

KTM, I don't really have high hopes. They might surprise us with some magic development over the winter but with all that's going on, I'm not holding my breath.

The Japanese are coming but they have a lot of ground to make up. It's probably going to be like last year where they'll improve but the others will also improve so the gap doesn't close.

I'm busy leafing through my Motocourse, whetting my appetite for the first race.