Our first podcast guest of 2023 was Livio Suppo, one of the most successful team principals in MotoGP. He won multiple world championships with Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez in his time with Ducati and Repsol HRC. He told us how he thought the 2023 season would shake out, so it was natural that we’d talk again just days after the season wrapped to get his thoughts on a topsy-turvy year, and what he thinks 2024 will bring.

My story posts tend to go long because I think big and dig deep. I blame it on my ever-present curiosity and a need to share, going back to my long narrative magazine feature story days. With a promise to publish at least one MaD story each week – with an itch to do more – I’ve decided to include a new entry called Bite-Sized, a summation of what’s on my mind based on what I’m reading or researching. Inspiration comes from Marc Maron’s weekly email blast for his popular WTF podcast, where the comedian/actor shares plenty in his peeled-back life.

The last American to win the MotoGP world championship was Nicky Hayden, and May 22 was the sixth anniversary of his death, age 35, following a road bicycle accident in Italy while Hayden was in the middle of the 2017 season racing World Superbike for the Red Bull Honda team. The Southern gentleman brought a Kentucky-meets-Hollywood charm and charisma to the racing paddock the likes we may not ever see again, but his true colors were reflected by his addiction to speed.

Hayden took his one and only WorldSBK victory in a wet Sepang race in May 2016, regaining the confidence he lost after coming up winless since his world championship season 10 years prior. He raced the MotoGP championship from 2003 - 2015.

Jay Ward is the Creative Director of Franchise at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California, with several Formula One, MotoGP and NASCAR legends on speed dial. He's a car and motorcycle buff whose expertise takes him worldwide to judge at concours competitions. No stranger to a wrench himself, Jay managed the parts department of a Bay Area Harley-Davidson dealership after art school before his jump into show business almost 25 years ago. 

Livio Suppo is our first guest of 2023. He is best known for leading Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez to multiple MotoGP world championships for Ducati and Repsol Honda, respectively. Based in Monaco, Suppo was candid, jovial, and transparent about the current state of MotoGP, how things have changed, thoughts on the new Sprint races scheduled for 2023, insight on the riders he managed, the advent and growing popularity of electric mountain bikes, all while raising a boxer puppy named Spyder, who managed to make an appearance early on during our conversation.

The 2023 MotoGP championship begins at the Portimao circuit in Portugal on March 26, and there’s one team that worked extra hard in the off season to arrive prepared to take on its mighty Italian rival from Bologna: Aprilia Racing.

Spanish journeyman Aleix Espargaró brought his emotion and determination to a somewhat disappointing fourth-place finish last year, after giving the championship favorites a strong run for their money up until the end of the season. Love him or leave him, the Spaniard keeps pushing Aprilia for more, and it appears the engineers from Noale worked overtime to deliver a machine Espargaró and his compatriot Maverick Viñales can push to the podium straightaway.