MotoGP Airbags, SA Car of the Year Goes Chinese, and Mugello Race Results
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Johnny Shand (Bike Man | Owner)
Tony Els (Motorsport Photographer)
Colin Windell (Motoring Journalist | SA Car of the Year)
Roger Houghton (Motoring Journalist | Veteran Correspondent)
Global motorsport news, racing results and South African motoring
Motoring Today is South Africa's weekly motorsport and motoring news show, and this episode is for petrolheads who want the latest from MotoGP, the 2026 South African Car of the Year results, delivery bike safety, historic racing crashes, and a deep dive into how MotoGP airbag suits actually work.
Roger McLeery opens with full MotoGP results from Mugello, Italy: Besecki leads the world championship on an Aprilia, Jorge Martin takes second, Brad Binder flies the South African flag in eleventh, and the Bagger World Championship Harleys steal the show. Superbike results from Aragon in Spain follow, with Buliga on a Ducati taking the win. KTM's struggles in the top MotoGP class are analysed, and Moto3 results including Rich Mudley's progress are covered.
Johnny Shand of Bike Man on the West Rand joins to discuss winter riding gear, Suzuki's new Gixxer 250, affordable Chinese delivery bikes enabling micro-entrepreneurship at around R23,000 all-in, and the serious question of whether large fleet operators like Checkers are investing in proper rider training for their four thousand delivery riders nationally.
Veteran motorsport photographer Tony Els reflects on forty years behind the lens at circuits including Kyalami, East London and Cape Town, the prohibitive cost of modern telephoto lenses, and what made South African motorsport crowds special in their golden era.
Colin Windell breaks down the 2026 South African Car of the Year, organised by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists and sponsored by Old Mutual. The Zotye T2 becomes the first Chinese vehicle to win the overall title in the competition's forty-year history. Category winners include the Audi RS Q8 in performance, the Land Rover Defender Octa in adventure, the Audi A5 in premium, the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI in compact, and the Elmo de C7 in family. Seven of the eighteen finalists were Chinese brands.
Roger Houghton reports from Nampo, the massive South African agricultural show, and shares observations on traffic and classic cars in Mauritius, including a forthcoming Millstone Automobile Museum housing the real Aston Martin DB5 James Bond car and a McLaren F1. He also raises pointed questions about the Zotye T2's fuel consumption of 11.2 litres per 100 kilometres as a judging concern.
The episode closes with a detailed technical explanation of how MotoGP airbag suits work: ECU-triggered gas inflation in under 25 milliseconds, gyroscopes and accelerometers sampling a thousand times per second, crash detection algorithms differentiating high-sides from normal lean angles, and the body zones protected on impact.
Tony Els (Motorsport Photographer)
Colin Windell (Motoring Journalist | SA Car of the Year)
Roger Houghton (Motoring Journalist | Veteran Correspondent)
Global motorsport news, racing results and South African motoring
Motoring Today is South Africa's weekly motorsport and motoring news show, and this episode is for petrolheads who want the latest from MotoGP, the 2026 South African Car of the Year results, delivery bike safety, historic racing crashes, and a deep dive into how MotoGP airbag suits actually work.
Roger McLeery opens with full MotoGP results from Mugello, Italy: Besecki leads the world championship on an Aprilia, Jorge Martin takes second, Brad Binder flies the South African flag in eleventh, and the Bagger World Championship Harleys steal the show. Superbike results from Aragon in Spain follow, with Buliga on a Ducati taking the win. KTM's struggles in the top MotoGP class are analysed, and Moto3 results including Rich Mudley's progress are covered.
Johnny Shand of Bike Man on the West Rand joins to discuss winter riding gear, Suzuki's new Gixxer 250, affordable Chinese delivery bikes enabling micro-entrepreneurship at around R23,000 all-in, and the serious question of whether large fleet operators like Checkers are investing in proper rider training for their four thousand delivery riders nationally.
Veteran motorsport photographer Tony Els reflects on forty years behind the lens at circuits including Kyalami, East London and Cape Town, the prohibitive cost of modern telephoto lenses, and what made South African motorsport crowds special in their golden era.
Colin Windell breaks down the 2026 South African Car of the Year, organised by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists and sponsored by Old Mutual. The Zotye T2 becomes the first Chinese vehicle to win the overall title in the competition's forty-year history. Category winners include the Audi RS Q8 in performance, the Land Rover Defender Octa in adventure, the Audi A5 in premium, the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI in compact, and the Elmo de C7 in family. Seven of the eighteen finalists were Chinese brands.
Roger Houghton reports from Nampo, the massive South African agricultural show, and shares observations on traffic and classic cars in Mauritius, including a forthcoming Millstone Automobile Museum housing the real Aston Martin DB5 James Bond car and a McLaren F1. He also raises pointed questions about the Zotye T2's fuel consumption of 11.2 litres per 100 kilometres as a judging concern.
The episode closes with a detailed technical explanation of how MotoGP airbag suits work: ECU-triggered gas inflation in under 25 milliseconds, gyroscopes and accelerometers sampling a thousand times per second, crash detection algorithms differentiating high-sides from normal lean angles, and the body zones protected on impact.
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction and Show Overview
- 01:48 MotoGP Mugello Sprint Race Results
- 03:35 Sunday Race Results and World Championship Standings
- 05:47 Manufacturers Championship and Upcoming Races
- 07:31 Formula One and Local Motorsport Events
- 08:37 Superbike Results from Aragon
- 09:14 Historic Racing Disasters
- 11:48 Johnny Shand on Bikes, Winter Riding and Delivery Fleets
- 17:42 Affordable Chinese Bikes and Micro-Entrepreneurship
- 19:18 Thousand Bike Charity Ride for Blankets
- 21:50 Three-Second Following Distance Safety Tip
- 23:38 Tony Els - Forty Years of Motorsport Photography
- 27:26 Favourite Circuits and Golden Era of South African Racing
- 30:00 Listener Responses - Manual vs Paddle Shift
- 32:47 Colin Windell - 2026 SA Car of the Year Results
- 37:14 Car of the Year Judging Process Explained
- 38:10 Motorsport Controversies Through History
- 41:40 Roger Houghton on Nampo and Mauritius
- 45:16 Millstone Automobile Museum in Mauritius
- 47:05 Debate Over Zotye T2 Fuel Consumption
- 48:45 End of Audible Magazine and the Decline of Print Motoring Media
- 49:18 Ask Roger - How MotoGP Airbag Suits Work
- 52:16 Closing Credits
