What a year this has been! I’m not sure how it’s happened but it’s August and we’re already closer to next Christmas than last. However, there’s plenty of motorsport action to come in a season that’s already seen so much drama.
Greg Haines writes from Barcelona
Plenty of questions have already been answered in 2026 while others are less clear-cut. Will Kyle Ryde retain his BSB title and win it for a third successive season? Very likely. Will Nicolo Bulega dominate the World Superbike Championship. Absolutely. Can Marc Marquez make another remarkable comeback in MotoGP? Imagine that!
For me, it’s been a year of firsts in more ways than one. While World Superbike commentary for TNT Sports has continued into my tenth season with the channel formerly known as Eurosport in the UK, the Isle of Man TT was a very different experience. Firstly, I was commentating on the radio as opposed to the TV and it was extremely special to be following in the footsteps (almost literally) of Graham and Murray Walker who famously were the father-son duo who commentated for many a year together on the TT. With radio, the technique requires a non-stop flow of words and very much stating what is happening to paint as clear a picture as possible for the listener. For instance, when Michael Dunlop was running out wide over white lines or up onto the pavement, we would literally state that fact. If it was television, you’d say something to compliment what he’s doing as opposed to stating what to TV viewers is blindingly obvious because they can see exactly what you see. If you pay attention to commentators who have switched from radio to TV, you will often notice them stating something seemingly obvious due as that’s what you do on radio. What you do get with radio is more freedom to have longer-winded conversations about certain topics; this isn’t something you can do quite as much on TV, where the commentary is dictated by what is on-screen.
I must take this opportunity to thank from the bottom of my heart my Radio TT colleagues, especially Chris Boyde and James ‘JP’ Proudfoot. They’re not just colleagues but also now very good friends. Both guys went absolutely out of their way to dedicate time and energy to guide me towards and through my first TT. Boydey’s generosity of driving me around the island numerous times was absolutely terrific. I really enjoyed the two reconnaissance trips I made to ‘The Rock’ in the weeks and months preceding the TT and I’ve very much fallen in love with the island. It’s a truly unique place and I find it incredible how its natural tranquility is in stark contrast to its showcase event. Guys, thank you very much again. You’re legends.
Another memorable moment of 2026 to date was World Ducati Week in July. I headed there expecting to commentate on qualifying plus the Lenovo Race of Champions itself across Saturday and Sunday. Just before the event started, when I was asked by Ducati if I could also host a few interviews with some of the non-Italian riders, I was more than happy to oblige. What I certainly was not expecting was to host Ducati’s 100th birthday party (on the exact date, 4th July) in front of about 5,000 spectators in the Misano grandstands. I was joined by Edo Vercellesi (pictured above), almost the Greg Haines of Italy (not that you’d want to be Greg Haines, obviously) as he’s Sky Italy’s commentator in World Superbike. He did an incredible job, not least as he was thrown into it just a few hours before! I very much look forward to working more with Edo in the future. The crowd we hosted was unbelievable. We had the chance to welcome onto the stage pretty much every single current Ducati rider from MotoGP and WorldSBK, including Marc Marquez and Nicolo Bulega. There was also Troy Bayliss and Carl Fogarty, each regarded as gods by the Ducatisti, but the reception for Casey Stoner was absolutely phenomenal. I encouraged Casey to take centre stage (it wouldn’t have been right not to) and the fans literally chanted his name for several minutes non-stop, with the Australian almost bursting into tears. A similar thing happened later with Pecco Bagnaia, as this event fell just a few days after the announcement that he is to be replaced next year by Pedro Acosta.
This weekend it’s the British MotoGP at Silverstone. Hopefully the Northamptonshire venue will get a decent crowd for what is one of the highlights of the British motorsport calendar. I’ll be back in action for Magny-Cours World Superbike in September. That’ll be a very busy month which also includes heading to Austria to commentate on MotoGP trackside for Red Bull; the team they have is superb and they put on a remarkable show. I always look forward to that event, not least because Red Bull Ring has always been one of my favourite circuits. I often chose Magny-Cours and the venue then known as A1 Ring to ‘broadcast’ on when I used to do commentaries on my Grand Prix 3 and Grand Prix 4 PC games. Sometimes I’d use the names of the actual teams and drivers from those seasons (1998 for GP3 and 2001 for GP4) or, more often than not, I’d change the names of the competitors to people I know/knew from family or school. It was always amusing when family members or school teachers used to spin or crash their F1 cars – it certainly gave my brother, friend, cousin and I great amusement. If it wasn’t for those classic moments in 2001, I wouldn’t be writing this blog now!
Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you later this season
Greg
Greg Haines - Commentator & Presenter 