Present as part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed commentary team💮, Huewen gives a first-hand account of Rainey’s emotional return.

“There wasn't a dry eye and if I never have to commentate on anything ever again, I will feel OK - because to se🅰e Wayne back on that bike, getting more and more confident, itꦯ’s a big deal.

“Everything came to this crescendo of Wayn✅e pulling three or four wheelies 🅰up the hill with Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan and Kenny Roberts Sr - who is remarkable when he's had half a bottle of wine!”

Huewen also had a Goodwood ‘balcony moment’ with 15-time world champion Giacomo Agostini - leading to a tale of how Huewen once🍬 flew to Italy thinking he was about to sign for Ago’s grand prix team, only to rওeturn empty handed.

Huewen said: “There were one or two people baulking at signing, so Ago flew me out as a decoy. ’Huewen is coming to Mi♈lan and if you don’t sign, we’re going to sign him’ kind of thing.

“Strang🅷ely enough, Ago doesn’t remember it that way!”

Podcast host Harry Benjamin then steers the discussion to the Dutch TT at Assen, where Fabio Quartararo made a rare mistake as he attempted to pass title rival Aleix Espargaro, leaving the Frenchman ꦬon the ground and the Aprilia rid🗹er back in 15th place.

“A very rare mistake from Quartararo, but a very silly one really,” ,” said formeꦚr grand prix rider and British champion Huewen, “He came from a bit too far back, a bit too early on in the race. I think he was aware Bagnaia had pace, so he didn't want him to disꦫappear.

“But I♌ think he just looked a little rattled, he didn't settle in that fiไrst couple of laps.

“The move itself was from quite a long way back. He was a little wide on the way in anyway, so he came ꧃in there hot and I think that says more about Aleix than it does about Quartararo. In that Aleix was so fast that Quartararo misjudged him.

“I think tha🔯t's the key here, Aleix is on such a pace now 💃that even the likes of the mercurial Frenchman have misjudged him slightly and the ride that he had to afterwards, and that final chicane.

“For Aleix to go up the inside of two MotoGP riders in the last chicꦰane and finish fourth was just fantastic. I think it was the ride of Aleix’s career and I think he’s going to go on to even great⛎er things.”

‘A rash move… Quartararo did deserve the penalty’

But the fall-out from the Assen error will continue to haunt Quartararo until Silverstone with thꦦe FIM Stewards handing the world champion a Long Lap penalty for the collision. A decision that Monster Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli called ‘harsh’ and i✱nconsistent’.

“What you tend to get is people will look at the Nakaga꧙mi situation, that was deemed a racing incident,” Huewen said. “It's about the subtlety of it as well. This is where rider stewards come into it and where the likes of Freddie Spencer should come into his own really.

“Quartararo came fr♈om a long way back. There wasn't really the gap there until Aleix picked up and let him have a bit of room. He was wide anyway, 🐽from what I could see.

“I think it was a rash move. It was a rush of bl✅ood. It was early in♈ the race, it was unnecessary at that particular point. But I think he came from a bit too far back.

“If we compare it with Nakagami, he made up all his places into Turn 1 from 💜the start, he launched really well. He didn’t come rushing in, gaining loads of places into a corner. He was braking pretty much like everyone else was and lost the front.

“So it's a veꦓry subtle difference, but I think that Quartararo did deserve the penalty. That's my opinion - and you know what opinions are like, everyone’s got one!”

No penalty for the Mir, cause vs consequence

mahbx.com MotoGP editor Pete McLaren added: “There was anothe🌳r incident that sort of got overlooked and that was the clash between Mir and Marini at the start.

“Marini got a wheelie off the line and Mir went to cut across in front of him and they collided. It r🤡esulted in Marini losing his wing, which ruined his race there and then. He finish𒈔ed 17th.

“So it had biggℱer consequences for Marini than the Quartar🍷aro incident had for Aleix, but there was no penalty.

“Speaking generally about the recent penalty decisions, the area where there seems to be a difference between the opinion of the riders and Stewards, is you have the cause of an accident and then the consequences of 💯an accident.

“It seems that mꦬaybe the Stewards are focussed on the cau𝓀se, because quite rightly that’s in the hands of the riders. That’s their mistake. Rather than what happens afterwards, the consequences.

“But I think the riders look at what happened with Nakagami, where the consequence was Rins is in hospital with a broken wrist and Bagnaia’s race also ruined. Aಌnd there’s no penalty. Then they see Aleix didn’t even fall off at Assen, and there’s a penalty for Quartararo.

“I think you can make the argument for favouring either side of that cause-consequence argument, but it seems to be where p❀ossibly there is the most difference, with the riders wanting more of the consequences ꦆtaken into account.

“Nakagami himself came back and basicaꦰlly said he would ha꧙ve accepted a penalty, purely on the grounds of the consequence side, having taken out two other riders. Even if the mistake itself wasn’t that big.”

The trip also discuss Marco Bezzecchi debut MotoGP podium for VR46, Maverick Vinales’ first rostrum for Aprilia, the Moto2 and Moto3 races, plus the first🌜 satellite team signings for 2023 in the form of Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannant✃onio being confirmed at Gresini.

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