In part two of our interview with Paul Malin, the longtime MXGP commentator discusses the evolution of the sport since his racing days – from track design and rider development to team infrastructure and live broadcasts. Malin offers his candid take on how MXGP has changed, how he’d fine-tune the series if given the chance, and what really goes on behind the scenes when he’s calling the races. From technical challenges to working alongside Jason Thomas and CBS Sports, Malin gives a fascinating insight into the ever-evolving demands of his role as the voice of Grand Prix motocross.
You can read part one of the interview on Malin’s career, here.
GateDrop: Since your racing days, the sport has changed a lot – both on and off the track. It’s a lot more professional now, the bikes seem faster, there’s more technology. How do you think motocross has changed since your time?
Malin: I think the circuits have definitely changed. It’s a lot more jumpy in the World Championship now, for sure. There are fewer natural tracks, and you’ve got to look at the reasons why. The infrastructure you need to create an MXGP event is massively different nowadays.
Take Czech Republic for instance, where you have MXGP, MX2, EMX65cc and 85cc, the 2-Stroke class and the MXE Juniors; full gates at 240 riders, so on that basis, there are a lot more riders. Then there are the trucks, the campers, hospitality – the paddock has just got to be so much bigger.
We’ve been to Maggiora a lot over the years, and as a circuit, I love it and what it stands for in the sports history. And, as much as everybody loves the track, I think MXGP has maybe even outgrown Maggiora, because of the facilities and how the paddock is structured. The tracks in general are also a lot faster too, because the bikes are more powerful due to the constant evolution and technology of todays bikes.
I remember when we raced, we’d arrive on a Friday, and the track would be completely flat – they wouldn’t do any grooming at all over the weekend. In many ways, the tracks were a lot rougher, but that made them slower. It didn’t mean the racing wasn’t good, but it meant you had to respect the throttle. The throttle works both ways, you know?
Whereas now, the circuits are being groomed constantly, which in turn, of course makes them much faster.
GateDrop: If David Luongo came to you and gave you the keys to do whatever you wanted in MXGP, what’s one change you’d make? Based on what you’ve just said, would it be less track grooming?
Malin: Probably not too much, other than I’d possibly just let the day breathe a bit more.
Yes, it’s great having all these extra support classes EMX125, EMX250, WMX – but with WMX, I think as a World Championship, it should take higher precedence than a European Championship, and it would be nice to see that reflected by them having a couple more rounds. EMX250 I would consider capping at 10 rounds, in order to give them potentially more MX2 Wildcard experience.
Other than that, the paddock is what it is. I think it’s come on a long way. The infrastructure is great. The organisation is fantastic. People can criticise the powers that be for this or that, but if we hadn’t made changes 30 years ago, we’d still be stuck in the past.
Back then, 125s would be in France, 250s in Finland, and 500s in Italy, on the same weekend. Yes, you’d get crowds, but it’s not the same. We can all put our rose-tinted glasses on and say, “That was the golden era,” but time moves on. Formula 1 and MotoGP moved on – motocross had to, as well.
At the end of the day, teams need investment and sponsorship. And the way things are now, bigger investment is coming in – not just to the series in terms of trackside partners, but also to the teams. Look at energy drinks – you’ve got Monster Energy Yamaha, Monster Energy Triumph, Red Bull KTM. These are massive brands involved in what was once a small sport that’s now growing.
Had we stayed stuck in our ways 30 years ago, maybe we wouldn’t have seen this. Because it’s easier to maximise exposure when everyone races the same weekend at the same venue – where corporate people from head offices can also come in and be a part of it.
GateDrop: You’ve been the voice of MXGP for many years, right?
Malin: Seventeen years.
GateDrop: How has the job evolved since you first started? Or is it still pretty similar?
Malin: It’s still the same – I’m watching bikes go around on TV, the same TV that you watch. But people underestimate the technical side during a live broadcast.
As a viewer, you tune in and hear a voice over the images – but behind the headset, there’s a lot going on. The director might jump in my ear and say, “We have a replay of the start,” or, “There’s a crash,” or, “We’re going down to Lisa in the pit lane.” So, as I’m talking, all that is happening in the background / headset.
Then you add Jason Thomas into the mix. I’ll set up a question, he’s chatting away, we’re both watching the images. The director jumps in with some instructions, such as a cue for replays etc…
When we do race two live on CBS Sports Network in the U.S., they have eight commercial breaks during a one-hour broadcast. Our journalist, Ben (Rumbold), is the link between CBS and me – he’ll cue us up by saying, “CBS commercial break in 30 seconds,” and that might be just as a replay is coming in, or as I’m setting up to go to Lisa, or Jason is ready to answer a question. So sometimes I’m juggling five things at once, all in my headset.
Anyway, in those second races for CBS, there’s a countdown to the commercial breaks – five, four, three… and sometimes there’s a slight satellite delay. By two, I’m getting out – but I can’t say we’re going to a commercial break, because on MXGP-TV, we’re still live. So, I have to create a cue point for CBS for their ad-breaks.
And sometimes, right at that moment, there might be a crash or a pass – and I can’t say anything, or I’ll crash their commercial break. Once I hear, “You’re clear for two and a half minutes,” then I can go again. By that time, I’ve already told the TV director to hold the replay, because we now need to show it when they return from their commercial break in the US.
Also, I’m commentating in a way where my comments might be used for the ‘Behind the Gate’ series. I used to go in at 2am or 3am on Monday morning and record voiceovers for that – it was a 26-minute highlights show with fresh commentary. Now, they take my live audio, overlay it with different camera angles and footage. So, my style now has to work for both the live broadcast and post-show.
There’s a lot going on behind the scenes – all of it through the headset – that the viewers don’t see.
GateDrop: Do you remember your first GP commentary? I think it was the Freecaster days – was that the first stream that introduced it?
Malin: If I was on my own, then it was Freecaster and that would have been Saint-Jean in France.
GateDrop: So, you don’t remember the first race you did commentary for?
Malin: My first one was actually with Eurosport, I think.
GateDrop: How did you prepare for that? Any nerves?
Malin: No, because I wasn’t the lead guy then – Roger Warren was. He called me up – he was doing something for Eurosport. I was at home. It was 2004, I think – Stephen Sword was in MX2.
Roger said, “There’s some spare budget – if you want to come to the studio in London near Heathrow…” It was the GP at Namur. He said, “You’ve raced there – your insight would be valuable.” I said, “Yeah, cool, no stress.”
He was the lead, and I was the colour guy – just providing technical insight: “This is what happened,” “He’s got a nice line there,” that sort of thing. That started something – I did a handful of races that year for Eurosport. If Roger wasn’t available, then I worked with Jack Burnicle.
I remember doing the des Nations in 2007 at Budds Creek on my own. But the problem there was we hadn’t seen any live qualifying – there was no live platform yet. It was just straight into the live race. It was a hazy sun, riders with different numbers, wearing different colours – it was a nightmare early on.
But since then, I feel like I’ve learned a lot, evolved a lot, and hopefully bring something different to what I did back then. I try to improve like anything else – because if you just sit there not improving, you don’t grow; you can take it for granted. I don’t want to do that.
There’s always going to be someone around the corner, ready to step in and feel they can do it better.
GateDrop: A lot of people probably don’t realise – can you talk us through your setup? You see the same screen as the viewers, and a live timing screen… anything else?
Malin: My screen is the same as your screen. I only have one of them showing LIVE images. Now, if you go next door into the OB van – the outside broadcast unit – the TV director has access to maybe 15 screens, which is all the cameras on the track, including the RF ones down behind the podium or at the start, where they’re introducing the riders to the gate. So, he can follow the action across all of those and everything else that’s going on.
I just have the same image that you watch at home, plus the timing screens. Channel 1 shows the riders positions from 1 to 20, Channel 2 is 21 to 40, and Channel 3 gives me the overall for the Grand Prix and the World Championship standings. That’s all the information I have.
Sometimes, when I’m looking at that image on screen, I’m also spotting a battle in the background – maybe if there’s a yellow flag or something else happening – I can pick up little bits from there.
But I don’t have a window; I can’t see the circuit. The downside of having a window is that if you’re watching out of the window at a great battle that’s not on the screen, A) you’re in danger of missing a crash or a pass at that moment on screen, and B) the people at home are thinking, “Well, if you’re watching that, why aren’t we watching that?” So, it’s literally: say what you see, call it how it is.
Occasionally, I might miss one or two things if I’m glancing at a timing screen and something happens, but I’ve got the screen set up as close to the racing image as possible. The further up the championship standings you go, the further away from the on-track action you are, in terms of what I’m looking at. So, occasionally it happens – but hopefully not too often.
GateDrop: You’re a commentator, you’re constantly analysing – even during timed practice you’re telling them where to go. Is that hard to do for two days straight? You’re probably used to it now, but it must still be tough…
Malin: Again, I’ve got used to it. It’s pretty much two days straight. The crazy thing is how non-stop it is now with timed practice on our LIVE schedule.
We’ll do a studio show from 12:00 to 12:30 on Saturday. An hour later we’re live with MX2 timed practice. Straight out of MX2 practice, we have a short closing window – maybe 30 seconds – and then we’re immediately into MXGP timed practice.
After MXGP, we have about three minutes on the rundown sheet, then we’re into the first EMX125 race. After that, maybe a five-minute break before the EMX250 race, then three or four minutes later into the MX2 qualifying race, and maybe a six-minute window before we go live again for the MXGP qualifying race.
So, it’s really important that all my paperwork is in order – organised in a way I understand, clipped together in the right order. Even if we’re running late between MX2 and MXGP, and the director says, “Look, we’ve got to get out now,” then I will close the show, and during the time we are off-air and back on again (in that instance, maybe 20 seconds) the stress of setting up for the next race / broadcast is minimalised because my paperwork is all in good order.
I think it happened recently – it might have been Germany, might have been Latvia-there was a slight overrun, so we didn’t get live interviews with the top three. We still record them, just not live at that moment. The TV director will say, “We do the winner’s interview, and close!” And I might have just enough time to reply back on the intercom, “No best moments?” and they’ll reply, “Nope, straight out, we’re out of time.” Then I’ve got 10 seconds to say, “Join us for MXGP Race 2,” collect my MX2 paperwork, bring out my MXGP papers, set it all up, and 30 seconds later I’m live again.
GateDrop: How much preparation goes into a race weekend for you? I imagine getting the setup right is one thing, but now with timed practice commentary too, that’s even more work. Hopefully, you got a bit of a pay rise for that (laughs)…
Malin: Here’s the thing – it’s not just weekend prep, it’s midweek prep too.
When we have three GPs in a row, I’ve got stats for everything: race wins, podiums (1st, 2nd, 3rd), qualifying, time practice-for MX2, MXGP, EMX250, EMX125, WMX – across the board. I’ve got data on every rider who scored points, got injured, or changed position in the championship.
And since I don’t really have room for a laptop in the booth, I’m still old-school with paperwork. But I’ve got it set up so I can glance at it and instantly know what I need. It’s a constant process of updating, but it’s all there when I need it.
GateDrop: You’ve done a lot of races and GPs. Has there been a particularly challenging race or moment you’ve had to call live?
Malin: The EMX250 final round in 2020, when Guadagnini and Benistant were battling for the title – it was frustrating. I think even my frustration boiled over. I was like, “Dude, just stop playing around. Go win the race and hope something happens elsewhere.”
The situation was out of Guada’s hands, and that was the problem. But he was just playing silly buggers. It didn’t look good for him or for the TV. He’d have been better off ‘pretending’ to make a mistake – slip a gear, lay it down – let the other guy by, then try and come back. There are ways to do it. I don’t condone taking people out deliberately, but we’ve seen it. He could have gone about it differently.
But instead, Thibault was just letting him go, Guada was running away, and then was like, “Hang on, if I win and he’s there, he wins the championship. Where’s my anchor?” So, he throws it out and slows the race down. But nobody else got involved either. Everyone was just circulating in first gear. It was ridiculous. But it is what it is.
GateDrop: On the flipside, is there a moment or race you’ve commented on that stands out as a favourite?
Malin: There’s been a few. Matterley Basin, 2018 – Tony and Jeffrey. Jeffrey passed him around the outside in that top corner, Tony fought straight back, and then the next lap they came back onto the start straight, tagged, and Tony went down. That was a great race and a great era of racing between those two.
Another was in Trentino when Tony crashed in the second corner, found that line at the top of the hill, parked Jeffrey and everyone else there just to get back to second and win the GP.
Teutschenthal, Germany – Ken de Dycker on the Ricci Yamaha. It was his birthday, he went 1-1, and Tony nearly caught him at the line – about half a bike length in it.
More recently though, the one that springs to mind is Sweden where Isak Gifting came so close to taking his first career race win. He was at home, the fans were into it, and so was I. When he passed Febvre for the lead, the roof got well and truly blown off the place, and all he had to do was stay there, which is easier said than done, given the circumstances. I’ve been there, Hawkstone Park, 500cc GP in 1990, so I know. It would have been cool to see him win, of course it would, but he will get his opportunity again, I’m sure. But yeah, a bonkers race with an even more bonkers outcome.
There have been loads. It’s always great when you get those situations – it’s better than a slow burner. But even those races can explode in the final 10 minutes, and then the style of commentary changes completely. Suddenly someone in fourth makes a move, and that pushes the guy in third, and so on. The level rises, and suddenly we’ve got a race on. And that’s when my voice goes up a few levels!
GateDrop: You’re often in the booth on your own, but sometimes you’ve had guests like Adam Wheeler or Jason Thomas. Do you prefer commentating solo or with someone?
Malin: Honestly, I’ve just got so used to doing it by myself – it’s second nature. If they told me there’d never be budget for someone alongside me, that’s fine. I’m not going to lose sleep over it.
But it is a different kind of commentary alongside someone else. It becomes more conversational, and you’re setting questions up to be answered. Sometimes, if something’s building over a few laps, I’d normally ramp up to it myself, but when someone else is talking, you can’t just jump in.
With the American broadcasts – Supercross or Motocross – they’ve got two or three in the booth and two more trackside. It’s a different style.
When I’m on my own, I’m in the zone – completely focused. With someone else, it becomes more of a chat. Either way, I enjoy what I do.
GateDrop: There are 20 rounds in the championship now, which is a lot of travelling. Do you enjoy that, or would you prefer fewer rounds, like a lot of others in the paddock?
Malin: You know what? If they said it’s 20, 25, 30 rounds – I’d still show up and do my job. I don’t mind the travel. I’ve been travelling since I was 11 years old. I flew to South Africa without my parents and stayed with Rob Herring for four weeks to race an international series.
Some people in the paddock say 16 rounds would be ideal. Eighteen would probably be the max. But for me, I’ll go wherever, do my job, and do it to the best of my ability.
GateDrop: You’re married to Nikki Scott – she used to race WMX and now works with Factory Yamaha. That must be pretty special, sharing this lifestyle with her?
Malin: Yeah, it is. Some people say a healthy relationship is about spending time apart – where you both have nine to five jobs and weekends together. But for us, we’ve found a balance.
We both work from home in separate offices, so we’re not in each other’s faces. On race weekends, we fly together, stay in the same hotel, but then she’s in the media centre and I’m in the TV compound. We try to catch up for lunch, but if we can’t, no stress. We’ll have dinner together in the evening-sometimes at the track, sometimes in town.
Thursday and Friday we usually eat out somewhere nice. Sunday night, once the race is done, we’ll often go for dinner away from the track. We’ve figured it out, and it works great.
GateDrop: Final question – MXGP TV just wouldn’t be the same without you. Do you have a plan for how long you want to keep going, or is it just year by year?
Malin: I’ll go as long as I can.
GateDrop: You still enjoy it as much as ever?
Malin: Yeah, I do. Because it’s not like working in a factory, where you’re doing the same thing every day. My job – every race is different. Every start, every qualifying, every outcome – it’s never the same.
Sure, there are races that are boring as hell and I have to make them sound exciting. But then you get races that don’t need any help from me, because the drama’s already there from the first lap.
It’s the same job, but every weekend is different – weather, track, riders. It never gets boring.
