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Inside TNT Sports' MotoGP commentary box as new season begins in Qatar

The 2024 MotoGP season begins in Qatar this weekend with TNT Sports again covering every race of the year. Daily Star Sport ventured inside their commentary box at the end of 2023

Its moments before the final Moto3 race of the season and the nervous energy is aplenty.

Sure, the 26 riders are feeling the heat ahead of their last race of a gruelling campaign. But the tension is just as high in the TNT Sports commentary box.

Situated a few yards from the final straight in Valencia, former Superbike world champion Neil Hodgson is cracking some last-minute jokes. Gavin Emmett is studying his notes one last time.

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The commentary box the pair sit in is among tens of other portacabins the world media call home for the weekend. In truth, it could be anywhere in the world.

But being on site and so close to the action allows the TNT Sports crew to get a feel of the atmosphere. And Emmett and Hodgson do a superb job of bringing that feeling back to the watching public.

While around 150,000 spectators squeeze into the tight Valencia track, thousands more are watching on TV screens in the UK.

[TNT Sports commentators Gavin Emmett and Neil Hodgson hard at work]

TNT Sports commentators Gavin Emmett and Neil Hodgson hard at work(Image: DAILY STAR SPORT)

[Inside TNT Sports commentary box]

The duo have plenty of screens to keep an eye on(Image: DAILY STAR SPORT)

And when the race starts, Emmett and Hodgsons years of experience come to the forefront.

With plenty of screens in front of them, its easy to be suckered into one particular battle on the track. But the duo, led by Emmett, are supreme in picking out the information that really needs to be heard.

Matching up facts and figures with the action coming though the world feed certainly isnt easy, but these two make it seem so.

Every minute or so, a booming roar can be heard as the bikes rattle round for another lap, just the other side of a wire fence, but the concentration never lapses.

[Inside TNT Sports commentary box]

MotoGP will be back on TNT Sports this year(Image: DAILY STAR SPORT)

"I am locked in for pretty much the entire weekend, this is my home," Emmett told Daily Star Sport. "I've got all my paperwork, all my stats I need. I've got a lot of it in my head as well.

"We've got a lot of different views and from this we can tell the story to people at home. We can see timing screens that people don't get at home, this is our control centre, our Houston.

"We are here, counting down to takeoff before the race."

[Neil Hodgson]

Former MotoGP rider Neil Hodgson is now a pundit for TNT Sports(Image: C1 MEDIA)

As the race finishes, the human emotion comes through as Ayumu Sasaki wins his first race of the year, Hodgson raising a fist in congratulations as he crosses the finish line.

Fellow TNT Sports pundits Michael Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli watch on, enjoying the race as much as any.

And its not long before the Moto2 race starts and the nervous energy and anticipation is back.

Watch live MotoGP on TNT Sports. TNT Sports is available through its streaming destination discovery+ and across all major TV platforms. This isnt Just Sport, This is Everything. For more info visit: www.discoveryplus.com/gb/sports

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