The first race of the 2022 season was entirely dominated by Celestino Vietti on the VR46 Racing machine, there have been plenty of talking points. Below are a few key thoughts from the riders.
The start of a new season is always rife with speculation, anticipation and excitement. Thankfully, the first race lived up to that with some dominant performances from those on the podium and mixed fortunes for others further back in down the grid.
You can read our full race report here. Below are some key thoughts from the riders as they reflect on the weekend’s actions. The grid will be back in action on the 18th to the 20th of March in Indonesia.
P1 = Celestino Vietti, Mooney VR46 Racing Team
Vietti cruised to a maiden Moto2 win, having secured pole the previous day. He led every lap and came home more than six seconds ahead of his competitors.
Image Credit: MotoGP
“It was very unexpected because [during qualifying] we were fast, but we didn’t have this race pace. We didn’t plan on doing a race like this, but during [Sunday] morning we made some adjustments to better manage the tire and assure a better consistency. The bike worked well and the team did a good job, so this result is for them.
We have to remain calm and continue to work in this way. It is a good way to start the year, but we know that we have very good rivals and it will certainly be a difficult year. We’re going to have to fight hard, so we have to stay focused and work well.”
P3 = Sam Lowes, Elf Marc VDS Racing Team
Lowes was plagued with tendonitis during pre-season testing, which saw him missing out on a lot of track time. However, he enjoyed a race-long battle with Ogura, Fernandez and teammate Arbolino on his way to a podium finish. After winning both races in Qatar in 2021, he will have been keen to start 2022 in an equally positive way.
Image Credit: MotoGP
“It’s been a difficult couple of weeks. But we had a good qualifying [on Saturday] and a podium [on Sunday]! The race was difficult. There were a couple of guys that were stronger than me, but it was a nice battle even though I couldn’t ride how I wanted to ride. So, to get some points on the board is good and to get the podium at the end is fantastic.”
P4 = Augusto Fernandez, Red Bull KTM Ajo
Fernandez spent much of his race, like Lowes, battling for the final podium place, which he was on track to secure before Ogura knocked in him a few laps from the end. He will have, undoubtedly, been disappointed to miss out on his first podium with the KTM team.
Image Credit: MotoGP
“We end the weekend with a bittersweet taste in our mouths. However, we must be happy to have finished, since, after the setback on the last lap, it could have been worse. Besides this, I’m satisfied with how I felt on the bike. During the weekend we showed that we had the pace to be up at the front and we gave our all to win the battle in the chasing group. Finally, the podium got away from us due to that incident, but we were lucky enough to be able to cross the finish line.”
P11 = Jake Dixon, GASGAS Aspar Team
Dixon had a fairly solid day on Saturday, qualifying in seventh, but an issue on the first corner of the first lap sent him tumbling down the order. This forced him to spend much of the race recovering and trying to salvage as many points as possible.
Image Credit: MotoGP
“Turn 1 and 2 was a disaster! Being that far back – outside the top twenty – on the first lap meant it was so hard to try and come back. I had to pass 10 or 11 riders and it took a long time. I think I lost ten seconds and if you take that away from the final race time then we would have been battling for the podium. So, we had the pace but the first lap held me back. It’s a long season and this is just the start.”
P12 = Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Ajo
After laying down the gauntlet in pre-season testing, Acosta crashed out of his first Moto2 qualifying and started the race in tenth. He then faced a similar issue to Dixon after a first corner incident sent him backwards early in the race. Many will have been expecting to see more from the young prodigy during his first Moto2 outing.
Image Credit: MotoGP
“Today we accumulated kilometres and very important experience. The important thing is that we had a very consistent race and that our pace was enough to be fighting with the riders in front. The start of the contest didn’t go as expected, but this can happen in your first Grand Prix in a class.”
The wait is almost over! In just two weeks’ time, the British Superbike teams will take to the track for the first official test of 2022.
BSB never fails to disappoint in its action-packed and thrilling races. And with some big stars returning to the grid this year, we’re in for a treat.
2022 will see the return of two favourites in the British motorcycle world, with Tom Sykes heading to Paul Bird’s squad and Leon Haslam racing on Lee Hardy’s Vision Track Kawasaki.
Amongst these two names, we will see the likes of Rory Skinner contest his second season in the championship after bursting onto the scene last year at his home race at Knockhill.
Tarran Mackenzie at BSB Knockhill 2019. Image courtesy of Impact Images/ McAMS Yamaha
His compatriot, Tarran Mackenzie, will remain at McAMS Yamaha after winning his maiden BSB title in 2021 despite interest from the World Superbikes paddock.
The Scotsman suffered a scare at the beginning of the year after breaking his ankle during a training accident in Spain which led to surgery. For now, it seems he will make a full recovery and ride at the first test at Snetterton.
Although turning down offers for a full contract in WSBK, Mackenzie will contest three rounds as a wildcard at Donington Park, Assen and a third circuit which is yet to be known on a full-spec R1 this year.
Elsewhere on the grid, Christian Iddon has moved to Buildbase Suzuki to line-up alongside Danny Kent. Rich Energy OMG Racing also retain the services of Bradley Ray and Kyle Ride who look to build on a promising 2021.
Bradley Ray on pole. Image courtesy of Suzuki racing.
Looking at the calendar, the season will get underway with Round 1 taking place at the Silverstone National Circuit on the weekend of 15-17 April and will end with the usual finale at Brands Hatch in mid-October.
As a very early prediction, here’s who I think will make the top three:
The wait is finally over, the predictions are in – who will win the opening race of the 2022 season?
Qualifying:
There were some interesting results, in less than favourable weather conditions. Jorge Martin (Ducati) took pole and fastest lap. Second was Enea Bastianini (Ducati) and taking last spot on the front row was Marc Marquez (Honda),who was declared fit enough to start the new season. Last year’s championship winner – Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) struggled to get to grips with his bike and qualified 11th with teammate Franco Morbidelli directly behind.
Pole for Martin. Courtesy of: Moto GP website
Race:
From pole Martin got an awful start to his race, starting with a wheelie from the line and almost rode into Bastianini, resulting in Martin going down into 8th spot. Pol Espargaro (Honda) on the other hand had a flying start and was quick to take the lead from teammate Marquez and Brad Binder (KTM).
Joan Mir (Suzuki) passed Bastianini for 4th place, while pre-seasons favourite to win, Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) languished down in 14th place.
Riding on last years Ducati, Bastianini was quick to put in the fastest lap but Mir’s teammate Alex Rins (Suzuki) soon beat it while overtaking Quartararo on the straight to go into 8th on lap 4.
Current champion – Quartararo struggled during the whole weekend. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
At the front P. Espargaro started to break away from the pack as the riders behind battled for positions. Lap 6 of 22 – Bastianini was ready to pounce on Mir and soon took full advantage, taking 4th place.
Binder was next – passing Marquez after Marc made a small mistake and went wide.
Ducati’s rider Jack Miller had to retire from the race on lap 7 and VR46’s racer Marco Bezzacchi crashed out on the last corner on lap 8.
Crashes seemed to come in thick and fast – lap 10, turn 1 Alex Marquez (Honda) ended his weekend. Miguel Oliveria (KTM) fell from 11th place – lap 11, turn 1. Then a shock crash between Bagnaia and Martin, meant both riders went into the gravel due to Bagnaia trying to overtake underneath Martin and losing the front. Three Ducati’s had exited early from the first race of the year.
Under the floodlights of Qatar number 55 (P. Espargaro) slowly increased his gap from Binder and Bastianini. The gap went to 1.063 seconds.
Bastianini had had enough of seeing the rear of the KTM though and soon passed Binder for 2nd place on the straight. He went slightly wide on the first corner but managed to hold his new position. This only let Espargaro’s lead intensify further to 1.406 seconds with only 8 laps to go. Could Bastianini push his Ducati to fight for the win?
It didn’t take him long to take chunks out of the lead and soon the gap had decreased to just 0.856 seconds with 7 laps to go. Then it was 0.500 seconds and Bastianini’s dream of winning his first race was in sight.
Taking fastest lap for the second time in the race Bastianini was pushing hard to get close to Espargaro. Meanwhile his brother Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) managed to pass Marquez for 4th.
Bastianini had chosen to race with a rear medium tyre as apposed to Pol’s soft. Was his tyre fairing better in the closing stages of the race? – it appeared so, as Bastianini blasted past the Repsol Honda on the straight, leaving Pol to make a small mistake and run wide into the first corner, resulting in him re-joining the track, only to be behind Binder.
The 2019 Ducati was soon taking full advantage of being in the top spot and soon had a gap of 1.446 seconds ahead of the KTM and the Honda.
It was down to the final lap and all Bastianini had to do was hold his nerve and take his bike over the finish line to take his maiden victory in only his second year. As the chequered flag waved there were tears all around, not only for the young Italian but also for the whole Gresini Racing team. Bastianini had proved his dream could come true.
Winning feels good! On the podium with Bastianini and Nadia Padovani. Courtesy of: Moto GP BT Sport Twitter page.
Top ten riders results:
1st
E. Bastianini
2nd
B. Binder
3rd
P. Espargaro
4th
A. Espargaro
5th
M. Marquez
6th
J. Mir
7th
A. Rins
8th
J. Zarco
9th
F. Quartararo
10th
T. Nakagami
2022 is the longest season ever for Moto GP, but what will the second round in Indonesia hold for us on 20th March?
#UnitedForPeace
Featured image – Enea Bastianini. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Celestino Vietti led every lap on his way to winning the Qatar GP. He was joined on the podium by Aron Canet in second and Sam Lowes, who was able to snatch third place after drama on the last lap.
The first race of the season gave Celestino Vietti his first Moto2 win – and it was a very comfortable and enjoyable win for him too! After starting on pole, Vietti flew off the line, quickly put clean air between him and the rest of the field, and then went on to lead every lap.
Vietti took the chequered flag more than 6 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Aron Canet. The Flexbox HP40 rider also enjoyed a strong start to the race – he climbed from ninth to second in only three laps. Once finding himself in second place, he faced no real challenge from the rest of the grid and took a comfortable podium finish.
Ai Ogura and Augusto Fernandez also enjoyed a positive start to their races. They each gained a place and got themselves up to fourth and fifth respectively.
Ogura leads the battle; Image Credit: MotoGP
On the first lap, Jake Dixon and Pedro Acosta both went too hot into the first corner, forcing them to sit up on the bike and go wide. This caused Dixon to fall back from seventh to 16th and Acosta to fall back from tenth to 21st. Having already crash the previous day in qualifying, this added to Acosta’s weekend woes.
Sam Lowes also faced a challenging start, dropping back from second to eighth. He quickly overtook Joe Roberts for seventh and was then gifted sixth place when Filip Salac crashed on lap three.
Having enjoyed a hugely impressive qualifying performance and starting the race as the top rookie in fourth, Salac was clearly disappointed to end have his race prematurely. He had a big highside at turn five which left him in the gravel looking a little shaken. Thankfully, he walked away unscathed but that corner has taken a number of victims this weekend, including Somkiat Chantra who broke a bone during a qualifying crash there.
Salac in the gravel; Image Credit: Gresini Racing
After this, Lowes now found himself behind his Elf Marc VDS teammate Tony Arbolino as well as Fernandez and Ogura – this quartet spent most of the remaining 18 laps jostling for the final podium position. This fighting helped Vietti and Canet to break away from the pack with such ease.
Two mistakes in the middle of the race saw Arbolino drop outside of the third place battle. Lowes quickly took Fernandez and Ogura within one lap of each other, with Ogura swiftly taking back third place honours. These battles allowed Arbolino to reduce the gap and rejoin the fight.
The battle for third; Image Credit: MotoGP
With only two laps to go, Fernandez made a very late move for fourth, throwing his bike up the inside of Lowes. He was then chasing down Ogura and made yet another late lunge. However, as Ogura fought back, he hit Fernandez, sliding in to him and sending himself wide.
Lowes capitalised on this drama to easily snatch third place from the pair of them. Fernandez managed to keep hold of fourth, narrowly missing out on his first podium with the KTM team. Arbolino crossed the line in fifth as Ogura dropped back to sixth.
Eighth and ninth were taken by the American pairing of Roberts and Cameron Beaubier. Marcel Schrotter, who is still recovering from a broken hand that was inflicted during the pre-season test, rounded out the top ten. He took that position on the line, narrowly beating Dixon who managed to recover from his terrible start to finish in 11th.
Acosta on track; Image Credit: MotoGP
Acosta, who was also recovering from his terrible start, fought back to finish in 12th. The final points scoring positions were filled by Albert Arena in 13th, Jeremy Alcoba in 14th and Romano Fenati in 15th.
Joining Salac in the group of non-finishers were Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Barry Baltus who, before retiring, enjoyed a phenomenal save – he managed to stay on the bike as it slid from under him by pushing himself back up with his hand.
After such a dominant performance, all eyes are firmly on Vietti and the wider VR46 Racing Team, who also enjoyed success in Moto3 just hours earlier. After struggling with injury throughout the official test, Lowes will be pleased to be back on the podium. However, after showing such sensational pace in testing, it’s fair to say that many were expecting more from Acosta this weekend. He will surely be keen to fight back as the grid return to action on the 18th to the 20th of March in Indonesia.
In the first qualifying session of 2022, it was Celestino Vietti who claimed his maiden pole position thanks to a track limits violation by Sam Lowes.
Celestino Vietti, on the Mooney VR46 Racing Team machine, will start the first race of the 2022 season from pole position. He set a time of 1:59.082 late in the session to claim his maiden pole. Both the Elf Marc VDS riders, Tony Arbolino and Sam Lowes, will line up behind him as they start the race in second and third respectively. The top three were covered by less than 0.15s.
Lowes will be disappointed with third after he set a time worthy of pole position, only to have it deleted shortly after due to a violation of track limits. However, after missing most of the official pre-season test due to tendonitis, the team will be pleased to see him back at the front of the grid. After winning twice in Qatar in 2021, most will be watching him closely on Sunday.
Filip Salac also enjoyed an impressive qualifying, securing a fourth place start for his maiden Moto2 race. This saw the Gresini rider taking the crown of top rookie during the session. Ai Ogura will start the race in fifth with Augusto Fernandez, who set the fastest time in both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2, starting in sixth.
Much like Lowes, Jake Dixon also suffered with lap time deletions. He set a time that would have been good enough for a second row start however, thanks to a yellow flag infringement, he will line up in seventh for the race.
The top ten for tomorrow’s starting grid will be completed by Fermin Aldeguer and Aron Canet in eighth and ninth respectively. They are followed by Pedro Acosta, in tenth, who crashed at the final corner to end his first Moto2 qualifying session earlier than he would have liked.
Somkiat Chantra, who had been top of the timings sheet during a private pre-season test, also crashed during the session. He was taken to the medical centre for checks but is expected to be able to race tomorrow. He will line up in 18th.
Ahead of their first season in MotoGP, VR46 Racing have unveiled both their Moto2 and MotoGP machines.
After retiring from his legendary 21-year long career, Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Racing team have unveiled their brand new MotoGP and Moto2 machines at an event in Italy.
After seven season’s in Moto3, the team moved up to Moto2 in 2017. Since then, they have enjoyed numerous podiums and wins with the likes of Francesco Bagnaia, Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi and Celestino Vietti at the helm.
Now, in 2022, the team are stepping up again and expanding to race in both MotoGP and Moto2. The top-flight Ducati satellite machine will be ridden by Italian pairing, Marini and Bezzecchi. In Moto2, Vietti and Niccolo Antonelli will be racing for VR46 Racing.
The unveiling comes shortly after the final MotoGP pre-season test came to an end. During this test, Marini was sitting third with Bezzecchi taking the honour of top rookie.
Image Credit: MotoGP
Team Owner, Rossi, stated “It has been a long way since Moto3, but now we are ready to make our debut in MotoGP. It is the closing of a circle for me and also for all the people who have worked with so much passion on this project over the years. At the same time, it is a great debut and the beginning of a new chapter of this beautiful story in MotoGP.”
Team Director, Alessio Salucci added “[This is] a natural evolution to be able to follow the best talents of the VR46 Riders Academy even more closely. We saw Luca and Marco grow up. An important commitment in MotoGP, but which does not obscure Moto2 where we will continue to work because we believe it is preparatory for our riders. It was the right time to take up this challenge, a new chapter of this book always under the sign of the Italian spirit and the DNA of VR46 and Valentino who is 100% involved.”
The only official test for the Moto2 grid took place last week with a number of riders laying down an early gauntlet and smashing the previous lap record.
The three-day test saw every rider from both Moto2 and Moto3 on track at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao to make final preparations ahead of the first race of the season. This comes after two private testing sessions which were led by Sam Lowes and Ai Ogura respectively.
Overall, the gauntlet was well and truly thrown down by the sensation that is Pedro Acosta. The 2021 Moto3 Champion has clearly stated his intentions before his rookie season has even begun, thanks to laying down a time of 1:41.552 on the final day. This smashed the previous lap record by almost half a second.
Not far behind Acosta was his team mate, Augusto Fernandez – however, he was a distant 0.154s behind his colleague on day three.
Aron Canet enjoyed a hugely consistent test, sitting within the top three at the end of each day of testing.
Trouble plagued Lowes, who missed the afternoon sessions of the first and second test, before then entirely missing the third day. He has been struggling with tendonitis which seems likely to hamper the start of his season, which is fast approaching.
Jake Dixon – Image Credit: MotoGP
Day 1
The first day of testing, made up of three sessions, saw Jake Dixon, on the GASGAS Aspar Team machine, posting the fastest with a 1:43.169. Overall, the final times were very close with the top four riders covered by less than a second.
Canet’s Flexbox HP 40 ended the day with the second-fastest time – just 0.075s behind Dixon. Fernandez on the Red Bull KTM Ajo machine was fastest in the first two sessions of the day. However, he decided to not run in the final session of the day. His time from the second session – a 1:43.258 – was enough to finish the day with the third fastest time.
Fernandez’s team mate, Acosta, also chose not to run in the final session. He finished the day in fourth, rounding out a successful day for the KTM team.
Aron Canet – Image Credit: MotoGP
Day 2
The second day of testing saw the riders finding more time around the Portimao circuit – so much so that four riders were able to beat the 2021 pole time set by Fernandez.
The honours for the day went to Canet who was able to go one better than day one. His fastest lap time was a 1:41.892, beating the previous lap record. Rookie Acosta secured the day’s second fastest time, a mere 0.037s off the pace. His team mate, Fernandez, was third with Dixon dropping to fourth.
A number of drivers faced a struggle on the second day, with Keminth Kubo, Marcel Schötter and Fermín Aldeguer crashing in session one. That was followed by another crash from Kubo in session two, as well as tumbles for Ogura, Acosta, Sean Dylan Kelly and Lowes.
For the second consecutive day, Lowes chose to sit out the final session of the day. This may have been caused by Lowes’ struggles with tendonitis.
Pedro Acosta – Image Credit, MotoGP
Day 3
The final day of testing was “The Acosta Show” as the rookie smashed the lap record and set the fastest lap of the day. Thanks to this enormous lap, the top riders were a little more spread out on the final day. Acosta’s team mate rounded out a KTM 1-2, with Canet setting the third fastest time. All three have enjoyed consistently fast times across the entire test.
Aldeguer put his day two crashes behind him to set the fourth fastest time of the day. Albert Arenas was fifth and Ogura was sixth.
There were another series of serious crashes in the final day which led to Schötter visiting the medical centre for checks on his hand and Bo Bendsneyder breaking his collarbone. There were further crashes for Arenas, Canet and Dixon, among others.
Ducati have announced that Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati Corse have reached an agreement that will see the Italian rider aboard the Ducati Lenovo Team’s factory Desmosedici GP bike for another two seasons. Here’s what they have to say:
Francesco Bagnaia. Picture courtesy of Ducati Lenovo Team
Born in Turin in 1997, “Pecco” Bagnaia made his MotoGP debut in 2019 with the Desmosedici GP of the Pramac Racing Team. He also contested the 2020 season with the same squad, achieving his first podium at the Grand Prix Lenovo of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, where he finished second on the rostrum.
Promoted to the official Ducati team last year, the Turin-born rider continued to shine after taking pole position and finishing third place in the opening GP of the 2021 season in Qatar and soon became one of the main title contenders. With nine podiums, four victories and six pole positions, Bagnaia ended 2021 in second place and is now looking forward to the new Championship, which will start on 6th March at the Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) “Being a Ducati rider in MotoGP has always been my dream, and knowing that I can continue with the Ducati Lenovo Team for another two seasons makes me happy and proud. I have found a serene environment in the factory team: I feel very much in tune with my team and know that we can do great things together. Now I can only concentrate on doing well in this Championship. A big thank you to Claudio, Gigi, Paolo, Davide and all the Ducati Corse staff. I’ll try to repay their trust with my results on the track!”
Francesco Bagnaia and Luigi Dall’Igna. Picture courtesy of Ducati Lenovo Team
Luigi Dall’Igna (General Manager of Ducati Corse): “We are delighted to have Bagnaia with us for another two seasons. Since he arrived at Ducati in 2019, Pecco has shown great talent and the ability to interpret our Desmosedici GP very well, adapting to ride it in any condition. He did it, especially in the last season, during which he had significant growth and got to play for the World Title. The way he managed the races at Aragón, Misano, Portimão and Valencia, scoring four fantastic victories, is proof of his maturity as a rider. With these great qualities, we are sure that he has the potential to aim for the title with us”.
To anyone having withdrawal symptoms from lack of Moto GP. The wait will soon be over as the new Moto GP season is fast approaching but what do we know about it so far?
The 2022 championship calendar:
Where
Track
Date
Qatar
Grand Prix of Qatar
6th March 2022
Indonesia
GP of Indonesia
20th March 2022
Argentina
Grand Prix Michelin de Republica Argentina
3rd April 2022
United States of America
Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas
10th April 2022
Portugal
Grand Prix of Portugal
24th April 2022
Spain
Grand Prix Red Bull of Espania
1st May 2022
France
Shark Helmets Grand Prix of France
15th May 2022
Italy
Grand Prix d’Italia Oakley
29th May 2022
Spain
Grand Prix Monster Energy de Catalunya
5th June 2022
Germany
Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland
19th June 2022
Netherlands
Motul TT Assen
26th June 2022
Finland
Grand Prix of Finland
10th July 2022
Great Britain
Monster Energy British GP
7th August 2022
Austria
Mottorrad GP Von Osterreich
21st August 2022
Italy
Grand Prix di San Marino e delle Riviera di Rimini
4th September 2022
Spain
Grand Prix de Aragon
18th September 2022
Japan
Motul Grand Prix of Japan
25th September 2022
Thailand
Thailand Grand Prix
2nd October 2022
Australia
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
16th October 2022
Malaysia
Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix
23rd October 2022
Spain
Grand Prix Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana
6th November 2022
(Circuits, dates and names correct on date of writing but may be subject to change)
The teams and riders:
Team
Riders
Riders Numbers
Yamaha
Fabio Quartararo
Franco Morbidelli
20 (1)
21
Lenovo Ducati
Francesco Bagnaia
Jack Miller
63
43
Repsol Honda
Marc Marquez
Pol Espargaro
93
44
Suzuki
Joan Mir
Alex Rins
36
42
Aprilia
Aleix Espargaro
Maverick Vinales
41
12
Red Bull KTM
Brad Binder
Miguel Oliveira
33
88
Pramac Ducati
Johann Zarco
Jorge Martin
5
89
LCR Honda
Takaaki Nakagami
Alex Marquez
30
73
Yamaha (With U)
Andrea Dovizioso
Darryn Binder
04
40
Tech 3 KTM
Remy Gardner
Raul Fernandez
87
25
VR46
Luca Marini
Marco Bezzecchi
10
72
GR
Enea Bastiannini
Fabio De Giannantonio
23
49
There are some new names listed above for the Moto GP 2022 championship:
The Moto 2 Champion – Remy Gardner will be riding for KTM as will Raul Fernandez.
Brad Binder’s brother – Darryn will be racing for (With U) Yamaha.
Andrea Dovisioso and Darryn Binder’s bikes. Courtesy of Moto GP Twitter page.
Marco Bezzecchi will be the pilot for new team VR46.
Fabio De Giannantonio will be on the GR bike.
Enea Bastiannini and Fabio De Giannantonioi. Image courtesy of: Moto GP Twitter page
Some new teams are also listed above:
VR46 (Valentino Rossi’s team), GR (Gresini Racing) and With U Yamaha (was Petronas Yamaha).
Other news:
Marc Marquez fans will be jumping for joy at the big announcement that he is finally fit enough to start testing (which has already started – 5th February). This means he should be back for the new season starting in Qatar. He has been cleared of Diplopia for the second time in his career and his shoulder/ arm should be healed as well. As of February, it was the first time he has ridden his Repsol Honda since October 2021.
This year also marks the first year in 26 years that The Doctor won’t be present in a Moto GP race. However, his team VR46 will be racing, with Brother Marini and new rider Bezzecchi.
One man may have left Yamaha but one man has remained – Cal Crutchlow has been confirmed to stay as their official test rider for 2022 and 2023.
Something to keep an eye out for, will be Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller who will be racing in the iconic ‘Ducati Red’ for the first time in Moto GP.
As for the tracks, Catalunya – turn 4 has a new run-off area and Circuit of the Americas is in the final stages of resurfacing, following on from negativity from the riders. Turns 2-10 and 12-16 are being ‘repaved and reinforced’.
Moto GP will be returning to Indonesia for the first time since 1997, which will be a real treat for old and new fans alike. Riders have recently been testing at the circuit and have provided valuable feedback, which has resulted in surface issues being addressed.
Beautiful views at the Indonesian circuit. Courtesy of Ducati Moto GP Twitter page.
Audiences are sure up for some entertainment this year with the insurgence of new faces/ teams and tracks. Will we see Quartararo defend his title? Will we see Mir return to the top spot? Will Marquez be strong enough to fight for the title? Will Bagnaia be fighting again for the championship? Or will there be a new surprise?
Thai rider Somkiat Chantra dominated the two-day private testing session in Jerez, closely followed by his team mate, Ai Ogura. Marcel Schrötter posted the third fastest overall time.
Ahead of the first and only official testing session next week, 20 Moto2 and Moto3 teams took part in a private test in Jerez. The session aimed to provide 49 rookies with much-needed time on track with their 2022 machines. In attendance were the likes of Alessandro Zaccone, Filip Salac and Jeremy Alcoba.
However, it was Somkiat Chantra who dominated the two day-long sessions. The Thai rider sat at the top of the timings sheet on day one, with a time of 1:42.213. He then found further improvements on day two, when he posted a 1:41.466.
Chantra will be eager to build on his much-improved 2021 season – his fourth and most successful season in Moto2, where his best result was a fifth at the Austrian GP.
Image Credit: Honda Racing
His Japanese teammate, Ai Ogura, was just 0.035s behind him, rounding our a truly successful testing programme for Honda Team Asia. This will be Ogura’s second year in Moto2, and his second year with the Honda team. He enjoyed an impressive rookie season, finishing the year 8th in the championship and taking his maiden Moto2 podium with a second place finish at the Austrian GP.
Marcel Schrötter and his Liqui Moly Intact machine posted the third fastest time of the session. Having not stepped onto the podium since early 2020, Schrötter will be looking to carry this promising testing performance through to his 10th full season in Moto2.
The official test for Moto2 will commence on the 19th of February 2022 and last for three days. The first race of the season will then take place less than two weeks later in Qatar, on the 6th of March.
