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      Who are the main Championship contenders for 2022?

      motogp.com
      https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/02/28/who-are-the-main-championship-contenders-for-2022/179211

      Three premier class Champions start the season on the grid, but they're not the only riders vying for glory

      Making predictions about the MotoGP™ World Championship is fast becoming more and more of a fool’s errand. As the on-track competition gets ever tighter, it becomes near impossible to say what is going to happen next as riders manage to throw up surprise after surprise. 2022 is set to be no different.

      Looking through the list of names on the MotoGP™ grid, we see several World Champions from across the different categories, but only three from the premier class. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) is the eldest of those but still only 29. During pre-season testing, the Spaniard not only revealed he has regained full fitness after two injury-plagued years but is eyeing up an incredible ninth World title.

      Consistency is the word that describes Joan Mir’s (Team Suzuki Ecstar) 2020 Championship winning season. The number 36 only managed to stand on the top step of the podium once but racked up a series of top three finishes and strong point-scoring positions to claim the title. Last season proved a more challenging time for the Mallorcan, but he still claimed third overall and will be setting his sights on a second Championship crown, particularly now that Suzuki have hired Livio Suppo as Team Manager. The Italian holds title-winning pedigree, at the helm of Casey Stoner’s victorious campaigns with Ducati and Honda before going on to achieve four more wins with Honda. In short, Suzuki’s targets are clear: return to glory.

      Plenty of eyes will be on reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) as the visors come down in Lusail. Entering just his fourth season in MotoGP™, the Frenchman has racked up eight wins and 12 further podiums as well as 18 pole positions. 2021 saw him dig deep mentally to take his first World Championship and he begins the new campaign among the hot favourites, but there have been pre-season concerns. Quartararo feels the development of the M1 hasn’t progressed as he would have liked, claiming it lacks in top speed which may prove costly as the season progresses.

      Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) will be keen to pounce on the shortcomings of the Yamaha machine and go one step further than he did last season. A sensational string of performances at the tail end of the year saw the Italian take four wins in the final six GPs, and sees him firmly among the favourites as Qatar rolls around. Should Bagnaia show a repeat of that form, it would be difficult to bet against him bringing the Riders’ Championship back to Ducati for the first time since 2007.

      Over the past two seasons, KTM’s hard work to reel in the traditional big guns have paid off handsomely. At the 2020 Czech GP, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) delivered the Austrian manufacturer their maiden win in MotoGP™. Both Binder and Miguel Oliveria (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) have added more victories in the time since, and in 2022, they begin a new era under the stewardship of Francesco Guidotti. Having done great things with Pramac Racing, the Italian is hoping he can help KTM take the next step and deliver some title success.

      Aprilia’s racing history needs no introduction, but, despite this, the Noale factory’s time in MotoGP™ hasn’t been glittered with successes. However, the Italian team are now very much on an upward trajectory. The RS-GP is a constant race threat and has gone well once again during pre-season testing, while Aleix Espargaro’s podium at the 2021 British GP was proof of their progress. Also added to the fold is a fully integrated Maverick Viñales, a nine-time premier class race winner, and the Veneto-based manufacturer couldn’t be happier to have such a quality rider donning their leathers. It now seems a matter of when, rather than if, will we see an Aprilia rider on the top step of the podium.

      Little to nothing separates the world’s fastest riders on their day, with each race coming down to just a few thousandths of a second. While we have some established riders on the grid hoping for title success, there is a plethora of others looking to upset the status quo and make a name for themselves. It’s going to be another unmissable and unpredictable year of MotoGP™, make sure you don’t miss a second of it.

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