You had to see these MotoGP™ moments to believe them!

If MotoGP™ teaches you anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. So often the greatest riders in the world produce logic-defying moments that leave you asking if that really happened. Ahead of the 2022 season opener, we’re going to take a look through some of the most incredible on track moments from recent years where unless you saw it, you probably wouldn’t believe them.

Where better to start than this weekend’s destination, when 12 months ago, we witnessed the birth of a star at Lusail International Circuit. One week on from an impressive podium debut, rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was competing in just his second-ever World Championship race at the Doha GP. Having been slapped with a pitlane start, nobody could have seen what was coming next as the unheralded 16-year-old cut through the field to find himself in victory contention, before managing to hold off Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ team) over the line. Simply astonishing!

That wasn’t the only incredible race in the last year, Austria 2021 provided one of the most memorable finishes to a Grand Prix ever seen, when spits of rain saw a six man lead group bunch together, five of which chose to change to wets; one did not. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) delivered KTM their second victory of the season, and his second in MotoGP™ in quite stunning fashion.

Of course, unbelievable on track moments don’t always belong to race day. In 2018, Jack Miller shocked the grid to claim pole position at the Argentinian GP.  The Aussie wildly rode around a wet Termas on slick tyres somehow managing to stay on his Desmosedici to become the first Aussie since Casey Stoner to start from P1.

We could dedicate pages upon pages to the career, achievements and simply breathtaking moments from Marc Marquez, but for us, it’s his return from a career-threatening injury to the top step that was truly unbelievable. A 2020 Jerez crash saw the eight-time World Champion ruled out of the sport for the year, with fears that he would never race again. 265 days later he returned to MotoGP™ in Portimao, 581 days after his last win, he retained his King of the Ring crown in Germany. A truly remarkable and unbelievable tale of resilience and mental fortitude.

Throughout any MotoGP™ season, there are plenty of moments where you feel your eyes might be playing tricks on you, particularly when riders manage to defy physics to keep themselves upright on track. Think of Bo Bendsneyder in 2021 in Misano, when it looked as if he was about to be sent hurtling from his bike but just about managed to cling on and cruise into pitlane immediately after! Back at the Moto3™ Dutch GP in 2015, Niklas Ajo showed off his surfing skills to cross the line in unique style and prevent himself from recording a DNF. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) did something similar in Motegi 2019, while elder brother Marc saved the 2017 title in Valencia after putting it all on the line. All are truly unforgettable moments and really had to be seen to be believed.

• AJO'S SUPERSTAR SAVE

• BENDSNEYDER DEFIES GRAVITY FOR SPECTACULAR SAVE

• ALEX MARQUEZ PRODUCES MIRACULOUS MAMOLA-STYLE SAVE IN MOTEGI

• MARC MARQUEZ' UNREAL VALENCIA SAVE WITH DATA!

Just like there are great saves, there are regular grandstand finishes with spellbinding drama which can leave crowds absolutely breathless. The thrill of a last lap battle with daring manoeuvres is difficult to beat in terms of entertainment, just ask those in attendance at the 2019 Thai GP. Marc Marquez and then-rookie Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) went toe-to-toe right up until the very final corner amid a deafening crescendo of noise from the stands, with Marquez pulling it out of the bag late on to seal his eighth World title in style.

What about the 2020 Styrian GP, when Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came from nowhere to end Tech3’s 20-year wait for a MotoGP™ win? Absolute magic as scenes of delirium broke out in the KTM boxes. MotoGP™ will always remember iconic final laps; Rossi and Lorenzo in Catalunya 2009, Petrucci’s maiden win in Mugello in 2019 and Bagnaia v Marquez in 2021 all immediately spring to mind.

• FINAL LAP FROM A JAW-DROPPING 2020 STYRIAN GP

• ROSSI V LORENZO: RELIVE THE LAST 3 LAPS FROM A BIRD'S EYE VIEW

• THE BATTLE OF MUGELLO IN EVERY LANGUAGE

• THE STUNNING LATE BATTLE BETWEEN MARQUEZ AND BAGNAIA IN FULL

However, with the lights of Lusail welcoming riders to its tarmac this weekend, it feels right to leave you with the sensational final lap battle between old sparring partners Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) and Marc Marquez.

2022 promises to be another thrilling season of MotoGP™ action, with 21 Grands Prix pencilled into the calendar. It is impossible to predict what’s going to happen each weekend, but we know for sure you’re not going to want to miss a single second of it.