2022 AWAITS: The big numbers to look out for in WorldSBK in 2022
The season kicks off in just a couple of weeks and there are some huge milestones that could be reached this season
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is just around the corner and with it comes huge milestones that could be reached throughout this season. Here, we take a look at some of the potential milestones from podium placement milestones, WorldSBK reaching a milestone race and a potential 100th win for one manufacturer.
1000 – Ducati could become the first manufacturer to reach 1,000 podium placements in WorldSBK’s history. The Italian manufacturer are currently sitting on 984 podium placements, meaning 16 more placements on the podium will give them their huge milestone.
900 – WorldSBK will have a milestone of its own in 2022 with the 900th race in the Championship’s 35-year history provisionally scheduled to take place in Race 1 at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit.
850/750 – The Superpole Race at Barcelona-Catalunya will be the United Kingdom’s 850th race participation, whilst Race 1 at Aragon will see France’s participation in their 750th race.
500 – Kawasaki also have an eye on a milestone with regards to podium placements. The Japanese manufacturer are just 11 away from reaching 500 podium places in WorldSBK.
400 – Nine podiums throughout 2022 will put Italy on 400 podiums throughout WorldSBK’s history. In 2021, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) contributed 12 podiums for Italy.
300 – The United Kingdom is just two wins away from 300 wins in WorldSBK. The UK’s 299th victory in WorldSBK will move them 180 clear of the USA which sits second in the all-time list.
275 – The United Kingdom is also chasing 275 fastest laps in WorldSBK; they already have more than double of their nearest rival, Italy, on 128.
135 – As well as aiming for their 1000th podium placement, one Ducati 1-2 in 2022 will be the 135th in their history; they already hold the record and will be the first to reach this number.
120 – Honda’s next victory in WorldSBK will be their 120th. Rookies Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge will be hoping to hit this milestone for Team HRC, while the first of the duo to win will be the first Spanish rookie to win since Carlos Checa at Miller Motorsports Park in 2008, Race 1.
118 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is on 112 victories. With another six in WorldSBK, he will have twice as many wins as Carl Fogarty who sits on 59 wins.
100 – Yamaha are just five wins away from their 100th WorldSBK victory.
14 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) will be the 14th rider to use the #1 plate in WorldSBK, and the first for Yamaha.
13 – If Jonathan Rea achieves a win from Estoril onwards, he will break the record for the longest winning career in WorldSBK. The current record is 12 years, 11 months by Haga (Sugo 1997-Nurburgring 2010). A win for Rea on the first race in Estoril will match exactly this value to the day. A win at Donington or later will be the first time with two wins separated by 13 years.
5 – Razgatlioglu will be hoping to become only the fifth rider in WorldSBK history to win back-to-back Championships. Fred Merkel in 1988 and 1999 started this feat before Doug Polen repeated it in 1991 and 1992. Carl Fogarty has done it on two occasions, in 1994 and 1995 and again in 1998 and 1999. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016; with his 2015 success kickstarting a run of six consecutive titles.
3 – If Rea wins the 2022 title, he will become the third rider to re-gain the title the year after he lost it. Colin Edwards won the title in 2000 and 2002, missing out in 2001, while Troy Bayliss claimed the 2006 and 2008 Championships after losing his crown in 2007.
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