A NEW DAWN: Aragon ready to reignite battles as WorldSBK’s 35th season commences
Countless opportunities, endless possibilities: WorldSBK is go for 2022, and all starts at Aragon
139 days since the 2021 season ended, the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is ready to kick-off at the MotorLand Aragon venue, as the 35th season of WorldSBK action gets ready to commence. Refreshed rivals, intriguing rookies, familiar faces and the prospect of one of the most competitive years yet, a new season of racing is on the horizon. So many questions, and not many answers: the next generation vs the established guard, a new sensation and a season ready to start.
YAMAHA THE FAVOURITES: Toprak leads the charge in 2022
The #1 is on a Yamaha for the first time in WorldSBK, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) is the rider to beat. 13 wins, 30 podiums in total and bringing Yamaha the title, it was a stunning 2021. Neither he nor the team have stood still over winter: a big update on the electronics has been Yamaha’s major gain for 2022, whilst they also have a new fuel tank for rider ergonomics. On the other side of the garage, someone who Toprak himself feels could fight for the title in 2022: Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK). 2021’s rookie of the year in fourth overall, victory eludes him in WorldSBK, although he hopes to change it this year. Yamaha haven’t won at Aragon since 2011, will that change in 2022? A big departure from the team is Alberto Colombo, the team’s technical director from past seasons. He's gone to MotoGP™; Ricardo Tisci takes his place.
KAWASAKI AIM TO RECLAIM: Rea returns to the #65, Lowes fully fit
Relinquishing the crown in 2021, six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) wants a seventh title in 2022. Back to the iconic #65, he’s been working hard in the off-season on braking, aiming to find strengths in one of his main rival’s strongest areas. Chassis components have also seen trialled, and Rea seems to have really made gains and even topped the opening day of the MotorLand Aragon test ahead of the round. Teammate Alex Lowes is fighting fit for 2022 after an injury-hit 2021 left him languishing in the standings, not reflective of his pace and potential. He’s worked on the rear of the bike for corner entry and stability, as well as with new Showa front forks, giving him improvements in braking and trail-braking. Rea took two wins at Aragon in 2021 – including his 100th – whilst both Kawasakis were on the podium in all three races. Can they repeat this success and start the season as they mean to go on?
WILL DUCATI’S DROUGHT END? Bautista back in Bologna red
One of the huge transfers ahead of 2022 is that Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is back with the team of which he won 16 races with in his rookie 2019 campaign – including the first 11. After two winless seasons at Team HRC, Bautista is back at Ducati and hopes incremental upgrades in the two years away bring him into the title race. A new swingarm, new front forks and a new fuel tank, which aids both him and teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi at high lean angle to give them more freedom on the bike, are just some of the upgrades. Rinaldi on the other hand comes into 2022 aiming to fight for the title too and improve his winning tally from 2021. A rib injury in preseason and not troubling the top of the times too much, he’ll hope to hit the ground running. Bautista took a dominant hat-trick in 2019 at Aragon as well as a podium for Honda in 2020, whilst Rinaldi took his first-ever win at the track. Will we see more of the same?
ALL-NEW: Team HRC’s sparkling rookie line-up
Out with the old and in with the new: that’s the feeling at Team HRC in 2022 as they go from having the oldest average age in their rider line-up amongst the factory teams, to the youngest. Iker Lecuona comes in from MotoGP™ and is joined by Moto2™ World Championship podium finisher Xavi Vierge. Along with a new line-up, new parts suppliers: Honda change from Ohlins suspension to Showa – the same as Kawasaki – and also their brake supplier from Brembo to Nissin – the same as BMW. Additionally, Lecuona’s crew chief is also a new face in Honda, albeit not new to the racing world, with Pete Jennings joining the team. There’s plenty of change and the results are coming, with Lecuona inside the top three during testing in Barcelona, whilst Vierge has equally impressed despite a crash at the same test. Both riders are hungry, with eight-time MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez suggesting that the gamble on youngsters will pay off. Time will tell in 2022.
ITS ALRIGHT IN ALL-WHITE: BMW aim for more wins in 2022
The big news at German manufacturer BMW is that Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), third in the standings in 2021 and runner-up in 2020, joins them from Ducati. 12 wins in two years in WorldSBK, Redding aims to adapt to BMW’s inline-four Superbike quickly so he can mount the podium. He’s staying realistic and knows that it’s a long-term pursuit for the ultimate pot of gold, with top five finishes the early target before podiums and wins. On the other side of the garage and in his second season with BMW, Michael van der Mark won’t be at MotorLand Aragon after a leg fracture just before their testing plan started. He’s replaced by Ukraine’s Ilya Mikhalchik, a double IDM Superbike champion. The 25-year-old makes his debut having been at the Barcelona and Aragon tests, making Ukraine the 47th country to start a race in WorldSBK. A notable addition in the team is Niklas Winkler from the factory KTM outfit in MotoGP™; he’s Scott Redding’s application engineer.
INDEPENDENT CHARGE: a Championship challenger, headlining names and fast rookies
Like always, there’s a whole host of fast Independent teams and riders in WorldSBK but in 2022, they’re sure to be in and amongst the leading positions. Best Independent in 2021, America’s Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) promises to be at the front, with 2021’s difficulties behind him and his mentality now back to its best. He aims for a first win and an outside tilt at the title. He’s joined by teammate Kohta Nozane, with the Japanese rider aiming for a step up in 2022. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) remains with the same team for 2022, having had a stunning end of 2021, including a podium in Barcelona. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) is back after missing the end of 2021 through injury, as Puccetti Kawasaki switch from Showa suspension to Ohlins.
Returning to the paddock after a year out, despite a wildcard podium, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) joins the BMW family, with teammate Eugene Laverty part of Michael Galinski’s expanded Bonovo Action BMW setup. Another expanded operation is the MIE Racing Honda Team, who field Argentina’s Leandro Mercado for a second season, whilst Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin moves to the WorldSBK paddock as a rookie. With an updated Yamaha R1, Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport Yamaha) aims to consolidate top ten pace in 2022; Loris Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) remains aboard the Kawasaki ZX-10RR as Lucio Pedercini’s sole rider.
In terms of the rookies, there’s fast names from WorldSSP. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) joins Elia Ramello’s race-winning team and has been impressive in testing, whilst Luca Bernardi (Barni Spark Racing Team) is one of the most intriguing rookies as he returns San Marino to WorldSBK. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) jumps straight from WorldSSP300 to WorldSBK for 2022, whilst a whole new squad joins the premier class with Sandro Carusi’s Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team stepping up with Roberto Tamburini, a double STK1000 runner-up in 2015 and 2018.
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