W
BASTIANINI
’ S WIN IN QATAR SHOWS HE IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH IN 2022 .
The 2022 MotoGP™ season promises to be one of the most dramatic and competitive in memory with as many as twelve potential winners lining up on the grid . And if preseason testing is anything to go by , the racing will be exceptionally tight as it has been over the past two years .
Take the close of the final day of testing at Sepang for instance : just 0.3s covered the top eleven , and one second covered 18 names . Five of the six manufacturers were represented in the top eight , too . Closeness and variety were the order of the day .
As was surprise . For Enea Bastianini , now entering his second premier class campaign , was the fastest of all on his year old Gresini Ducati . The Italian looks poised to spring several surprises in the year ahead . Also , Aprilia were the forerunners of the Sepang test with Aleix Espargaro second and Maverick Viñales fifth . Could they finally start challenging for race wins in 2022 ?
But among a range of preseason stories , the biggest has been the latest return of Marc Marquez . Back from a serious eye injury sustained last November , the eight-time champ felt the double vision issues which kept him from full training until mid-January are now fully recovered . The timesheets in testing indicated as much . Early signs are good . “ When I pushed , the speed was there ,” he said . Marquez has set his sights on reclaiming the MotoGP™ world title for the first time since 2019 .
Marquez aside , Ducati appears to be in formidable shape . Its all-new GP22 took some time to dial in . But Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller were convinced of the new bike ’ s potential . As well as having more power , Ducati has further honed its ride-height device , which to trackside observers , lowered the front of the bike on corner exit , as well as the back . On the basis of his form in the autumn of last year , Bagnaia must start as one of the favourites for this year . Pramac Ducati ’ s Jorge Martin , meanwhile , could be the season ’ s dark horse .
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