PREVIEW
Only a fool would count out the team that won last year ’ s championship , Red Bull KTM Ajo . Acosta may have moved up , but Jaume Masia proved last year he can win races and regularly be in the victory fight . The talented Spaniard would have won more had he not made a series of mistakes in high-pressure moments . But with an added year of experience , he will be expected to fight for the title this year .
Likewise , Max Racing Husqvarna have two certified contenders in their ranks . John McPhee endured a season from hell in 2021 and was constantly befallen by bad luck . He switches machinery after three years aboard a Honda and should be a regular podium man . The same can be said for new team-mate Ayumu Sasaki , who moves across from Tech 3 ’ s KTM squad for 2022 . The young Japanese rider was a consistent player in the first third of 2021 before a serious crash of the Catalan GP put him out of two races with concussion . Sasaki should be a podium threat at most race tracks we visit .
Over at Tech 3 KTM , they also have a rider that has the speed to fight for the title . Deniz Oncu made excellent progress in 2021 , scoring podiums in Barcelona and Aragon , while he also fought for victory at Jerez and Valencia . He was undone on occasion by overly aggressive riding . Should he curb that impulse this year , he will certainly be capable of taking race wins . An eye should be kept on new team-mate Adrian Fernandez , too , as the Spaniard prepares himself for his second season in the world championship .
There is much interest in the PruestelGP CFMoto team this year . Not only do they have rebranded bikes ; they have an all-new rider line up with Carlos Tatay and Xavi Artigas stepping across . Tatay is looking to bounce back after an injury plagued 2021 , while Artigas was buoyed by winning the final race of 2021 , a last-lap thriller at Valencia .
The first race of 2022 in Qatar could be a sign of things to come . Andrea Migno won out by 0.037s in a tight race with Sergio Garcia . But Dennis Foggia and Izan Guevara served a warning of their talents . They finished seventh and eighth respectively despite starting from the back of the grid .
68 | Moto3™ | Mandalika Preview