PREVIEW
The 2022 MotoGP™ season is shaping up 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 the first races are anything to go by , it will be difficult to predict as well . The first quarter of the year has offered up plenty of surprises . Take Enea Bastianini , now in his second premier class campaign , for instance . The Italian claimed a brilliant first MotoGP™ victory on his year old Gresini Ducati under the floodlights in Qatar and then scored another at COTA to lead the championship as it returned to Europe . But a crash in Portugal was costly . After a solid start in Qatar , there have been signs that Suzuki has built a very strong foundation for a possible title challenge . Both Alex Rins and Joan Mir and Suzuki have enjoyed a solid start , with Rins scoring two podiums in Argentina and Austin , while Mir finished each of the first four races inside the top six . Now starting a run of good tracks for the GSX-RR , this could be there chance to gain ground in the title fight . The same could be said of reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo . The Frenchman appeared lost at round one but performed brilliantly as he rode to second in rainy conditions in Indonesia . Both Argentina and Austin were complicated by a lack of grip , but he now must hope he can replicate his 2021 performances at the upcoming circuits , especially after a stylish win in Portugal . And there are signs that Honda has built a brilliant allnew bike for the 2022 season . Marc Marquez must be counted in the mix , although his job got more difficult when a huge crash at round two forced him to miss races in Indonesia and Argentina . But his epic fightback in Austin showed he is still riding at the top level . Meanwhile , Ducati ’ s Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin – two fancied runners at the start of this year – already face an uphill task after scoring 1 and 0 points respectively from the first two races .
20 | MotoGP™