MotoGP 2022: Round-up after Round Four
The first four rounds of MotoGP 2022 are over and, as you’d expect from a series that thrives on unpredictability and close-quarters racing, there’s no sign of things slowing down! Here's a quick round-up.
By Shivank Bhatt
Just four races into the 2022 season & MotoGP's already reached new heights of unpredictability!
The first four rounds of MotoGP 2022 are over and, as you’d expect from a series that thrives on unpredictability and close-quarters racing, there’s no sign of things slowing down! Here's a quick round-up.
Beast Mode On
In what’s been the biggest surprise of the season so far, Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini has won two races (Qatar and Austin) of the four and is currently leading the championship. What makes his victories all the more remarkable is the fact that he’s done it on last year’s Ducati GP21 and he’s convincingly beaten fellow Ducati riders, who’ve full factory support and are riding the latest GP22 machine!
Topsy-Turvy KTMs
At the opening round at Qatar, KTM’s Brad Binder finished second behind race winner Bastianini. This was followed by an even more remarkable ride by fellow KTM rider, Miguel Oliveira, as he won the rain-soaked Indonesian Grand Prix in a dominant fashion. While KTM showed a winning pace in the first two rounds, the Austrian team faltered in Argentina and Austin (America) and struggled to keep form. Can they bounce back? Only time will tell.
The Dark Horse
Aleix Espargaró and Aprilia triumphed in Argentinian Grand Prix to take their maiden victory in the MotoGP class. The win was a testament to Espargaró and Aprilia’s patience and hard work over the years, as in the past they had been the slowest factory team in MotoGP. However, over the last few years, this duo showed clear improvements, and it all came together for them in Argentina as Espargaró, on the day of his 200th GP in the premier class, took the chequered flag to claim a historic win. After four races, Espargaró is third in this year’s championship.
The Comeback King
The last two years in Marc Marquez’s career have been full of setbacks and injuries. While he started his 2022 campaign fully fit, a nasty high side during the warm-up session of Indonesian GP resulted in another episode of diplopia (double vision) for the eight-time world champion. Owning to this, he had to miss the following round in Argentina, albeit he returned for the fourth race at COTA (Austin) – a track where he holds an impeccable record of 7 race wins and 7 pole positions. This time, though, Marquez didn’t look as confident or comfortable at COTA. He qualified 9th and wasn’t a favourite for the win. Come race day, though, and Marquez showed why he’s the king of COTA. Even though a technical glitch at the start saw him drop all the way down the order, he still managed to produce a stellar comeback and finished the race in the sixth position, making up 18 spots! He may not be back to his winning ways as yet, but if his form at Austin is anything to go by, he’ll be back in the mix soon.
Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool, Aprilia
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