MotoGP: Top 8 moments from 2022

January 4, 2023 January 4, 2023

The 2022 MotoGP season was a year full of twists and turns, with all the championship contenders having their own problems. The title would go the way of Francesco Bagnaia, and he would have the biggest points comeback in MotoGP history. There were thrills and spills throughout the season, so let’s look back at my top eight moments from 2022.

1. Battle down under

The best race of the season came at the Australian Grand Prix during the flyaway leg of the season. The title race was close, with Fabio Quartararo just two points ahead of Bagnaia. Meanwhile, Aleix Espargaro, Bastianini and home hero Jack Miller were still in title contention.

Jorge Martin would start from pole position and would lead the way; the race would bunch up quickly, turning into a Moto3-style race. Quartararo would make a mistake at the newly named Miller corner, putting him out of the points. He would later crash out of the race, allowing Bagnaia to take the championship lead.

It was a nail-biting final 10 laps, with the newly returned Marc Marquez looking to take Honda’s first win of the year. The group of seven would stay together all the way to the line, with a drag race for the win. Alex Rins would win for Suzuki, with just 0.884 separating the top seven.

2. A perfect ending

Suzuki would announce at Jerez that they would leave MotoGP after eight great years, after rejoining at Valencia in 2014. They would win the championship in 2020 with Joan Mir, allowing the Japanese factory to reach their end goal.

However, due to injuries, the 2022 season was not what they had hoped for, with both Mir and Rins missing races. At Valencia, for their final race, history would be made after a thrilling race. Rins would lead the way and was determined for a fairy tale ending, this dream would come true, and he would win. This victory would be emotional for everyone involved and one which will go down in history for years to come, as we await and hope for Suzuki to return.

3. Aprilia wins after 10 years

Since re-joining MotoGP in 2012, Aprilia has struggled with results, with their first podium coming in 2021. Aleix Espargaro has been with the factory since 2017 and has had many ups and downs.

At the third round of the season at the Argentinian Grand Prix, the Spanish rider would take them to victory. It was a special moment after years of hard work from Aprilia and Espargaro. The win would not come easy, and Espargaro would have to battle with Jorge Martin, with the duo going head-to-head. It was extra special for Espargaro as the win would come in his 200^th Grand Prix start, making the moment magically for us at home.

4. Dutch TT title drama

Title leader at the time, Fabio Quartararo had yet to have a DNF this season; however, this would change at Assen. The Frenchman was having a good race, where at turn 5, he would try to pass Espargaro for second place. It was a move from a long way back and would result in the Yamaha rider crashing, while Aleix dropped down the order.

Eight laps after remounting, Fabio would crash for a second time, exiting turn 5. This would be his first DNF in 27 races, and with Aleix Espargaro finishing in fourth place, it would decrease his lead. With just a 21-point lead, it would be the season’s turning point, and Fabio would not win another race in 2022.

5. Title rivals clash

The 2022 MotoGP championship went down to the wire, all the way to the final round at Valencia. All eyes and pressure were on Quartararo and Bagnaia, with less than a 25 point between them. To win the title, Quartararo would need to win the race and Bagnaia to finish 14^th or below.

On lap two, Miller would sit up Fabio forcing him to run wide at turn 2 and would force him to aim for a late apex. As he aimed for the late apex, Bagnaia would attempt to overtake the Frenchman down the inside. This move forced the two riders to make contact, almost taking each other out of the Grand Prix.

The contact broke one of Bagnaia’s wings and forced the Italian to drop back in the race. This added an incredibly tense atmosphere, both at the track and at home. Bagnaia would win the title as he managed to hang onto ninth place.

6. Dramatic return for Marquez

Marc Marquez would return at Aragon; his return would be dramatic, with multiple first-lap collisions. The Honda of Marquez would lose the rear momentarily, exiting turn 3, at the time Quartararo was behind him. He would hit the back of the Honda, and would crash out of the race, resulting in burns to his chest.

Just a couple of corners later, Marquez and Nakagami would make contact, this collision would DNF both Honda riders. The race would continue, and a thrilling battle would break out between Bagnaia and Bastianini, which would be an all-Italian drag race to the line. Bagnaia would win the race and would close his gap to Quartararo in the process.

7. No team orders at Ducati

The 2022 season had many last lap deciding battles; Bastianini and Bagnaia would go head-to-head at Misano, Aragon, and Malaysia. Bagnaia would win at Misano, while Bastianini would win at Aragon. At Sepang, the title was on the line for Bagnaia, he would qualify down the order for the race, due to a crash in qualifying.

He would get into a titanic battle with recently signed Factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini. The battle would go down to the last lap, with a huge decision to be made on the Ducati pit wall whether to allow the riders to race. Bagnaia would ultimately win the race from Bastianini, leaving Davide Tardozzi’s with some extra grey hairs.

8. Monsoon-like rain at Mandalika

MotoGP would visit the Mandalika circuit for the first time in 2022, and like the WorldSBK race the year before, the race was wet. Practice for the weekend was in mixed conditions, meaning the riders had yet to have consistent conditions at race time.

Drama would strike before the race got underway; Marc Marquez would crash in the morning warm-up. He would lose the rear at almost 120mph, causing his diplopia to return and would give the Spaniard double vision.

The race would be held in extremely wet conditions, and all riders struggled in them, causing the race to get delayed. The track had recently been resurfaced, and riders were locking the front, almost crashing every lap. This resulted in a nail-biting race which would be won by the new rain master, Miguel Olivera.