Well, almost anything.
It’s unlikely that the 2022 MotoGP title will go to Andrea Dovizioso, who at 36 takes over from Rossi as MotoGP’s oldest inhabitant. The oldest premier-class champion was decorated WW2 bomber pilot Les Graham, 1949’s inaugural champion at 37; the oldest race winner 44-year-old Fergus Anderson.
Nor should you bet on a repeat of Marquez’s 2013 class-rookie feat by one of the new boys –Darryn Binder, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi. Really, there has only been one true rookie champion: Kenny Roberts came in stone cold in 1978 from the USA to defeat Barry Sheene by ten points, on tracks he’d never seen before. Marquez had already run five GP seasons, and won championships in 125 and Moto2.
Surprises can still happen, especially after significant changes this year.
The most important is new engines in new bikes. For two years development has been frozen. This meant no chance to fix problems, which afflicted all except Aprilia, whose “concession-team” status left them free.
Yamaha and Suzuki riders were left begging for more power, but Honda was hit hardest.
This story is from the February 2022 edition of Bike SA.
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This story is from the February 2022 edition of Bike SA.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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