2022 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!) | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

2022 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!)

Chaos said:
I'll have to find the article, but the money that the satellite teams get from Dorna basically cover the costs of the bike lease. It also seems more and more popular for factories to give rider contracts to satellite riders, saving more money for the satellite team.

In the case of Gresini, since Flex-Box was a Ducati family sponsor, I have to believe that Ducati is now subsidizing them (I equate it to how KTM is sponsoring Tech3 after the latter lost Red Bull). Also, with Gresini losing the Aprilia works relationship, I am guessing that Dorna gave them a little extra. They will keep them afloat for a few years, but Gresini will eventually have to figure out how to fund their team on their own (I give them 3 years). Gresini has pulled out of Moto3 so that tells me that they are counting their money carefully.
Click to expand...
My understanding is that the MotoGP teams are the only ones where the grid fees essentially pay for the team, and sponsorship is gravy money. That's why both Gresini and RNF have pulled out of the lower classes, as they are contracting and only keeping the guaranteed profits. That said, I'm still surprised that they either can't find sponsorship, or that there must be some minimum amount that the teams agree on to stop sponsorship deflation.

The other area sponsorship can help is with incentive-based rider contracts. Apparently some teams in the lower classes have been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy when a rider does much better than expected. If you push that onto a sponsor (who really benefits from the added exposure anyway), it helps the team control risk.

(On another point, with that kind of control in the premier class, I'm disappointed that Dorna has allowed so many Ducatis onto the grid. I get that the other manufacturers are part of the problem, but it's not good for the competition for more than a third of the bikes to be the same model.)
 
Priller said:
(On another point, with that kind of control in the premier class, I'm disappointed that Dorna has allowed so many Ducatis onto the grid. I get that the other manufacturers are part of the problem, but it's not good for the competition for more than a third of the bikes to be the same model.)
Click to expand...

Well, it's cyclical. Back in 2008, a third of the grid were on Hondas and there were only two Ducatis.

But those were the lean years.
 
Priller said:
My understanding is that the MotoGP teams are the only ones where the grid fees essentially pay for the team, and sponsorship is gravy money. That's why both Gresini and RNF have pulled out of the lower classes, as they are contracting and only keeping the guaranteed profits. That said, I'm still surprised that they either can't find sponsorship, or that there must be some minimum amount that the teams agree on to stop sponsorship deflation.
Click to expand...

You could be right. I do remember a big chunk of funding is provided via Dorna - I just don't remember how much. I am not surprised by Gresini, if for no other reason, they haven't had to chase sponsors (at least for the GP team) in a few years and i guess when talking to their Moto2 sponsors, the primary sponsorship price tag gave them a bit of sticker shock.

Priller said:
(On another point, with that kind of control in the premier class, I'm disappointed that Dorna has allowed so many Ducatis onto the grid. I get that the other manufacturers are part of the problem, but it's not good for the competition for more than a third of the bikes to be the same model.)
Click to expand...

This doesn't bother me as much as others mainly because I don't know what a viable/practical solution to this would be. The 2 manufacters that only have 2 bikes (Aprilia and Suzuki) are smaller outfits and I think if they decided to have satellite bikes, they would get the good ol' Yamaha treatment of getting the previous years' bikes with no updates. I would love to see Honda and Yamaha support another team. But Honda has balked at the idea of more than 4 bikes since the CRT days, and Yamaha has never run more than 4 full time bikes in the 4-stroke era.
 
Lightcycle said:
Well, it's cyclical. Back in 2008, a third of the grid were on Hondas and there were only two Ducatis.

But those were the lean years.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure Honda ever wanted to have that many bikes on the grid then, but felt compelled in order to keep the series viable. Ducati, on the other hand, seems to have actively courted some of these teams with sweetheart deals...

Chaos said:
You could be right. I do remember a big chunk of funding is provided via Dorna - I just don't remember how much. I am not surprised by Gresini, if for no other reason, they haven't had to chase sponsors (at least for the GP team) in a few years and i guess when talking to their Moto2 sponsors, the primary sponsorship price tag gave them a bit of sticker shock.
Click to expand...
According to Simon Patterson, it's why there was such a big fight between Razali and Stigefelt over control of the MotoGP team when SRT/Petronas bailed: the top class license is super valuable (and hard to get) because of the guaranteed revenue. At this point, the lesser classes seem to be mostly valued by the manufacturers to copy KTM's model of talent acquisition...

Chaos said:
This doesn't bother me as much as others mainly because I don't know what a viable/practical solution to this would be. The 2 manufacters that only have 2 bikes (Aprilia and Suzuki) are smaller outfits and I think if they decided to have satellite bikes, they would get the good ol' Yamaha treatment of getting the previous years' bikes with no updates. I would love to see Honda and Yamaha support another team. But Honda has balked at the idea of more than 4 bikes since the CRT days, and Yamaha has never run more than 4 full time bikes in the 4-stroke era.
Click to expand...
Suzuki may be small, but I think they could manage another team. They are only recently removed from winning the championship, after all. Aprilia *should* have a satellite team if they're serious about winning, but Piaggio controls the purse strings. My understanding is they wanted to have Gresini continue, but couldn't offer a package to match Ducati, particularly with guaranteed competitive machinery. For me, ideal would be Suzuki and Aprilia having four bikes each, making it a nice and even balance with all manufacturers having a factory and satellite squad.

Whether Dorna could finance that is another question...
 
KTM - no big change from last year

www.crash.net

FIRST LOOK: Red Bull KTM's 2022 MotoGP livery, title top 3 target

The 2022 MotoGP race livery for factory Red Bull KTM riders Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira; 'The target is to... fight for the podium at the end of season standings'
www.crash.net www.crash.net

Tech 3 - no big change from last year

www.crash.net

FIRST LOOK: Tech3 KTM MotoGP livery, 'With Remy and Raul, we have to dream high'

The 2022 MotoGP race livery for Tech3 KTM rookies Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez; 'With riders like Remy and Raul, we have to dream high'
www.crash.net www.crash.net
 
Chaos said:
Obligatory "this is just testing"

www.crash.net

Sepang MotoGP Test Results - Saturday lap times (FINAL)

Final lap times from the opening day of the Official 2022 Sepang MotoGP test.
www.crash.net www.crash.net

Aprilia is 1-2. Should make a few people happy here :)
Click to expand...
Definitely interesting, but everyone else is still sandbagging a bit, so not overly meaningful. Aprilia also had Vinales there a couple days earlier, so have lots of good setup data. It's just as curious to me that Aleix went faster than Vinales on his first session. Still, it's a positive sign for the year. Aleix seemed most impressed with how much they'd managed to make the bike narrower, comparing it to a Moto2 bike.

Fabio is apparently unhappy with the lack of improvement on the Yamaha power, still 10+ km/h down on the Ducs on the straight. Honda has made the biggest visible changes, with a totally new aerodynamic look: big wing, less rounded fairing, and a big booty. Looks a bit like a mix of the Ducati and Yamaha, actually.

It's pretty rare that the winner of the Sepang test wins the championship, but it's good to see Aprilia at the sharp end again. There was always a worry that the removal of the development restrictions would put them back to their 2020 pace...
 
Second day of results:

www.crash.net

Sepang MotoGP Test Results - Sunday, Day 2 lap times (FINAL)

Final lap times during the second and last day of the Official 2022 Sepang MotoGP test.
www.crash.net www.crash.net

Oblgitory Testing disclaimer but some observations:

1. Bastianini tops the chart. Impressive. I suspect he was trying to set fastest times (the GP21 is going to be as good as it is going to get), while all the others were more about testing the new bike (Martin did get a 3rd spot on the GP22) but I don't ever remember a year-old bike topping the test charts (It could have happened, but I just dont remember)

2. Hard to tell where Honda, Suzuki, and KTM stand. Well, Honda and Suzuki. No KTM made the top 10, but who knows. There is an interview in which Miguel Oliveira implies that KTM is behind its aero development.

3. Yamaha results are not great. Quartararo is 7th, but Dovi and Morbidelli are way down the grid. I know it's testing, but you can generally tell where a manufacturer stands by their 2nd fastest rider in terms of bike quality.

4. Apprently, there is more potential to go in the GP22. The Ducati folks have been pretty vocal about this

5. There is a rumour that Ducati has introduced a front wheel squating device. So when on straights, both the front AND rear will squat.

Anyway, Indonesia will be interesting.

Weird not seeing/hearing about Rossi. I am a bit surprised that he has not made an appearance, but I guess I shouldn't be. I think he's basically going to be elsewhere most of the year (which I suppose is more and more why Sky dropped their sponsorship - I think they thought they would have more Rossi synergies, but he is not really a visible part of his own team).
 
Last edited:
Amazon sure picked a good year for this:


Between the Marquez return, Honda and KTM's struggles, Vinales' meltdown at Yamaha, Pecco's stutterstep ascendance, Miller being Miller, Mir's ambition not being matched by his bike, Aprilia finding some speed, Rossi's farewell tour, and Fabio figuring out the Yamaha, there were lots of twists and turns. Much as Amazon bothers me, I can't wait for this one...
 
Chaos said:
My current rider ratings:

Marc Marquez
Fabio Quartararo
Joan Mir
Pecco Bagnaia
Franco Morbidelli
Jorge Martin
Jack Miller
Miguel Oliviera
Brad Binder
Alex Rins
Maverick Vinales
Johann Zarco
Enea Bastianini
Raul Fernandez
Pol Espargaro
Alex Marquez
Andrea Dovizioso
Aleix Espargaro
Remy Gardner
Taka Nakagami
Luca Marini
Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Di Giannantonio
Darryn Binder

Random thoughts:

1. I put Marquez on top despite his injuries. 2022 will be a pivotal year for him. we will soon see if he will get back to 100% health. Even at less than 100% last year, he still won 3 races.

2. IMO, Raul Fernandez will be the top of this year's rookie class, unless KTM delivers another dog bike, then you will see the Ducati rookies put up better results. They will all have the GP21 which is a solid bike. I might be overrating Fernandez, but he won a lot of races for a rookie in the class.

3. My italian bias is probably coming up with Morbidelli, but i am pretending that last season didn't happen for him. Between being saddled with a 2 year old bike, then a serious injury, i'll give him a pass for last season. I will admit though I expected more performance from him in the 2nd half of the season.

4. My list favours championships over wins; it was tough to rank Bagnaia lower than Mir. Bagnaia was terrific last season but he was sufficiently behind early in the season where winning the championship was unrealistic, and when it did become somewhat realistic, he crashed. it takes a lot of mental fortitude to win a championship.
Click to expand...
It's a really tough one to call this year. Here are my predictions... Seems like Honda will be more competitive than we initially thought after the test.
  1. Marc Marquez
  2. Pecco Bagnaia
  3. Jack Miller
  4. Fabio Quartararo
  5. Jorge Martin
  6. Joan Mir
  7. Pol Espargaro
  8. Enea Bastianini
  9. Johann Zarco
  10. Franco Morbidelli
  11. Alex Rins
  12. Aleix Espargaro
  13. Miguel Oliveira
  14. Brad Binder
  15. Maverick Vinales
  16. Taka Nakagami
  17. Raul Fernandez
  18. Alex Marquez
  19. Remy Gardner
  20. Luca Marini
  21. Marco Bezzecchi
  22. Andrea Dovizioso
  23. Fabio Di Giannantonio
  24. Darryn Binder
Some thoughts:
  • I could see a Marc vs. Pecco duel dominating in the same way we saw Marc vs. Dovi in previous years
  • If Jorge Martin avoids injuries/crashes, I think he could have a fantastic season - my wildcard pick for the season
  • I could see Pol doing a lot better than last year - I think we'll see him on the podium a few times
  • I think Rins and Taka will improve over last season as well but struggle to break a competitive top 10
  • I think Quartararo and Morbidelli's seasons depend a lot on Yamaha - if others have made a step forward (Ducati just need to avoid a step back) and Yamaha haven't, then that could really define the whole season for them
  • I don't see Dovi suddenly clicking with the Yamaha and being competitive - he won't be in the top 10 often, if at all...
  • Aleix and Maverick - tough one to call... Aleix was quite consistently in the top 10 last year - impressive season - I wouldn't be surprised if Maverick suddenly started showing up on the podium (take that Yamaha!).. But, I wouldn't put my hard-earned money on it..
 
IMO, the bike will be much more of a factor than the rider this year. Especially with Marquez still a question mark wrt his injuries and fitness.

Yamaha down on top speed and KTM also suffering traction issues among other things tire-related. Honda seems to be coming along well with a non-MM93 biased bike, as well as Suzuki. But I think the Ducati will offer the strongest all-round package for its riders. Pecco FTW!

All will be revealed in two weeks time!
 
@Lightcycle agree the bikes will be a key factor - Ducatis should be strongest. I think Honda will be different to previous years. I'd love to see Pecco win it but have that gut feeling that this will be Marc's year after two very difficult ones. I'll be rooting for Martin. Can't wait for it to all kick off again in 2 weeks!
 
Look who is back as Team Manager!

900cb170-03ab-c229-6d3a-c406398614d8.jpeg


If they used these kind of POV for Moto2, it might be worth watching this season.

 
Winales_2017 said:
Look who is back as Team Manager!

900cb170-03ab-c229-6d3a-c406398614d8.jpeg
Click to expand...
Aaagh! This is almost as bad as Mourinho coaching Roma. I'm a huge Carrasco fan, would love to see her do well, and this is unlikely to hurt. But now we have to listen to Lorenzo tell everyone how great he was/is at every round! 🤮

Winales_2017 said:
If they used these kind of POV for Moto2, it might be worth watching this season.

Click to expand...
How many rounds before someone would take a drone to the face? Great shots, though. Amazing how fast some of those drones can rip along these days...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom