Looking back at pre-season testing for this year, there was plenty to talk about. Lots of riders and manufacturers put together surprising results, both good and bad, and it left us wondering just how we could predict who would be the top dogs for this season. Aprilia looked to have taken a big step, as did Honda. Bastianini topped a test, and the rest of his Ducati stablemates looked strong. KTM and Yamaha looked lost, and Quartararo in particular looked frustrated. All told, it was a tantalising setup for the championship battle in 2022.
Now that we are four races into this season, we can see which parts of the testing hype have come true, and which were more speculation than realism. Aprilia have taken their first win, delivering on the expectations set during the tests; Honda have struggled more than expected, taking a sole podium from four attempts. Ducati’s protagonists from last season have yet to impress, while Bastianini has soared to two wins and the championship lead. Yamaha still look lost, and Quartararo still frustrated, but KTM have surprised us with a solid looking package and two podium finishes to kick the season off.
The one manufacturer I’ve yet to mention is the one I’ve been most impressed with, and the one that looks to be in the strongest place heading into the all-important European leg of the championship. Suzuki showed a lot of promise in the pre-season, with both riders showing up at the top of the timesheets regularly and reporting strong improvements to the bike from their unimpressive 2021 package. Rins and Mir now sit second and fourth in the standings after four rounds, with Rins bagging two podiums on the trot in Argentina and Austin and Mir taking top sixes in every race so far. The duo look poised for success, just as they did in 2020, and the whole paddock seems to be eyeing them off as title challengers for this year.
How have they had such a radical turnaround from the 2021 campaign, which was fraught with inconsistency and unhappy faces in the Suzuki pit box? The biggest factor comes from within the bike itself. The engine that they’ve brought to battle in 2022 is faster than any they’ve had before, giving the bike an almighty horsepower boost while still allowing the riders to manage the tires the way they like. This is largely thanks to the engine freeze we saw in the aftermath of covid, with no manufacturers adjusting their engine configuration for 2020 or 2021. Now that the rule has lifted, Suzuki have been able to unveil two year’s worth of work on their engine, giving them a massive step forward.
The importance of such an upgrade comes primarily from the bikes they’re competing against at the front of the grid. Ducati have been the kings of qualifying in recent history thanks to their massive top speed advantage, and this often converts into strong race results. With so many bikes at the front of the pack and the ability to overtake on straights and defend into corners, it requires a mammoth effort from the riders behind them to overcome the Ducati boys. Suzuki suffered immensely from this issue in 2021, often showing the pace to fight at the front but losing too many places in qualifying, and being unable to pass other riders during the race. With a much more powerful engine underneath them, these issues have become far less of a factor for Rins and Mir.
You can see the results in the speed traps, and in their qualifying results. Both Suzuki riders have made direct progress to Q2 in three of the four races so far this season, with Rins progressing through Q1 in Austin to start all four races from the front half of the grid. Additionally, both riders are often in the mix with the Ducati riders in the battle for top speed, with Rins topping the charts in Qatar despite the massive start/finish straight naturally favouring the Italian manufacturer. Even if you ignore all other technical aspects of the Suzuki, the upgraded engine alone puts them right back in contention where they were obviously suffering last season.
For Rins, a championship tilt this year would be a sweet piece of vengeance after a difficult campaign in 2021. The Spaniard looked to have podium potential on multiple occasions, but crashed out of many of those races, dumping a load of championship points in the process. He will also be feeling the pressure from around him, having lost to his teammate in two consecutive championships, and will be looking to reclaim his status as top dog in the Suzuki garage in 2022.
For Mir, things have really turned around in these opening races. Mir ended last year third in the standings without a win to his name, and felt as though he was fighting his motorcycle just to take results. It was clear that if Suzuki didn’t provide him with a more consistent and competitive package in 2022 then he would begin looking elsewhere in the grid for his 2023 contract. These problems appear to have all but disappeared, with the ex-champion now the only rider to finish every race of the season so far in the top six. Once he starts converting his current results into podiums and wins, I would expect him to begin a serious title challenge in the hopes of winning back his crown.
Overall, these two riders have to be the team with the most confidence heading into Portimao. They’ve taken massive strides from the previous year already and look to be in top form in a season that will likely throw plenty of curve balls. They’ve found consistency early on, something that no other riders seem to be able to manage, and look to both be hungry for title success this season. We could be in for a fascinating fight between these two – and others, of course – as we look to crown the MotoGP champion for 2022 later this year.
Solomon Talks Bikes 