Five storylines set to unfold during 2022 WorldSBK season?

With the 2022 WorldSBK season a little over two months from getting underway, here’s a look at five key storylines that are set to unfold. 

The 2021 season delivered in pretty much every aspect that a world championship should. Whether that be thrilling racing, new stars coming to the fore, a title battle that went down to the wire, you name it and it happened. 

So in that sense the 2022 WorldSBK season has a lot to live up to, but with the current grid looking even stronger, we could be set for the best ever WorldSBK season. 

Here are five storylines that Crash.net believes will play out and likely define what path the Superbike championship takes towards 2023. 

5: How will WorldSBK rookies Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge get on at Honda? 

Honda is arguably the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, however, success in WorldSBK has been very hard to come by. 

James Toseland is the last rider to win a WorldSBK title for them which came in 2007, and while Honda haven’t always been a full factory outfit, five world championship wins - Colin Edwards and Fred Merkel have the other four (two each) - is a disappointing return given the championship is going into its 35th season. 

Since returning as a full factory team in 2020, Honda have accumulated just three podiums which is the least of any manufacturer. 

But with that said, Team HRC has gone in a completely new direction for 2022 as young Spaniards Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge make the switch from MotoGP and Moto2 respectively. 

It goes without saying that the team needs to provide both riders with a better package than Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam had to work with. 

While 2021 standout rookies Andrea Locatelli and Axel Bassani were on better machinery with Yamaha and Ducati, young riders seem to be adapting to different classes at a much faster rate than we’ve ever seen before which is something Honda would clearly like to see happen for them. 

While being in a championship battle is very unlikely, as are race wins during their first season, Lecuona and Vierge have a chance to set the foundation of where Honda could and should be going forward for 2023, which is obviously developing a bike that can compete for a title. 

For that to happen, achieving top ten results consistently should be the primary focus, while improved qualifying performance and a more user-friendly CBR1000RR-R would go a long way to benefiting both riders.

4: Can Bautista and Redding challenge Razgatlioglu/Rea with their new teams. 

Two riders who have been championship contenders without winning the title since 2019 are Bautista (2019) and Redding (2020/21). 

Bautista looked set for one of the more dominating year’s a WorldSBK rider has ever had as he won 11 consecutive races to begin his Superbike career with Ducati, and although he won 16 in total come the end of 2019, poor performances and injuries around mid-season began to derail his title aspirations. Jonathan Rea ultimately went on to take title number five of six.

As for Redding, the 2019 BSB champion was Rea’s main title challenger in 2020 - pushed the Kawasaki rider until the final round - before keeping Rea and 2021 champion Toprak Razgatlioglu in sight for much of last season.

However, early season errors and strategy mistakes were Redding and Ducati’s undoing, something he won’t want to replicate with his new team BMW. 

Looking at both riders, Bautista is perhaps the favourite to challenge Rea and Razgatlioglu given the package he’s on, whereas Redding, who we have to say took a surprising decision to join BMW, a team that’s not ready to win consistently as of yet, will likely be on the outside looking in. 

If Michael Van Der Mark, a proven race winner could only manage three podiums in 2021, then it’s fair to say 2023 might be more realistic for Redding as it relates to winning a Superbike championship. On the other hand Bautista certainly has the speed to challenge, but crashes and inconsistencies will need to be at a premium.

3: Who could be the next young rider to join a big team?

Locatelli was a sensation in 2021 and proved that having a rookie in the factory team can generate brilliant results. Along with that, the Pata Yamaha rider’s relationship with Razgatlioglu was a very strong one, making them the strongest pairing on the grid. 

That’s saying a lot given Redding and Rea had riders such as Michael Rinaldi and Alex Lowes as teammates. But with Locatelli already in a full factory team it rules out the Italian for the sake of this argument. 

Instead, Axel Bassani looks like the WorldSBK rider with the most to gain in 2022. Should the 22 year-old continue his good form from last season and take a second-year step, then replacing Bautista (37) or Rinaldi who struggled for large parts of his first season with the Aruba.it Ducati team could be on the cards. 

Philipp Oettl, who will also be riding a Ducati this upcoming season (GoEleven Team) could and possibly is the favourite to finish as the top rookie. Should the former Moto2 rider show the immediate pace that he did when joining WorldSSP and achieve various noteworthy results, then the German could also put his name in the hat for a promising 2023 ride. 

2: Can Rea regain the title or is 2021 a sign of things to come? 

When we say sign of things to come, let’s first acknowledge that in no way was 2021 a bad year for Rea, in fact he was brilliant for most of it. 

But with the 34 year-old losing out on the title for the first time since 2015, making uncharacteristic mistakes and generally being outperformed by Razgatlioglu, it will be a big year for Rea if he’s to regain the #1 plate. 

With Yamaha and Ducati showing slightly more bike potential in 2021, and BMW/Honda perhaps joining the title fight from 2023 onwards, winning a WorldSBK championship each year that passes by is likely to get harder and harder given the improved quality of riders too. 

That’s why 2022 could be a big chance for Rea to claim back his title especially as the number one storyline on this list could also play a factor. Stay tuned for that…

As stated above, Rea was fantastic for most of 2021 as he tied Razgatlioglu in terms of win numbers (13), while also claiming more podiums and pole positions. However, consistency wasn’t quite where we’re used to seeing it from the six-time world champion. 

Should Kawasaki provide Rea with a slightly more forgiving ZX10-RR, albeit significant changes won’t be taking place, then Rea is likely to be in the mix with Razgatlioglu once again.

1: Will Razgatlioglu leave WorldSBK for MotoGP/will the uncertainty play a role in the title? 

The number one storyline that is set to unfold this season is whether Razgatlioglu remains in WorldSBK or leaves for MotoGP.

The Turkish star has already confirmed he will test a Yamaha MotoGP bike this year, while his Team Principal Paul Denning and personal manager Kenan Sofuoglu have admitted the same. 

If Razgatlioglu does indeed join MotoGP then it remains to be seen with which Yamaha team as Sofuoglu has also stated that they won’t move without a factory ride. 

With speculation already being ripe despite the season not even starting, his test on an M1 and along with performances that are expected to be of high quality for Pata Yamaha are only going to increase talk of a potential switch, which is why it could also have a negative effect. 

Razgatlioglu is likely to be in an intense battle with Rea for the title and will need full focus to retain his championship crown, but with a big money move potentially on the table, how this alters Razgatlioglu’s mindset if at all will be interesting to see.