What we love at Round and Black is races and motorcycle racing seasons without fail get bigger and better every year. 2022 is no different, bringing a stonking 21 races to the Championship calendar this year for MotoGP™ will be anything but dull.

MotoGP™ spreads its wings

So what’s the first piece of exciting news? Finland and Indonesia will be hosting MotoGP™ for their first time ever, promising to be exciting additions to the racing calendar.

The Indonesian race will be hosted at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, which was opened by the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo in November last year. The 4.3km tarmac circuit is located in the south of Lombok with the track consisting of 11 right-handers and 6 left-handers!

FUN FACT: Indonesia isn’t a stranger to MotoGP™ having hosted races in 1996 and 1997 as well as the SBK Championships from 1994 to 1997 – these races were hosted at the Sentul International Circuit in West Java.

Three days of testing have already taken place last weekend so the riders have had a chance to familiarise themselves with the track when they return on 20^th March for Round 2 of the MotoGP™ extravaganza.

Moving from warmer climes to the distinctly colder ones, Finland’s KymiRing will play host to Round 12 in July. The KymiRing will be the most northerly hosted event with the 4.5km track consisting of 21 corners; 8 lefters and 13 righto’s.

FUN FACT: The KymiRing is not named after Kimi Räikkönen – it is in fact named after the River Kymi which shares the valley where the racetrack is located.

New Team, Who Dis?

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team is replacing Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team as the Iwata factory’s satellite team. The Team Principals and Manager of Razlan Razali and Wilco Zeelenberg are continuing their roles.

Gresini and Aprilia said ‘Ciao’ to one another as they parted ways for the 2022 season. The Noale-based factory will now compete as Aprilia Racing while Gresini Racing MotoGP™ will move to Ducati machinery and become a satellite team for Ducati’s Borgo Panigale factory. The Bologna Bullets (also known as Ducati) have managed to put 8 bikes onto the grid this season with the most exciting addition being made to Mooney VR46 Racing Team.

New Kids on the Block

What’s that we smell? Fresh meat? Five riders have been promoted including the Moto2™ World Champion Remy Gardner and his teammate and 2021 title rival Raul Fernandez. Both riders will join Tech3 KTM for their rookie season. Other graduations include Fabio Di Giannantonio to Gresini Racing MotoGP™ and Marco Bezzecchi to Mooney VR46 Racing Team. South African Darryn Binder has followed the footsteps of Jack Miller, moving directly from Moto3™ to MotoGP™, becoming the second-ever rider to make such a jump! He joins the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team.

It's a Numbers Game

Fabio Di Giannantonio has traded his usual number of 21, which was already claimed by Franco Morbidelli this season, for number 49.

So that’s the roundup of all the exciting things happening for MotoGP™. We’ll do a similar blog on Moto2™ and Moto3™ so stone is left unturned. The Qatar GP is the first one on the calendar – 6^th March! Knowing MotoGP™ there’ll be no shortage of drama for the 2022 season!

If you’re interested in perfecting your own MotoGP™ skills you need to practice with the right equipment. We have a fantastic selection of motorcycle racing tyres to suit a range of models.

Have any questions? Send us a message or give us a call on 020 3887 2338.