Bagnaia claims 2022 MotoGP championship

The finale of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship was a fitting end to a dramatic season, with Ducati Lenovo rider Pecco Bagnaia’s ninth-place finish enough to secure him the biggest prize in motorcycle racing, becoming Ducati’s first world champion in 15 years.

But there were plenty of subplots which made the 27-lap finale a race to remember, and not least because Alex Rins rode a perfect race to win the final grand prix for Suzuki, as the manufacturer calls time on its MotoGP participation.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) rode a stunner, too, as he fought hard to notch up a win on his 2022 scoreboard. From seventh on the gird, the South African rode out of his skin to come within just three tenths of the victory, while pole man Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) consolidated his up-and-down season by rounding out the podium.

It could have well been Aussie Jack Miller (Lenovo Ducati) celebrating his final race with Ducati on the podium – he spent the majority of the race in contention – but after having been passed for third, he lost the front as he chased down his future KTM teammate with less than five laps to go.

As for Bagnaia, he described that ninth-place finish as the hardest of his life. Despite his 24-point advantage over title rival Fabio Quartararo (Monster Yamaha) heading into the final round, it was a far cry from the type of dominant performances that saw the Italian fight back from a 91-point deficit in the final 10 races of the season.

To loft the title trophy, Bagnaia only needed to finish 14th – and that was only if Quartararo won the race – but being mired mid-field adds an element of danger in this sport, and one that had each and every onlooker on the edge of their seat.

His first challenge came from none other than Quartararo on just the second lap, when the pair engaged in a battle more akin to the final lap of a GP, swapping positions on a number of occasions, even making contact which knocked an aero wing clean off Bagnaia’s GP22. It meant he not only battled with the riders on track, but also with his bike which he later described as “impossible” to turn.

Quartararo got a poor start from the second row of the grid, by his standards anyway, and while he rode as hard as he could to keep his title defence alive, his underperforming Yamaha meant he could do no better than fourth.

Alex Rins, on the other hand, got the perfect launch to nab the holeshot, and was never bettered as he put together a flawless race to give Suzuki – the factory he’s been with since 2017 – one last parting gift.

It was a poor day for the Aprilia factory, its second half of the season woes continuing with two retirements from their two riders in Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales. And with Miller’s race ending in the gravel, it meant Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati) secured third place in the championship and could also celebrate the season’s Best Independent Team rider, too.

There was little to celebrate in the factory Honda camp, with both Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez crashing out of contention and ending the worst season of the Japanese giant’s MotoGP career.

Binder’s Red Bull KTM teammate Miguel Oliveira finished fifth ahead of Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar), Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Ducati), Bastianini and Bagnaia, with Franco Morbidelli (Monster Yamaha) rounding out the top 10. Aussie Remy Gardner finished 13th to pick up three world championship points in his final outing in the premier class.

The final scores were Bagnaia’s 265 points to Quartararo’s 248, with Bastianini 46 adrift on 219.

The Moto2 category’s title-deciding grand prix was shaping up to be a nail biter. Just a handful of points separated title rivals Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), while Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speed Up) – both in the leading pack and fighting for the coveted Rookie of the Year title – were making all sorts of hot-headed moves in and around the two title rivals in the early laps.

Lopez was the first victim, his early-race desperation putting him in the gravel early on. But just as Ogura was looking to make a move on early race leader Tony Arbolino (Marc VDS Racing), with Fernandez having just been relegated to fifth, the Japanese rider crashed out of his second GP in succession, handing Fernandez the 2022 Moto2 World Championship.

Acosta pushed his way to the front by half-race distance, but Fernandez wanted to celebrate his championship win with a race victory and eased past Arbolino for second. But, in scenes reminiscent of Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez in 2021, the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo pulled seven seconds clear of the chasing pack by the flag.

Fernandez couldn’t pass his rookie teammate and celebrated the crown with a second-place finish ahead of Arbolino. Acosta’s win cemented him the Rookie of the Year award.

Aron Canet’s (HP Flexbox 40) inconsistent season ended in the gravel, meaning he ended the season third overall. But the ride of the race goes to Aussie Senna Agius (Marc VDS Team). Deputising for the injured Sam Lowes, the 17-year-old battled some of the most experienced riders in the paddock to finish in a fine ninth place.

In the final count, Fernandez has 271.5 points to Ogura’s 242. Canet ended the season 71.5 points adrift in third.

Izan Guevara (GasGas Aspar) cemented his championship-winning season with a last-lap thriller to take the win by just 0.062sec from Tech 3 KTM’s Deniz Oncu, with Sergio Garcia giving the GasGas Aspar team a dream 1-2 in the championship with a strong, but lonely, third-place finish.

Dennis Foggia (Leopard Honda) was seven seconds behind Garcia in fourth, with Ayumi Sasaki (Husqvarna Sterilgarda Max) rounding out the top five in the team’s last appearance in the category.

Aussie Joel Kelso finished 21st before his switch to the CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP squad in 2023. The Aussie ended his rookie season 21st overall on 36 points.

Final standings had Guevara (319pt) 62 points clear of Garcia (257) with Foggia (246) in third.