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 cha🧜mpionship 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 h🍌as 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 mahbx.com believes will play out and likely define what path the Super🦄bike championship takes towards 2023. 

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

Ho♚nda 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 2022ꦐ as young Spaniards Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge make the switch from MotoGP and Moto2 respectively. 

It goes without saying ܫthat 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 tha✱t can compete for a title. 

For that to happen, achieving top ten results consistently should be the primarꦿy 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) an🦹d 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 wit🦋h 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 𒁏much of last season.

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

Looking at both riders, Bautista is perhaps the ꦰfavourite 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, the💝n 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 an﷽d 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 moꦯst 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 firs🐟t 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 t💞he 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 World🌳SBK 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 coul𒁃d 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 s🙈eeing it from the sꦬix-time world champion. 

S🤡hould Kawasaki provide Rea with a slightly more forgiving ZX10-RR, albeit significant changes won’t be taking place, then Rea𝓀 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 th💙is year, while his Team Principal Paul Denning and personal manager Kenan Sofuoglu have admitted the same. 

If Razgatlioglu does indeed join MotoGP then it reℱmains 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 ha𝔍ve 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.