Superbikes | Misano Round: the fight for the championship moves to Italy

The 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship have arrived in Italy for the fourth round of the season, the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round scheduled at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”.

The presence of a large number of fans is expected, eager to enjoy live the great spectacle of a truly intense fight for the title between the top three drivers: who will come out on top?

This is Ducati's home event and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) arrives as leader of the world rankings with a 17-point advantage over his great rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). After the four victories achieved in 2022 and always on the podium so far, Bautista arrives at Misano where in 2019 together with Ducati he won and where in 2021 with Honda he collected a top six. In 2012 on the Romagna circuit he achieved his first podium in MotoGP™ at the end of a beautiful duel at the last corner which saw him as the protagonist with Andrea Dovizioso, without forgetting the ones he took home in 250cc. His boxing partner Michael Ruben Rinaldi is always strong at Misano and he too will be in the running for victory, as happened last year on two occasions in addition to a second place: will the magical three become a quartet?
17 points behind the Spanish leader in the standings, Jonathan Rea collected three third places in Misano in 2021. The Northern Irishman is aiming for the top step of the podium on the track where he won his first WorldSBK race in 2009 and on which he boasts eight successes. After the two duels on the last lap in which he had the upper hand at Estoril, Rea doesn't want to stop. For teammate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) Estoril gave a seventh, a sixth and a fourth place, thus equaling his best result of the season. In 2021 at Misano he finished in the top six on all three occasions and previously with Yamaha he had reached the podium twice: can Lowes be a surprise this weekend?
World champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) came close to his first victory of the season at Estoril but had to give up at the end of two duels on the last lap: on the first occasion he had to give in to Bautista and Ducati. The first three rounds of the season were held on tracks where Toprak did not win last year, while in 2021 he achieved his first success at Misano in Race 2. Toprak has always shone on the Romagna circuit: in 2019 in Race 2 fought for victory with Rea while on this track in 2015 he won the STK600 title. This weekend he is chasing his first success of 2022. His teammate Andrea Locatelli is fourth in the standings thanks to one podium and eight top-five finishes. Last year at Misano he only collected three ninth places while this season he has his sights set on the podium.

Excellent start to 2022 for Honda: Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and Xavi Vierge are a constant presence in the top five positions. After the Estoril Round both were in Japan for tests in view of their participation in the Suzuka Eight Hours scheduled for August, tests which also saw the presence of Leon Camier. Both know Misano well; Lecuona' boasts a 14th place in 2020 in MotoGP™ as his best performance and unfortunately has not finished a race on the Romagna circuit since then. Vierge boasts four top ten finishes in Moto2™ at this track, with a fourth place in 2020 as his best result. Lecuona is one of the two drivers to have always finished in the top ten this year; the other is Bautista. Vierge arrives at Misano on the strength of the fifth place he took home in Race 1 at Estoril, his best career result. Will Honda dictate the law in Italy?
BMW at Estoril with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) achieved a seventh place in Race 1, then a change to the setup on Sunday partially compromised what could have been an excellent weekend for the English rider. In the last four races he has always scored in the points and now he arrives at Misano, the circuit where he carried out a test with BMW during the pre-season. Redding hopes to reap further fruits of the hard work carried out also at Misano, a track on which in 2021 together with Ducati he took home three fourth places. Misano has historically gone well, having achieved his first MotoGP™ podium here in 2015, as well as a seventh place in 2017. On the other side of the garage of the official team of the Bavarian manufacturer, Michael van der Mark is still out for injury and therefore his place will continue to be soon by the excellent replacement, the Ukrainian Illia Mykhalchyk, in the top ten in Aragon.

The fight between the Independents currently sees Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in command, who was a great protagonist in 2021 at Misano thanks to three placings in the top seven, including a sixth place. Five points behind the young Venetian we find Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), fresh from a difficult round at Estoril with only one top ten finish, while the presence in Romagna of Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) is still in doubt after the crash he suffered in FP3 at Estoril which forced him to stop. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) have been declared unfit after the crashes suffered at Estoril: the Frenchman is forced to miss the Misano event and will be replaced by Tito Rabat. Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) is chasing a top ten.
The fourth round of 2022 will also be the home round for San Marino Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team), who scored points in three of the last four races. After missing the Estoril event, Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) hopes to return to the track in what will also be his home round while Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) aims to return to points area. In Portugal he brought home his first points of 2022: Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) wants to continue on the path he has taken this weekend while Leon Haslam (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) returns to the scene at Misano. Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) is also aiming to return to the top 15. Teammate Hafizh Syahrin is still looking for his first points of 2022, as is Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura). Third appearance of 2022 arriving for wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing). Home rider Alessandro Delbianco (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) will return to WorldSBK for the Round scheduled on the track a few kilometers from where he lives.