It?s but a few days until the first round of the 2022 World Superbike Championship kicks off at Aragon in Spain (it?s this weekend, 8 ? 10 April, in case you didn?t know), and for the first time in longer than any of us can remember (since 2010, actually) a Yamaha rider?s defending the title. In fact it?s the first time since 2015 anyone but Jonathan Rea has started the season defending the title. Will the current WSBK champ, Toprak Razgatl?o?lu, be able to hold onto the number one plate, though" Or will the Kawasaki mounted former champ JR snatch it back" Perhaps it?ll be someone else?s turn to lift the WSBK crown, come the end of the 2022 season. This is what I think?

I think it?s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the 2022 championship will be a two-horse race, in the same way the 2021 championship was. Before anyone shouts at me, I know Redding was always there or there abouts, but unfortunately, he just didn?t win enough races to be really in with a decent shout at the end of the year.
If I?m being honest, I can?t see Redding doing any better on his new BMW than he did on the Ducati last year. There was only one BMW win last year (Michael van der Mark in Portugal). Redding did win a handful of races in 2021, but I don?t think he?ll win as many in 2022, on the Beemer. And I don?t think he?ll win the championship, either.

Contender, ready"

Andrea Locatelli didn?t win any races in 2021, but he was the best rookie (by quite a marg...