The 2021 MotoGP season only came to a close in mid-November, after the Valencia Grand Prix. The race was won by Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, four spots ahead of title winner Fabio Quartararo.  

But while the dust has just about settled on 2021, teams, riders, and fans are all gearing up for the 2022 season.  

Bikes have already hit the track, with a test session taking place at Jerez on 18th November. More testing is scheduled for the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia and the Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia in early February, less than a month before the start of the season.  

So with just a matter of weeks to go before the lights go out, here are some of the things to look for in 2022.  

2022 MotoGP Favourites 

Betting on MotoGP has grown in popularity in recent years, with most major bookmakers now offering odds on individual Grands Prix and the championship as a whole. This is also helped by the growing number of free bet promotions that are offered by these bookies, allowing bettors to get more value from the wagers that they place.  

Few bookies have released their odds for the 2022 season yet, but it’s still possible to make some predictions about the upcoming season.  

In recent years, Marc Márquez has been a dominant force in the sport. The Spanish rider will turn 29 just before the start of the new season, in which he hopes he will make a triumphant return. The Honda rider missed much of 2020 and several races in 2021 due to an arm injury. If he can put that behind him, expect him to be back at the front of the pack.  

Fellow Spaniard and 2020 title winner Joan Mir is also likely to be a strong contender, as is reigning champion Fabio Quartararo.  

The 2022 season is likely to be a close battle, which should make it exciting from start to finish.  

No Rossi 

This year will be the first time this century that the MotoGP paddock will not feature the legendary Italian rider, Valentino Rossi. The Yamaha rider finally hung up his gloves at the end of the 2021 Valencia Grand Prix, finishing just 18th in the championship - a far cry from the impressive seven world titles he won between 2001 and 2009.  

After finishing the season in third place in 2018, Rossi has ended each of the following three in 7th, 15th, and 18th respectively. While he hasn’t been at the front, battling for wins anywhere near as much as earlier in his career, the Italian will still leave a large hole in the paddock for 2022.   

Although he won’t be riding, Rossi won’t be going too far as the Italian will be running his own team known Racing Team VR46 in 2022.  

A Changed Calendar 

After a turbulent few years in which global sports like MotoGP had to adapt and change its scheduling to pack in as much racing as possible, the 2022 calendar is expected to be more of a return to normality.  

The Argentinian, Malaysian, Thai, Japanese, Australian, and Finnish Grands Prix are all set to return. This does, however, mean that the doubleheaders in Qatar, Portugal, San Marino, and Austria have been dropped.  

The Indonesian Grand Prix’s return after 24 years will take place on the newly-built Mandalika International Street Circuit. Meanwhile, the KymiRing, another new track, will become the new home of the Finnish Grand Prix, after a 39-year absence.  

Lineup Changes 

As happens each year, there will be new rider and team combinations for 2022. One of the most notable, aside from Rossi’s absence, will be the return of Aprilia as a full factory team for the first time since 2004.  

Esponsorama Racing will be replaced by Rossi’s Racing Team VR46, Gresini Racing returns as a fully independent outfit, and RNG MotoGP Racing will take the place of Petronas SRT.  

Meanwhile last year’s Moto2 champion and runner-up, Remy Gardner and Raúl Fernández, will be moving up into MotoGP, riding for Tech3 KTM. Other new faces on the grid include Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Marco Bezzecchi.  

With so many new faces, teams, and tracks the 2022 MotoGP season is shaping up to be an exciting one.  

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The British Motor Museum has announced a schedule of over 30 motoring shows including several new events for 2022. This is a sizable increase on previous years and is testament to the popularity and demand for events at the Museum.

On Tuesday 18 January the Museum will host Museum Late - ‘Factor Us In’, an exclusive opportunity to delve into the history of the West Midlands motor industry and meet the fantastic team behind the insightful 'Factor Us In' Exhibition. The evening also includes a talk from the Museum’s history volunteers and a two course supper.

Following on from the success of the first event, the Quiz Night returns for a second time on Tuesday 8 February. Led by special guest, Danny Hopkins of Practical Classics, teams of up to 6 can compete and enjoy a fun night out while testing their motoring knowledge. There will be a mix of questions to keep everyone entertained, not just classic car buffs. Supper is included too!

Last year’s free evening ‘Gaydon Gatherings’ proved very popular with hundreds of vehicles turning up on the second Tuesday of every month, so these events will return from Tuesday 12 April in the same format as a fun, free and informal evening gathering for motoring enthusiasts and all vehicle makes and models. 

New for 2022 is a special Members only event, which will take place on Friday 29 April. ‘Museum on the Move’ will showcase a selection of cars from the collection with the opportunity for Members to ride in them. Also new for 2022 is an “Austin Seven  Centenary Exhibition,” opening in June, it will replace the ‘Factor Us In’ Exhibition which ends in May.

Meanwhile, the Museum will welcome back many of its key shows in 2022 including the Gaydon Land Rover Show on 7 & 8 May, National Metro & Mini Show on 5 June & Classic & Vintage Commercial Show on 11 & 12 June.

Other shows include the new Ultimate BMW Car Meet on 10 April, the new Indoor Doll and Teddy Fair on 15 May, the return of the indoor UK Slot Car Festival on 28 & 29 May and a new Wythall Buses Fest on 3 July.  The Electric Vehicles Festival returns on 3 July and the BMC & Leyland Show on 10 July followed by the Old Ford Rally celebrating 35 years of the Capri 280 and a new Rootes Heritage Day on 17 July.

A new Big MINI Show for BMW Minis will take place on the 24 July and the 999 Emergency Services Show on 13 & 14 August. On Saturday 3 September Jaguars at Gaydon will celebrate the Swallow Sidecars Centenary. The Retro Truck Show returns on 11 & 12 September and on Sunday 25 September MGB will celebrate their 60^th Anniversary event. The last two shows of the year include the indoor Large Model Aircraft show on 23 October and Great British Model Railway Show on 29 & 30 October.

For more information about any of the upcoming events, please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on. Prices for 2022 will stay the same as 2021 for those booking in advance, however on the day prices will increase. Please book in advance to save! Tickets will be on sale in the new year.

• The Ducati prototype that will race in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup from 2023 has completed its first laps on the track at Misano
• Michele Pirro, official Ducati rider and test rider, took part in the tests

Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 20 December 2021 - The Ducati MotoE bike took to the track for the first time at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, right where the agreement with Dorna Sports was announced in October. In fact, starting from the 2023 season, the Borgo Panigale motorcycle manufacturer will be the sole supplier of motorcycles for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, the electric class of the MotoGP™ World Championship.

The electric motorcycle prototype, code-named "V21L", is the result of the joint work of the Ducati Corse team and the Ducati R&D engineers, led by Roberto Canè, Ducati eMobility Director, and was taken out on track by Michele Pirro, professional rider and Ducati test rider since 2013, who evaluated the technical characteristics and potential of Ducati’s first electric motorcycle.

Roberto Canè, Ducati eMobility Director:  "We are experiencing a truly extraordinary moment. I find it hard to believe it is reality and still not a dream! The first electric Ducati on the track is exceptional not only for its uniqueness but also for the type of undertaking: challenging both for its performance objectives and for its extremely short timescales. Precisely for this reason, the work of the whole team dedicated to the project has been incredible and today's result repays us for the efforts made in recent months. We are certainly not finished yet; indeed, we know that the road ahead is still very long, but in the meantime, we have laid a first important 'brick'."

Michele Pirro, Ducati test rider:  "Testing the MotoE prototype on the circuit was a great thrill, because it marks the beginning of an important chapter in Ducati history. The bike is light and already has a good balance. Furthermore, the throttle connection in the first opening phase and the ergonomics are very similar to those of a MotoGP bike. If it weren't for the silence and for the fact that in this test, we decided to limit the power output to just 70% of performance, I could easily have imagined that I was riding my bike."

The most important challenges in the development of an electric racing motorcycle remain related to the size, weight and range of the batteries. Ducati's goal is to make electric motorcycles that are high-performance and characterized by their lightness available to all FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup participants. The focus of the project are, in addition to better performance, the containment of weight and the consistency of power delivery during the race, obtained thanks to the attention in the development of a cooling system suitable for the objective.

Ducati's experience in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup will be a fundamental support for product R&D. The goal is to create, as soon as the technology allows it, a Ducati electric vehicle for road use that is sporty, light, exciting and able to satisfy all enthusiasts.

There’s nothing like planning early, and as if you needed any more reason to visit Europe’s largest off-road show next autumn, it’s now been confirmed that Honda UK’s official stunt team, the Bolddog Lings FMX team, have signed up to provide plenty of thrills for the Telford crowd.

The International Dirt Bike Show is set for the Telford International Centre next October 28-30 (2022), and as the UK’s number one freestyle motocross team, and Lings Motors and Honda UK’s official UK stunt team, the Bolddogs base their show around the world’s largest and most sophisticated mobile landing system, performing death-defying freestyle motocross moves!

Appearing on our TV screens in the semi-final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, the daredevil team, featuring the UK’s top ranked freestyle motocross riders, left viewers and judges open-mouthed during their time on the show.

Event manager Nick Mowbray said: “We’re thrilled Bolddog FMX Display Team are back for our 2022 event performing their mesmerising stunts once again. Their performance is guaranteed to leave crowds mind blown as they perform their daredevil tricks 35ft in the air!”

The International Dirt Bike Show will be held over three days next October (28-30) at a new venue for the event, Telford’s International Centre. Advance tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.dirtbikeshow.co.uk If you would be interested in booking a stand for the event, please contact our event team on 01507 529430.

The British Motor Museum is to host an exclusive evening for visitors to join the ‘Factor Us In’ exhibition team and delve deeper into the history of the West Midlands motor industry. This special evening takes place on 18 January, and is part of a series of Museum Lates running over the winter months. The exhibition, which opened in July and will run until summer 2022, is the culmination of a 2 year project to uncover the stories behind the British motor industry.

Visitors will be able to explore the exhibition and discover first hand from the Curator the stories about how the motor industry has impacted the surrounding landscapes, people and businesses of the West Midlands, with a focus on Canley in Coventry, Longbridge in Birmingham and Lode Lane, Solihull.

The evening also includes a fascinating look at The Evolution of the British Motor Industry with a history talk by Museum volunteers Robert Venn and Cameron Slater.  This will look into the issues that have made their mark on the British motor industry including new technologies, production methods, engineering advancements, globalisation, fossil fuels and long-term pollution. 

During the evening visitors will have the opportunity to chat to Curator, Catherine Griffin and the characters who are instrumental in bringing the exhibition to life, plus find out what inspired the team to bring the communities around the factories into the Museum's limelight. 

Catherine Griffin, Curator at the British Motor Museum said “We are delighted to be hosting this fascinating Museum Late around our insightful ‘Factor Us In’ exhibition. If you have an interest in motoring history or you have ever wondered how exhibitions are brought to life at the British Motor Museum, we're giving you an exclusive opportunity like never before to find out”.

A ‘works canteen’ style supper of stew and dumplings will be served as part of the evening. There will be a choice of Beef Stew and Dumplings with New Potatoes or Root Vegetable and Butterbean Stew with Herb Dumplings and New Potatoes (Vegan & Vegetarian) followed by a traditional Treacle Sponge with Custard.

Tickets cost £15 each or £10 for Members and free for Premium Members. As this event is outside normal Museum opening hours Annual Passes are not valid. Pre-booking is essential and there are limited places available so early booking is advised.

To find out more information please visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/museum-late-fui or call 01926 641188.

All proceeds of the event will go towards the vital work of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.