THE FIRST MotoGP season in the post-Valentino Rossi era always promised to test the state of the sport. With Marc Marquez – the series’ other flagship name – sidelined by injury for six of the year’s 20 races, the names contesting this year’s championship might not have quite got the pulse racing like in years gone by.
But aside from falling attendances in certain countries (Italy was, unsurprisingly, the biggest offender), 2022 was a year rich on intrigue and drama. For the first time since 2019 a full worldwide calendar – the longest in
