News

The 2022 FIM Supersport World Championship season gets underway at MotorLand Aragon with the Pirelli Aragon Round, and with it comes the next generation of WorldSSP. Five manufacturers from three countries will battle it out for glory in 2022, with the returning Ducati and Triumph joining Yamaha, Kawasaki and MV Agusta, making for a 30-rider grid in 2022.

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY: a first-time Aragon winner guaranteed

With WorldSSP taking to MotorLand Aragon, there’ll be a first-time winner at the venue. No one on the entry list has claimed victory at Aragon, although riders have come close with podiums. After taking the Championship by storm in 2021, Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) aims to become the first rider since Kenan Sofuoglu in 2015 and 2016 to retain his title. Aragon was one of four circuits he did not win at in 2021, when he finished second and fifth, and he’s looking to go one better in 2022. He will face stiff competition in 2022, with new teammate Leandro Taccini hoping to be in the mix from the off. After making a step forward in 2021, Turkish star Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will be aiming to continue that at MotorLand Aragon on his Kawasaki ZX-6R. Oncu is joined by rookie Yari Montella as they go in search of glory for Kawasaki.

The Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team claimed the titles in 2019 and 2020 but missed out last year. The team have a new line-up for 2022, bringing in ex-Moto2™ GP winner Lorenzo Baldassarri with Peter Sebestyen, aiming to get back on the top step. The team have won every race at Aragon since 2019 and hope to continue that success this season and start their campaign in the best fashion. Another rider still in search of his first victory at Aragon is Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha), with the ex-title runner-up coming into 2022 off the back of a strong end to 2021. He’s joined by WorldSSP’s youngest race winner, Andy Verdoia, who aims for the top ten this year.

THE DEBUT OF NEW BIKES: Ducati and Triumph are back, MV Agusta adapt

The long-awaited debut of the Ducati Panigale V2, the MV Agusta F3 800 RR and the Triumph Street Triple RS is a hot headline ahead of the round. All three come back to the class following a change to the technical regulations to open up the class to more bikes, with Ducati the most popular choice of the new machines. There will be seven Panigale V2 bikes on the grid at Aragon, and with rookie Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), the potential has already been spotted. Throughout preseason, the Italian was under existing race lap or Superpole lap records to show the pace of the Ducati. The famous Bayliss name returns to Ducati machinery in 2022 with Oli Bayliss (Barni Spark Racing Team) making his debut on the world stage. A famous name from the WorldSBK paddock also returns to action with Althea Racing linking up with Federico Caricasulo for a title tilt.

Two teams have switched to Ducati machinery for 2022 with CM Racing moving from Yamaha with rookie Maximilian Kofler and Orelac Racing VerdNatura WorldSSP switching from Kawasaki with race winner Raffaele De Rosa. Davide Giugliano is back, this time as team manager of his own D34G Racing team, also with Ducati machinery and brothers Filippo and Federico Fuligni in the WorldSSP Challenge. Both Triumph and MV Agusta will be represented by two bikes each. Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) will be joined by rookie Bahattin Sofuoglu, the nephew of Kenan Sofuoglu, who competes in the WorldSSP Challenge whilst Dynavolt Triumph will run with Estonian rider Hannes Soomer and rookie Italian Stefano Manzi.

INSTANT IMPACT: the youngsters and fresh faces for 2022

Unai Orradre (MS Racing Yamaha WorldSSP) made the step up to WorldSSP mid-way through the 2021 season after competing in WorldSSP300, where he is the youngest race winner in class history. After fighting for points in 2021, he will be hoping to build on that in his first full season. He is joined by Czech rider Ondrej Vostatek at MS Racing for his first full-season campaign.

For the first time since 2020, Kyle Smith (VFT Racing) will line up on the WorldSSP grid for the full season as he looks to spearhead the VFT Racing effort in 2022, alongside Marcel Brenner who will take part in the WorldSSP Challenge. Patrick Hobelsberger (Kallio Racing) returns to WorldSSP after five appearances in 2021 and Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) will have a full season. One bit of housekeeping: Eugene James McManus will replace Ben Currie at Motozoo Racing by Puccetti, with Currie recovering from a fractured vertebra.

There’re three big-name rookies to look out for elsewhere, all of which fought for the WorldSSP300 title in 2022. Reigning Champion Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) graduates, with ex-teammate Jeffrey Buis, the 2020 WorldSSP300 Champion, also coming up to join the Motozoo Racing by Puccetti team. Tom Booth-Amos (Prodina Racing WorldSSP) also makes the jump, the 2021 WorldSSP300 runner-up and the Prodina team moving up to the WorldSSP class

Watch all the action from the Pirelli Aragon Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!