In the 2022 World Superbike Championship season, five manufacturers will again be fighting for the crown in the production-based championship. Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW and Honda will send their own factory teams to the start and equip customer teams.
Yamaha and Kawasaki stay true to their 2021 rider line-up. Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andre Locatelli will again form the Yamaha factory team in 2022. Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes are again under contract with Kawasaki. For Rea, it will be the eighth season in the Provec-led Kawasaki factory team. Alex Lowes is set for his third season with the ZX-10RR.
Ducati replace Scott Redding with Alvaro Bautista. After Redding failed to win a World Championship title in 2020 and 2021, the decision was made in Borgo Panigale to bring Bautista back to the factory team. The Spaniard comes from Honda, where he had two mixed years. Michael Ruben Rinaldi will also sit on the second factory Ducati in 2022.
BMW is looking to take the next step with the signing of Scott Redding. The Briton will become Michael van der Mark’s team-mate. This means that the Munich-based company will have two absolute top riders at its disposal. In the Bonovo team, Loris Baz and Eugene Laverty will receive identical factory material.
Honda is going all out for youth in 2022. With ex-MotoGP rider Iker Lecuona and ex-Moto2 rider Xavi Vierge, the Japanese are bringing two Spanish talents into the World Superbike Championship. In the third year with the new Fireblade, HRC wants to build on the successes of past times.
Overview of riders/teams for the 2022 WSBK season:
Yamaha:
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Andrea Locatelli
Kawasaki:
Jonathan Rea
Alex Lowes
Ducati:
Alvaro Bautista
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
BMW:
Scott Redding
Michael van der Mark
Honda:
Iker Lecuona
Xavi Vierge
GRT-Yamaha:
Garrett Gerloff
Kohta Nozane
Bonovo-BMW:
Eugene Laverty
Loris Baz
Motocorsa-Ducati:
Axel Bassani
Barni-Ducati:
Luca Bernardi
Puccetti-Kawasaki:
Lucas Mahias
GoEleven-Ducati:
Philipp Öttl
MIE-Honda:
Leandro Mercado
Hafizh Syahrin
Orelac-Kawasaki:
Oliver King