MotoGP with Boris – Aragon – Nothing much went to plan

MotoGP with Boris
2022 – Round 15 – Aragon

What more could you ask for? The return of Marc and Cal. The Beast pushing like a bastard (again). A tighter championship. And a Salvation Army band to kick it all off.

The fizzing was strong in the paddock when the Circus arrived in Spain. Marquez was back. So was Cal Cruthlow. And even Mir had hobbled back for a crack, hoping his ankle could cope.

Hope was everywhere. Taka had just been given a surprise one-year extension to his contract with LCR. Remy Gardner seemed to be OK with going to WSBK to race a Yamaha next year, and Augusto Fernandez had been signed to partner Pol in the Tech 3 team next year, so all the 2023 seats had been filled.

There were also lots of new parts to be essayed. New Kalex aluminium swingarms for the Hondas. New chassis for the Yamahas, and a sprinkling of new flywheels here and there. And of course, Marquez was back so Puig would probably take a break from tearful self-harming.

Marc was certainly back. But he was not back the way so many people hoped he would be back. He was quick, but nowhere near as quick or dominant as he’d been before. He was going out for short five and six-lap bursts during Practice, and he wasn’t setting the world on fire.

Still, he managed one of his trademark saves – off his elbow and knee when the front-end surrendered, and he had a tumble through the gravel as well a session later. He was OK…but he was just not riding as so many hoped he would be.

Fabulous, however, was still riding the wheels off his Yamaha, but he’d never had a lot of luck or success at Aragon, and had already ticked it off as not one of his favourite tracks.

That kinda left Pecco in the box seat – and on pole. But five wins in a row? I was doubtful. I adjusted my tipping contest picks accordingly.

It had to be the Beast, who was blazing hard in Practice and Qualifying, Pecco in second, and Fabulous might get a third, because…well, Fabulous.

Jack had qualified second, and while I want Jack to win with every fibre of my being, I just don’t think he’s got it in him this year.

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Aleix Espargaro was also still in touch with the pointy end, and he’s still in with a chance at a championship, though I’m of the view the wheels have fallen off that bus and they’re only going to fall off further.

His team-mate, Maverick Vinales, showed some early pace in practice, but then reverted back to being somewhere near the back of the grid in 16th. No doubt, Cal, who was directly behind him in 19th, was reminiscing about the good old days when they were both competitive.

The first lap was utterly spectacular. As Pecco, Jack, and the Beast set off like scalded cats, behind them all sorts of carnage reigned. And Marquez was the epicentre.

Marc lost grip on his rear in Turn Three, buttoned off, and Fabulous careened into him at a billion miles an hour. Fabulous went flying, his bike hit him in the chest, and Marc sailed on, his bike damaged and bits falling off.

He managed to get it almost to the reverse corkscrew, where he tried to engage his rear squatting device, the device failed (damaged by the impact with Fabulous), the bike veered left, and straight into Taka. How the other racers avoided the LCR rider in the middle of the track was a series of miracles and skill.

But that event relegated Rins to last place, which was a shame, because he had some serious pace, which he showed by carving his way to an eventual ninth.

Brad Binder was also very fast in the opening laps, and on a medium front tyre, rather than the traditional KTM hard front preference. But that did not last all that long.

Miller passed him in short order, and a lap later, the Beast also went past. Both were in pursuit of Pecco who just could not seem to make a break.

Cal was now the leading Yamaha rider back in 11th spot, and he finished as the leading Yamaha rider in 14th. No-one understands or can explain why Morbidelli is so suddenly hopeless. He’s not giving interviews, and Remy handed him his arse on Sunday when he finished in 16th ahead of Franki in 17th.

Things settled a touch and the pack stretched out into a bit of a line, and it was starting to look like Jack, in second, was holding them up. Behind him the Beast was on fire, ahead of Binder, Aleix, Jorge Martin, and Zarco.

One lap later, Enea Bastianini beasted Jack, as did Binder and Aleix, and plonked himself a mere 0.7-seconds behind Pecco in first. The wall had writing all over it.

The Beast followed Pecco for a few laps, then sailed past him down the back straight and took the lead. Typically, he then ran wide in a corner and allowed Pecco back through, but he was still riding faster than his fellow Italian – and on the bike Pecco had won on at Aragon the previous year.

The only other fast bloke in the field was Rins, but he was miles away from the front.

Binder was in a solid third, Aleix a determined fourth behind him – and no-one else in that race wanted a podium as bad as the Aprilia rider.

As the race came into its final stages it became a tense stalking affair between Pecco and Enea.

Relentlessly, Enea closed up, and he left it until the very last lap to pass Pecco and keep him at bay until the chequered flag.

Aleix had also managed to get past Brad Binder for the remaining podium step, and Miller finished in fifth, just behind the South African.

Fabulous’s DNF and Aleix’s third place has tightened the championship race right up. It’s as close as it’s been, and any of the first three, or even four, could still nail this – and it looks very much like it will go down to the every end.

The fly-away rounds are next, in very quick succession, and we look forward to seeing them in action at the island after a two-year Plague-break.

And it really will be action-filled. Espargaro has never been closer to a world championship title, but Pecco wants to win it for Ducati so bad it keeps him up at night. And Fabulous is not just going to let it go – he’s not Joan Mir, after all – who, by the way, went home after the ankle-pain got too much for him to bear during Practice. We won’t see him again until maybe Phillip Island.

But what we will certainly see is a brutal and vicious series of races until the very end of the season. Bring it on.

2022 Aragon MotoGP Race Results

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

2022 MotoGP Calendar