2022 Thai MotoGP Experience - Of Racing & Life Lessons

I have been privileged enough to watch a MotoGP race live twice, up until now, in my life. On the first occasion, I was simply blown away by the speed and the spectacle offered by these machines and the second one was quite an emotional one as I knew it would be the last time I would see Valentino Rossi pilot a GP bike. So, when I was on a bus journey to Buriram from Bangkok to witness the 2022 Thai GP with our generous hosts from Ducati India, I was eager to see what’s in store. While I watched a spectacle of motor racing, what really left me in awe were the various chapters of life lessons that I learnt over that one exciting weekend of premiere class motorcycle racing. 

The Prep

Before we start any task in our life, the preparation for that challenge is very critical. For Ducati as a brand it seemed to be on the right track. 2021 seemed to be the year where the Italian brand could have finally won the constructors title, team championship and also the rider’s title. However, despite the promise shown, the triple crown remained elusive. But, as expected from Ducati, it brought in a barrage of development and things looked promising for the Ducati Desmosedici GP22. The Italian brand had done its homework well, it was time for vendetta. 

Hitting The Wall

But, all the preparation in life can never really prepare you for the kind of unexpected challenges that life throws at you. It was a harrowing start for Ducati as both their factory riders retired out of the Qatar GP, while Gresini Racing on a satellite Ducati winning the season opener was a bittersweet experience. In fact Gresini claimed victory in the American GP and pressure was building on the factory team, before Pecco Bagnia finally managed to register their first win in the Spanish GP. Things should have improved.

The Failure

When failure comes knocking, it delivers a fatal punch! For the factory Ducati team and Pecco it was one punch after another. While the team had started recovering a bit, the situation was grievous for Pecco. It seemed another lost opportunity for the Italian rider owing to a bunch of crashes and poor decisions during qualifying. On the other end, Fabio Quatarraro was on song after making a difficult start to the 2022 season. By the time riders went into a season break, the gap between Pecco and Fabio was a humongous 91 points, time to throw in the towel? 

The Fightback

While it would have been easy to throw in the towel, that’s not how champions are made. When one is cornered, when one has nothing to lose, it’s at that moment that individual is in his most dangerous form. What proceeded after the German GP was the stuff of legend. A rejuvenated Peco was out on a mission and went on to win the following four races on the trot! If that wasn’t bad enough for Fabio, the Yamaha rider crashed out twice in the following five races. There was hope!

Glory!

Another character trait of champions is that they cling on to the tiniest of opportunities. It was the same case for Pecco and Ducati. The iron was hot, it was time for the strike and strike they did! Such was the comeback from the Italian rider that by the time both top title contenders reached the Thai GP, the point difference was just 18 and there were four races remaining. 

What made this comeback even more awe-inspiring was that everything wasn’t perfect for Pecco. In just the race prior to the Thai GP, in Japan, he crashed on the last lap while holding ninth position, one behind Fabio. This showed that despite his strong comeback, Pecco was human and the pressures of racing can knock out even the best. 

Thus, 18 points was the difference at Buriram and I couldn’t have asked for a better setting as the rain Gods converged on the beautiful tropical race track. I had never witnessed a wet race and what I saw that afternoon will remain etched in my memories forever. 

To see these modern gladiators (that’s what I refer to them) race in the dry can be startling. But their pace, their lean angles and their temperament on a wet tarmac was just mind-boggling. While Jack Miller was the hero of the day for the factory team, Pecco was the real winner as he narrowed down the points difference to just two. 

Ducati went on to clinch the team championship at the following round in Malaysia, while Pecco became the first Italian rider after his mentor Valnetino Rossi to clinch the premiere class title at the last race of the season at Valencia. 

Ducati and Pecco were the crowd favourites and despite this their journey to glory wasn’t an easy one especially for Bagnia, who despite a 91-point deficit, showed that the race isn’t finished until one crosses the finish line. The 2022 MotoGP season was an exciting one with respect to racing, but more so to see the valour and inspiring fight back by Bagnaia. 

Worth Watching MotoGP Live?

Absolutely! Unlike Formula 1, the racing is much closer, there are tons of action to witness on the track. And it’s just not the racing action, it’s the way these bikes look, the thunderous exhaust note, the dedication and focus of the riders and their crew, the thousands of fans and their energy. 

MotoGP race is like a rock concert, and you know that watching your favourite band live is an experience of another dimension. And if you’re a Ducati owner then you can get a VIP experience including meeting the riders and a tour of the pits before the race! 

MotoGP has put out a provisional calendar for races in 2023 in which the Indian GP is also mentioned (likely to take place between September 22 and 24 at the BIC). If the race does go through, whether in 2023 or 2024, make sure that you book your tickets to witness this blockbuster. If you do miss the opportunity, you can always plan a trip around Asia or Europe to catch the action live on foreign soil.