Moto2: 2022 calls for Arbolino and Vietti, will they respond?

This season, the Moto2 class hasn’t left much room for the Italian riders. The two KTM men, Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, have dominated all year long, with Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio playing an occasional supporting role. But who will take over the Moto2 reins considering that the two frontrunners will move to MotoGP in 2022? There’s no shortage of Italian talent, starting with Tony Arbolino and Celestino Vietti Ramus.

Analysing a rookie season

Arbolino is undoubtedly called upon to fly the Italian flag in the intermediate class come 2022. And his move from the Intact GP team to the Marc VDS team will come as a significant change. Tony has had highs and lows this season and has struggled to adapt to the Kalex, but as the season draws to an end, he’s scored a ninth-place finish at Aragón and a sixth place in Texas, without forgetting the fact that there are still three races to go. His best results have been a fourth place in France and seventh at Mugello. Basically, Arbolino is proving to be a tenacious rider, ready to react in the face of adversity but, above all, a rider who is aware of his abilities and where he wants to go – a place in MotoGP is his dream and he’ll do everything to get there.

But another one to watch in 2022 will be Sky Racing team VR46 rider Celestino Vietti Ramus who is currently two points ahead of Arbolino in the 2021 Rookie of the Year classification. Cele lies third with 53 points, while Tony is fourth with 51. Neither have a hope of winning this particular title, considering that Raul Fernandez leads the way with an impressive 262 points. But Vietti, like Arbolino, represents Italy’s future in the category and 2021 is simply a warm-up ahead of a more fruitful 2022. Celestino has achieved four top-ten finishes, with two sixth places in Austria his best results to date. Next year he will be the principal SKY team rider and will no doubt know how to harness that charisma that he already demonstrated in Moto3.

Without forgetting Dalla Porta and Fenati

And then there’s Lorenzo Dalla Porta who has had to finish the season early due to a shoulder injury. He aims to be back in shape in time for the 2022 pre-season tests. Having landed in Moto2 in 2020, his difficulties with the bike have mainly had to do with his (small) stature, but despite this, both the Italtrans team – 2020 world champions with Enea Bastianini – and the rider himself, have never backed down and have continue to try and try to find the right feeling with the bike. Lorenzo’s 2021 season ends with too many DNFs (seven) and a best result of twelfth at both the Portuguese and Styrian GP. Sure, he’ll need to roll his sleeves up in 2022, but tenacity is something that the 2019 Moto3 world championship is definitely not short on.

Lastly, there’s real interest in Romano Fenati, who moves (back) up to Moto2 next season and will be in Speed Up colours. How will he do? Will he be able to keep pace with his rivals? Will he adapt to the Boscoscuro bike? Who knows. It’s hard to make any predictions for now, but there’s no doubt that the Italian squadron is strong. But then what of their other rivals, not least the young guys moving from Moto3, Pedro Acosta for example, and the ‘old guard’ who will want to say their piece.

Translated by Heather Watson

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