Viewers on DStv can look forward to the eighth round of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship, the Grand Prix of Italy, live from Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Tuscany on the afternoon of Sunday 29 May 2022.
SuperSport is definitely your #HomeOfSport and the ultimate destination for motorsport fans.
The previous round, the Grand Prix of France at the iconic Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, saw Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini claim his third race victory of the season, while Lenovo Ducati’s Jack Miller was second and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro claimed a third successive third-place finish to complete the podium.
Riders’ Championship leader Fabio Quartararo of Monster Energy Yamaha could only manage fourth place, which has seen his lead at the top of the standings cut to four points. Quartararo has 102 points, with Espargaro (98) and Bastianini (94) breathing down his neck. There is then a 25-point gap to fourth-placed Alex Rins of Ecstar Suzuki.
The trio of Quartararo, Espargaro and Bastianini look set to battle it out for Championship honours through the remainder of the season, starting at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, where any rider on a Ducati – and especially home-country boys Bastianini, Francesco Bagnaia, Luca Marini, Franco Morbidelli and Marco Bezzechi – will receive vociferous support.
Quartararo, the reigning Riders’ Champion, insists that he is not the favourite for another title, given the brute speed of his rivals, especially the Ducatis.
“No, I’m not the favourite by far,” said the Frenchman when asked if he thought he was still the leading title contender. “The only thing I can do is make no mistakes. If I make no mistakes I can be there, because our pace in every GP we go – apart from a few like Austin and Qatar – looking at the pace of Jerez, with Pecco [Bagnaia] we were the fastest.
“Here in the pace, for me I was the fastest. But as soon as you make a small mistake, you are gone. I remember one race last year when Pecco started one race in Portimao in P11, he was able to make overtakes.
“In the second race I was in the same situation in P6, and I stayed in P6. I don’t know what I can do, to be honest, because I am pushing myself to the limit. I am on the limit everywhere. But I cannot even try.
“This is the most frustrating thing. You are in the last lap, and even if you are one centimetre behind they accelerate and pull away. And then you lose one tenth. This is why I don’t feel the favourite this year.”
Ducati and Yamaha have been the dominant machines at the Grand Prix of Italy in the past six years, with each claiming three premier class wins. Quartararo claimed victory last year ahead of KTM’s Miguel Oliveira and Joan Mir on a Suzuki.
No rival can compete with SuperSport’s coverage. Our viewers on DStv can see all the action from the fastest sport in the world on their Channel of Champions.
Visit www.dstv.com to subscribe or upgrade, and join in on the excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream live action on the DStv App.
MotoGP, Grand Prix of Italy broadcast details, 28-29 May 2022
All times CAT
Saturday 28 May
14:05: Qualifying – LIVE on SuperSport Cricket and SuperSport Maximo 1
Sunday 29 May
13:55: Race – LIVE on SuperSport Motorsport and SuperSport Maximo 1
