By Will Burgess

It’s finally here: the last race of the MotoGP circuit. It’s #TheDecider this weekend, and while anything could happen, the attention is decidedly turned to two all-stars of the Premier Class.

Fans of World Championship contender Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) have declared allegiance to #TeamPecco while diehards for #TeamFabio, featuring 2022’s rising star, Fabio “El Diablo” Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha). After today’s free practice sessions, just a fraction of a second separate the two racers, with Quartararo and Pecco placing P8 & P9 respectively at the end of FP2.

But the 23 point difference is the greatest chasm between the two racers. In the penultimate race in Malaysia two weeks ago, Bagnaia was all but assured victory if he could manage to outscore Quartararo by 11 points, but El Diablo came roaring back to take the podium at third place narrowing the points gap and making this Sunday’s race in Valencia one not to be missed.

Unfortunately for Quartararo, the odds are still stacked against the 2021 Champion, as Bagnaia will have to place within the top 14 at Valencia to secure the Championship, even so, Quartararo will still have to finish first place, which has only happened three other times this season.

Should El Diablo pull this off, it will be a stunning and well-earned victory; but a win for Bagnaia would be all the more impressive, not just for stealing Quartararo’s crown, but for unseating a practically fifteen year domination of Japanese superbike wins going all the way back to 2007, the last time Ducati had a Championship season.

We will be tuning in this weekend to see who comes out the victor of this thrilling 2022 season.

Cover: Fabio Quartararo proved his mettle in the second to last race of this season at the Malaysian International Circuit by taking the podium and reigniting his chance for victory in 2022, but will he be able to take it all at the seasons final race in Valencia? | Source: Rainer Herhaus

Will Burgess is a journalist with Adrenaline Powersports Mag