Based on pre-season testing Gerloff is without doubt a favourite, if not the outright leading candidate to take home the award for a second consecuti🐽ve season. 

It’s an ꦐaward that somewhat surprisingly went the Texan-born rider’s way in 2021, as Gerloff struggled for much of the season. 

• Toprak Razgatlioglu: This year, I fight for me! Jonat🌳han Rea 'not many can w💙in'
• Is 2022 finally the year of D💮ucati in WorldSBK? Bautista the title favourite? 
• What’s going on 🌠with Scott Redding and BMW? Honda move ahead

The GRT Yamaha rider claimed seventh in the championship and with it 𓄧finished 18 points ahead of rookie Axel Bassani, however, things could have been much different had Bassani finished☂ the final race of the season. 

The Motocorsa Ducati rider, who was battling for a podium with Jonathan Rea, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Scott Reddi𝓡🅷ng and Michael Van Der Mark, was running as high as P2 which would have been enough to win the award had he finished in that spot.

But with conditions proving treacherous around the newly-built Mandalika circuit, in fact, very similar♕ to the Indonesian MotoGP two weeks ago a🦹t the same venue, Bassani crashed after contact with Van Der Mark. 

Bassani h🦹ad initially run onto the white line - a cardinal sin when racing in the wet - before Van Der Mark unintenti🉐onally clipped Bassani’s fairing and thus making the Italian fall. 

When looking at potential challenges for the award in 2022, Gerloff’s main challenge is once aga♋in expected to come from Bassani as the two riders are not only seen as potential top five runners, bu♚t also podium challengers. 

Highly motivated follo💫wing his down year, Gerloff has stated he has a 'bunc🙈h of goals' for the new season.

Gerloff told WorldSBK.com: "I’m fired up and I’m ready to go. I know that we have all the pieces that we need to put everything together and have a great season with the team and everything, the 💛bike. 

"Everythi☂ng’s been clicking and everything’s been going well. I changed what I needed to change in my life and I’m feeling g❀ood. 

"So yeah, we’ll take the punches as they come! I hဣave a bunch of goals but honestly, I just want to get to the first race, and I want to get started; once we figure out where we stand, then I’ll have more defined goals. 

"Let’s just get through testing and get to the best place we can with the set-u𝓰p and everything, get𝓰 into the races and go from there."

While Bassani 'should' finish as the top independent Ducati 🐽rider, the 22 year-old won’t have things all his own way as GoEleven rider Philipp Oettl has been mightily impressive during testing. 

The 2022 rookie is yet to win a race since joinin🐻g the WorldSBK paddock, however, the German was by far the best Kawasaki rider in WorldSSP last year, a package that was considerably lackin🅺g in performance compared to Yamaha. 

Still, Oettl was a continuous podium threat throughout, and shou♑ld Gerloff and🏅/or Bassani relent at any stage, then Oettl is likely to make them pay. 

Can Loris Baz and BMW become part of the fight? 

In just five races last season - all took place aboard Ducati machinery - Loris Baz showed just why he could easily challenge the likes of Gerloff, Bassani ꦐand Oettl. 

But unlike those three riders, Baz does not seem t💯o have the necessary tools at his disposal. 

BMW has so far looked a step behind Honda, especially at the h๊ands of factory riders Iker L꧋ecuona and Xavi Vierge.

While Ducati, Yamaha and Kawasaki remain the benchmark, Honda has seemingly made the biggest improve🌞ment of any manufacturജer, a statement that can’t be said about BMW at present. 

Baz certainly has the talent, but predicting the former MotoGP rider to be in the mix on a consistent basis is something we’re finding tough to do at ♋this stage. 

With that said, Baz is not worried as it stands by the lack of performance, instead saying podium finishes are his m♒ain aim. 

Baz added: "I can’t start the season without thinking about the podium, so of course that is the goal. To try an👍d put the M 1000 RR on the🌺 podium this year with the team. 

"We will see when this ꧑can happen, but I am sure that if we make a good job and continue working in the same way as we did until now, then we will have the opportunity to fight for the podium this season."