MotoGP 22 is an early contender for racing game of the year. The official game of the 2022 MotoGP season is arguably the best game the series has seen since Milestone took it over. You can read exactly why in our full review.
Round nine of the 2022 season sees us return to Spain for the Catalan Grand Prix. The Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona has hosted this race ever since it began back in 1996.
The Circuit de Catalunya is a purpose-built circuit, but it's not easy to be fast around. It's got a good mix of medium and low-speed corners, as well as long pit and back straights. Here's our setup guide for MotoGP 22!
Tyres
There are a lot of severe traction zones in Barcelona. Coupled with the long corners, that means you'll need durable tyres. We've found that a medium on the front gives good grip and can last the distance.
You will need a hard on the rear though, as a medium will be crying for no more by the end of the race.
Suspension
Your front suspension settings should be on the low side for the Circuit de Catalunya to help stability around the long corners in Catalunya. The front pre-load needs to be down at 2, with the oil quantity at 4.
The front spring hardness needs to be up at 4, with the swingarm compression and extension both at 3.
The same goes for the rear suspension. Aside from the rear pre-load (2), all of the rear suspension settings should be configured to be at 4 for this event.
Vehicle geometry
For your Vehicle Geometry, the steering head inclination and trail have to be all the way down at 1 each. This is to help steering responsiveness, which will come in handy when you're in the middle and final sectors.
The steering plate position and rear swingarm length though, both need to be up at 5 each.
Transmission
Due to Catalunya's abundance of medium speed corners, your middle gears need to be set high to be quick around them. Both the second and third gears need to be set to the max, with the others lower.
The final ratio needs to be on the high side at 5 because of the long pit-straight. Slipper clutch should be around 4 to allow for better stability.
Brake System
Turn 1 alone necessitates powerful brakes in Catalonia. The logn pit straight means you can't go for the 355 mm brakes, as they'll be too cold by Turn 1.
So, a 340mm high mass brake on the front and a 220mm on the rear are best in Catalonia.
ECU
You won't need to use the electronic aids quite as much at the Circuit de Catalunya, but you'll still need to lean on them. Traction Control is at 3 to help prevent excess wheelspin, especially when accelerating when cornering through corners like Turn 3.
Engine Braking also should be cranked up to 4, in order to help aid shaving speed through the middle and final sectors.
Anti-wheelie also has to be at around 4 to prevent the front wheel from flying off the ground, particularly through Turns 3 and 8.
Power mapping is best at 3 for a flying lap, but you'll need to turn this around during some points in the race. This is to save fuel and the engine. All of these can be adjusted out on track using the HUD in the bottom-right of the screen.