Four-time WorldSBK king Carl Fogarty is hoping for a fiery season between reigning champion Jonathan Rea and last season's bridesmaid Scott Redding.

Foggy believes Rea is the title favourite again but thinks he will be run close by Redding and Kawasaki team-mate Alex Lowes in his second year on the works ZX-10RR.

“Jonathan Rea is certainly my favourite but I think it’s going to be even closer. Scott Redding is going to be his main competitor but we also have to see how Alex Lowes goes in his second season at Kawasaki," said Fogarty.

“The Yamaha boys were fast last year, with Toprak and Garrett staying on in 2021 and they’ll definitely be pushing quite hard, even if they need to be more consistent. Michael Ruben Rinaldi will be there too, after grabbing a win last year but it all depends on whether or not any of them can be as consistent as Jonny through the year.

“Everyone will figure at some point but to beat Jonny, they need to figure every round. Hopefully, the rivalry between Jonny and Scott intensifies: if Scott can beat Jonathan then it might rattle him a bit but it’d be great for it to get fiery and spice things up a bit! In terms of a surprise, keep an eye on the BMWs and especially Michael van der Mark.”