Testing, testing: MotoE™ ready to hit the track at Jerez!
The FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship gets ready to kick off a new era with the first test of 2023
Friday, 03 March 2023
New year, new bike, new MotoE™! It’s an exciting time for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship in 2023 as the electric competition gains World Championship status, welcomes a new manufacturer and the calendar expands. Eight rounds in seven countries sees MotoE™ join the MotoGP™ paddock from Le Mans to Misano, aka every MotoGP™ stop in Europe between May and early September. That’s 16 races, eight rounds and a whole lotta electric action. But before all that, it’s time to hit the track for testing and get ship shape to battle it out.
WHERE AND WHEN
The venue for the grid’s very first taste of their new Ducati machinery is the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, with action taking place over three days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the 6th, 7th and 8th of March. There will be four sessions of track action throughout the day, each 15 minutes long:
FP1 10:00 – 10:15
FP2 12:15 – 12:30
FP3 14:30 – 14:45
FP4 16:45 – 17:00
WHO
The grid has a few new names this season, and every team will now have two bikes as Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ and Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse expand, making it nine teams and 18 riders.
Two-time Cup winner Jordi Torres, now at Openbank Aspar Team, leads the list of returners, and first ever Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) is also back for more. Consistent contender Eric Granado will be back at LCR E-Team and Mattia Casadei, a key protagonist in 2022, remains at Pons Racing 40. There’s also Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing), who fought for the Cup in 2021, returning after a year in Moto2™.
The rookie ranks are arguably headlined by 2014 Moto2™ World Champion Tito Rabat as he returns to the Grand Prix paddock to take on MotoE™ with Pramac. Randy Krummenacher is another to watch as he joins Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™, adding another class to his CV of 125cc, Moto2™, WorldSSP and WorldSBK.
A NEW ERA
It’s not just rookies who’ll be adapting to the machinery in 2023 – it’s everyone! Ducati is now the single manufacturer for MotoE™ with the stunning new V21L, and the race is on to see who will get the most out of the machine the quickest. It will certainly be an interesting one to compare the progress of those with previous electric experience to that of the newcomers, but as ever the machinery is the same for all riders so we can expect the close competition to continue in MotoE™.
In addition, Jerez, whilst hosting the first test, is a venue the competition won’t be returning to for a race weekend, so teams and riders will need to make sure they use their time well to learn some transferable information, as well as the initial legwork of getting to grips with whole new machinery.
There are six days of pre-season testing for the class of 2023, with three at Jerez and then another three days planned for early April at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Who will get up to speed first? we’ll start to find out next week, so make sure to check out motogp.com for coverage of the test, and there’s live timing available from the track by heading over to the Circuito de Jerez service.
Find below a reminder of the 2023 schedule for each round, as well as the 2023 Entry List – and keep reading for more MotoE™ novelties this season!
