Mattia Casadei won FIM MotoE World Championship Race Two Saturday at Algarve International Circuit, in Portugal. The LCR E-Team rider won the seven-lap race by just 0.066 second over Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE’s Hector Garzo. Oscar Gutierrez was a very close third, just 0.198 second behind Casadei, on his Axxis-MSI Ducati electric racebike.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Spinelli takes the spoils in dramatic first MotoE™ race of 2024
The Italian picks up where he left off to beat Garzo and Casadei in a close final lap – with drama aplenty for some fellow big hitters
Saturday, 23 March 2024
Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-Racing) finished 2023 on the top step and that’s exactly how he’s started the 2024 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship: with victory. The Italian held off a hard-charging Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) and Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) on a close final lap as the top three escaped at the front following some drama for key names in the first showdown of the season.
Garzo took the holeshot after a storming start from Row 2, with Spinelli and Casadei on his tail as polesitter Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) dropped a few positions initially. Over the line for the first time Garzo had held onto it too, denying a Spinelli attack and the Italian also ceding to Casadei and Granado. Next time round Granado then grabbed a 2-for-1 into Turn 1 to take the lead, but not long after the first big drama hit as he slid out. Not long after that there was even more, with Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) crashing out.
A close top four of Casadei, Spinelli, Garzo and Zaccone were then in the lead, with Openbank Aspar Team’s Jordi Torres in touch too. But another huge twist was yet to come. On the penultimate lap down into Turn 5, Zaccone was just that bit too close to Torres and tagged the back of the number 81, sending both sliding out across the run off. The Italian was later also given a Long Lap penalty for the incident.
And then there were three. Onto the final lap, it was close. Spinelli attacked and took the lead at Turn 1, keeping it tidy. Another big opportunity for Garzo and Casadei to try and hit back, Turn 5, was off the table too as yellow flags remained out following the Zaccone-Torres crash. As the final sector dawned, Garzo was tagged on to the Tech3 rider in the lead, but there was no way through. Spinelli kept it perfect to the line for the first win of 2024, with Garzo and Casadei completing the podium.
Fourth goes to the returning Lukas Tulovic (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™), with Kevin Zannoni (Openbank Aspar Team) completing the top five. Massimo Roccoli (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) beat Andrea Mantovani (Klint Forward Factory Team) to sixth. Kevin Manfredi (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) was just ahead of a solid debut for Chaz Davies (Aruba Cloud MotoE™ Racing Team), with his fellow rookie and teammate Armando Pontone completing the top ten in touch too.
Casadei strikes back in stunning Race 2 showdown
The reigning Champion takes to the top to pip Garzo and a spectacular charge from Gutierrez to complete the podium
Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) is back on top of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship standings after a stunning charge to victory in Race 2 in Portugal. The Italian got his elbows out and held off Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) on the drag to the line, with rookie Oscar Gutierrez (Axxis-MSI) charging through to take third and his first MotoE™ podium.
Race 1 winner Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-Racing) got the holeshot, holding off Garzo on take 2, but the Italian had already had some bad luck – judging his starting position ever so slightly wrong in the slot and given a double Long Lap not long after. Still, Garzo had to get it done on track before that, and the Spaniard shot past at Turn 1 on Lap 2 as Casadei overhauled teammate Eric Granado. Then, before Spinelli could take his penalty, the Italian suddenly slid out at Turn 10.
That left a gaggle of riders in a tight front group, and Casadei first struck for the front with four to go. Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team), Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing) and Gutierrez were charging into contention too, and the latter didn’t even wait for Zaccone to serve his LLP given for his Race 1 incident, slicing past the Italian on his charge.
Garzo made the next move at the front, taking the lead back from Casadei as Gutierrez pipped past Torres, the rookie then onto the tail of Granado. But Granado’s elbows were also out and the Brazilian attacked his teammate at Turn 11, setting his sights on race leader Garzo.
But the main straight saw another shuffle as the slipstream came into play, and as the field fanned out Garzo kept his grip on the lead, with Gutierrez able to bag a two for one and slice up into second. Casadei headed teammate Granado, and it was going down to the wire.
Into Turn 1 for the final time, Gutierrez attacked Garzo as Casadei then shot past both, the Italian keeping a twitch under control to take over at the front. Garzo grabbed second again on the cutback too, and the top four locked into a tense push to the flag. But the reigning Champion just held on to take his first victory of the year, with Garzo’s second place putting him only a point behind on the way to Round 2. For Gutierrez, meanwhile, it’s a first ever MotoE™ podium in his first round as a full timer, having done two replacement rides in 2023.
Granado was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Torres and Lukas Tulovic (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™), with Kevin Zannoni (Openbank Aspar Team), Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™), Andrea Mantovani (KLINT Forward Factory Team) and Massimo Roccoli (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) completing the top ten.
That’s a wrap on Round 2 of the 2024 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship, with Casadei back on top on track and in the standings. But it’s by a single point as MotoE™ prepares to return at le Mans –with another 14 races still to play for in 2024.
