History in the making: the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup starts now
The inaugural weekend of MotoE™ is finally here as the new class take on the Sachsenring
After some incredible hard work and dedication from all partners involved, the time has finally come for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup to go racing. Preseason testing went well, including an E-Pole and race simulation in Valencia, and the grid of 18 riders are more than raring to race.
The Sachsenring hosts the history-making weekend; a tight and twisty track that should be a stunning venue for MotoE™’s debut – with the machines having shown some impressive corner speed in testing. So who could take the first win?
In the race simulation in Valencia, it was Brazilian Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) who took victory, beating the man who’d taken the first E-Pole – Hector Garzo (Tech 3 E-Racing) – to the flag. Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE) completed the podium, and all three have been consistently near the top of the timesheets in each testing. The fastest man overall in the Valencia test, however, was Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing)…and he didn’t race. He was on MotoGP™ test duty in Barcelona as the simulation took place, so he’ll be one to watch when the lights go out.
Nico Terol (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) came fourth in that first race and was a key mover up from where he’d qualified, just beating Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE), with the likes of Xavier Simeon (Avintia Esponsorama), Mattia Casadei (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Mike di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in a close fight behind. Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) and Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) were next up and just got the better of Jesko Raffin (Dynavolt Intact GP), with Maria Herrera (Openbank Angel Nieto Team) in P11 and looking for more after losing out slightly over race distance compared to her qualifying.
Kenny Foray (Tech 3 E-Racing), Lorenzo Savadori (Trentino Gresini MotoE) and Sete Gibernau (Join Contract HP 40) will be three more names looking to move forward, as well as Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE), who was ill in Valencia, and Randy De Puniet (LCR E-Team), who crashed before the race. But everything we have to give us a clue of how the race will shape up has been at very different tracks – so how will the Sachsenring compare?
The fastest laptimes from all the riders are close, so whilst testing has seen a few names rise to the top more than once, the level of competition will surely be high. After Free Practice on Friday, tune in for the first ever E-Pole session on Saturday 6th July at 16:00 (GMT +2), before history is made on Sunday as the first ever race begins at 10:00.
More, from a press release issued by Estella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS ready for MotoE World Championship debut
The Sachsenring circuit hosts the launch of the pioneering FIM Enel MotoE World Cup on Sunday. Mike Di Meglio and Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS have worked hard to take on the challenge with maximum motivation.
The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup will have six races divided into four Grand Prix. In Germany and Austria there will be only one race, while in Misano and Valencia there will be two races per event.
This pioneering competition has the participation of 12 teams and 18 riders.
Mike Di Meglio is the rider who wears the colours of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, with Raúl Calzado and Jonathan Rodríguez at his side in the garage.
On Friday there will be two Free Practice sessions of 30 minutes. On Saturday will be the E-Pole, which is a qualifying session decided by a one-lap shootout for each rider, and on Sunday there will be the first race of the MotoE World Championship.
More, from a press release issued by One Energy Racing:
ONE Energy Racing and Bradley Smith to make MotoE World Cup debut this week in Germany
British rider will contest the historic first race for the electric motorcycle racing series, held at Sachsenring.
The wait is over for ONE Energy Racing and rider Bradley Smith. The first MotoE World Cup round in history takes place this weekend at Sachsenring, and the Briton arrives at the German track fit and optimistic about taking a great result.
Smith finished second on the combined timesheets for the official preseason test, held two weeks ago at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. The One Energy Racing rider also has extensive experience of Sachsenring, where he has competed 13 times. His best result there to date is a fourth place in the 2008 125cc race.
The 8-lap MotoE season opener will be held on Sunday July 7th at 10am local time. Before that, there will be two 30-minute Free Practice sessions on Friday (11:50am and 4:50pm) and the E-Pole session on Saturday at 4:00pm.
#38 Bradley Smith
“I’m very excited about the start of the MotoE season. We have waited a long time, so I’m looking forward to getting the championship underway alongside One Energy Racing. It’s a very short competition, consisting of only four rounds and six races, and that means that it is very important to make each race count.
Even though I was only able to attend one of the three days of testing at Valencia two weeks ago, I feel ready for the start of the season. We were amongst the fastest in testing, showing our speed. The three or four riders at the top are pretty close together, so it won’t be easy, but we want to start this campaign as well as possible and stake our claim for the title from the get-go.
My intention in Germany is to finish on the podium. I expect a very close race at Saschenring, so the key to victory will be not making mistakes.”
More, from a press release issued by Energica:
IT IS TIME – ENERGICA AND MOTOE TO BEGIN JOURNEYAT SACHSENRING
The day has come. The day after tomorrow – Friday 5 July 2019 – marks the official start of the *2019 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup*, the MotoGP-based one-make, all-electric motorcycle series.* Energica* is obviously among the brightest of stars in this new cup due to the company’s involvement as single manufacturer.
Eighteen, stunning *Ego Corsa* will be storming the challenging and spectacular Sachsenring, located in Germany’s Saxony region, ridden by some of the most talented riders in the world, all ready to battle for honours aboard all-identical machinery.
Fans and motorcycle racing enthusiasts were able to get a glimpse of what this new series is about in last month’s official MotoE test in Valencia, which culminated in a seven-lap thriller as the battle for the win came down to the very last corner of the Spanish circuit. Back then it was Avintia Esponsorama’s Eric Granado to edge Tech3 E-Racing’s and Ajo MotoE’s Niki Tuuli.
As the first-ever MotoE racing weekend approaches, however, many other riders are likely to step up their game and challenge at the front of the field.
The *racing timetable* as in for the round is as follows (all times GMT+2):
*FRIDAY 5 JULY 2019*
11:50-12:20 MotoE Free Practice 1
16:50-17:20 MotoE Free Practice 2
*SATURDAY 6 JULY 2019*
16:00-16:40 MotoE E-Pole
*SUNDAY 7 JULY 2019*
10:00 MotoE Race (8 laps)
But the MotoE fun does not end there, as a lot of activities have been put in place to entertain fans and to present to the world this new electrifying motorcycle racing series to the attendants.
*THURSDAY*
18:00 Talk Show at the E-Paddock
*FRIDAY*
11:35 Talk Show at the E-Paddock
18:15 LIVE Press Conference in the Press Conference room (with Energica CEO Livia Cevolini, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and EnelX CEO Francesco Venturini)
*SATURDAY*
16:30 Parc Fermé Enel MotoE™ E-Pole
18:00 LIVE Press Conference in the Press Conference room
*SUNDAY*
11:45 VIP Village Talk Show (Between Moto3 and Moto2)
13:00 E-Paddock Talk Show (Between Moto2 and MotoGP)
*ABOUT ENERGICA MOTOR COMPANY S.p.A*
Energica Motor Company is the first Italian manufacturer of high-performing electric motorcycle and is the single manufacturer chosen by Dorna for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup. Energica Motorcycles are on sales worldwide. The all-electric racing bike Energica Ego Corsa has completed a long and extensive testing programme and is now ready to take on the four events of the 2019 MotoE season (Sachsenring, Red Bull Ring, Misano and Valencia).