Mike di Meglio in MotoE “It was a good first experience”

Last winter, Mike moved from one of the best endurance teams, the GMT94 with whom he won the 24 Heures Motos, the 8 Hours of Oschersleben and the 8 Hours of the Slovakia Ring in 2016-2017, to the Champion team. of the World FCC TSR Honda France. It was an excellent choice, capped by victory at the 2018 Bol d'Or with teammates Josh Hook and Freddy Foray.

Born January 17, 1988 in Toulouse, then subsequently World champion in 125 cm3 Grands Prix in 2008, Mike tried his luck this year in the Supersport World Championship on a Yamaha R6 entered by GMT 94. But the season got off to a bad start and after a 17th position in Australia, then an 18th place in Thailand, Mike decided to throw in the towel and leave World Supersport. It was Corentin Pérolari who replaced him within the GMT, while di Meglio joined the FCC TSR Honda France team. For next year, Mike is attempting the new MotoE championship (or “FIM Enel MotoE World Cup”) with the Marc VDS team. He achieved the sixth fastest time on the first day of testing in Jerez.

To Mike Di Meglio, "It was a good first experience with MotoE, even if we had to ride this morning in rainy weather. The handling was very impressive and the bike was easy to manage. The weight was not a problem for me. It's a bit strange at first with no noise, but I adapted very quickly and I think the bike is a very good starting point for everyone. And since the times are tight, the races will be exciting and fun.”

“It is an honor for me to join the Marc VDS Racing team. I am very proud to be part of a project like this. I fully know the potential of this team because they have always fought at the front of the stage, whatever the category.

“The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup is a new challenge and in these circumstances it is always important to have a strong team behind you. I can't wait to see how this Championship develops because all the riders will have the same bike. In any case, I'm really looking forward to taking on this challenge and I hope it will bring us new successes. »

For the team boss Marc Van der Straten, “It is a pleasure to announce this formalization of Mike Di Meglio, within our MotoE team. We've been following his development for a while and when we decided to enter this category, contested in parallel with MotoGP, we immediately thought of Mike.

“I think he has the necessary experience and a strong desire to win. We therefore contacted him and he agreed to join our project. Together, we will begin a new adventure which will, in my opinion, be very constructive. We will do everything to offer him the best possible support.”

First day results : Niki Tuuli 1.51.721, Eric Granado 1.51.842, Randy de Puniet 1.51.906, Bradley Smith 1.52.339, Alex de Angelis 1.52.403, Mike Di Meglio 1.52.574, Jesko Raffin 1.52.675, Lorenzo Savadori 1.52.689. 1.52.817, Sete Gibernau 1.53.629, Matteo Casadei XNUMX (see details here)

Video: The #5 Honda of FCC TSR Honda France wins the 24 2018 Heures Motos

Video: Official MotoE teaser

Photos © EG 0,0 Marc VDS