For the first time last Sunday, the FIM MotoE World Cup (FIM Enel MotoE World Cup) riders took part in a virtual race where 9 teams entered 9 riders for a 5-lap race. The Trentino Gresini MotoE team was represented by the reigning Champion Matthew Ferrari, LCR E-Team by Xavier Simeon, Avintia Esponsorama Racing by Eric Granado, EG 0,0 Marc VDS by Mike Di Meglio, Join Contract Pons 40 by Jordi Torres, Intact GP by Dominique Aegerter, Tech 3 E-Racing by Lukas Tulovic, Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse by Mattia Casadei, and finally Openbank Aspar Team by Alex Medina.
After the MotoGP riders competed alone in the first event, then were later joined by their Moto3 and Moto2 colleagues, this weekend it was the turn of the MotoE riders to join them for a great first. Ferrari won ahead of Granado and Casadei, with Siméon fifth and di Meglio seventh.
It was an opportunity to take stock with the Director of this World Cup, Nicolas Goubert, both in terms of the competitors and in relation to the current situation.
What are the main developments between the 2019 and 2020 edition of the MotoE World Cup, in terms of bikes and riders?
“In terms of drivers, 7 out of a total of 18 are new. They are divided into 6 private MotoGP teams and 6 teams mainly Moto2, but also Moto3. 6 teams enter 1 driver, 6 have 2.”
“The average age has fallen because the new ones are mainly young people. A dozen nationalities are represented. »
“I was very happy that Héctor Garzó, who shone last year at Tech 3, managed to get a ride in Moto2 at Sito Pons. It's very rewarding for our MotoE World Cup because it means that the team managers from other categories are watching what's happening in MotoE. A rider who shines in MotoE can get noticed. »
“The main developments concerning the bike are 10% more torque between 0 and 120 km/h with more than 220 Nm, a more advanced cooling system and new Michelin tires front and rear, both from MotoGP. »
“Regarding the chargers, if the situation linked to Covid-19 does not cause us to fall too far behind, we will have a mobile charger which will be used on the starting grid to recharge the battery after the formation lap, and also fixed chargers , which will have their own batteries, and which will be connected to the network and no longer to generators. »
“As for the race distance (directly linked to the previous point), with the possibility of recharging the battery on the grid, the races will go one more lap. »
It was expected that the MotoE World Cup would not participate in any of the first four GPs this year (Qatar, Thailand, Austin and Argentina). Finally, in the current context, wouldn't that be an advantage?
“Let's say that the general context is very particular and very difficult for the organizers of sporting events, as we are at Dorna. We already know that for MotoE we will not keep the initial calendar since Assen has been canceled. »
“However, having 5 events in the year, which we can position at any European MotoGP round, is obviously an advantage. As a result, we are confident in the possibility of having a championship with the same number of rounds as initially planned, namely 5, even if some races will take place behind closed doors. All races will be broadcast on Canal+, which will of course be very important. »
All World Championships risk finding themselves “compressed” at the end of the season. Does this risk depriving the MotoE Championship of its riders who are official in endurance, like Mike di Meglio and Josh Hook at Honda, Nicolò Canepa at Yamaha and Xavier Siméon at Suzuki?
“We actually noticed that the WEC had positioned the Bol on the date of the Misano GP and it would be a great shame if things remained as they were. »
“Let's wait and see because, in any case, certain modifications are still to come and neither the definitive dates of the MotoGP championship, nor, consequently, those of the MotoE championship have been announced. I hope there will be no concordance of dates because that would be a shame. »
Development in MotoGP is frozen for two years, meaning we will start the 2022 season with the current bikes. What about the development of electric motorcycles?
« We have not frozen development, unlike other championships. »
“For MotoE, we have a single supplier, so we don't need to freeze development. However, our supplier in Italy has been hit hard, so we are not going to save any time compared to the development plan planned for the years to come. »
Has the fact that a little-known rider (Matteo Ferrari, whose best result was 22nd in Moto3 in 2014) won the World Cup in 2019 harmed the notoriety of the MotoE world?
“The championship was very competitive, the races very lively, many drivers had their chance and Matteo Ferrari deserved his title. My personal opinion is that, on the contrary, the advent of a new champion is always favorable to any championship. »
Mike Di Meglio
Matteo Ferrari
Photos © Motogp.com / Dorna
