MotoE announces race dates

For the 2018 announced electric motorcycle racing series MotoE, which will be held starting this year with electric bikes of the Italian manufacturer Energica, further details such as teams, riders, dates and technical data were recently announced.

++ Kindly find an update to this article below. ++

The 15-minute races will be held with the Energica Ego Corsa, which has an output of up to 120 kW. The electric motorcycle is up to 270 km/h fast. A battery with a capacity of 20 kWh will provide the necessary energy.

The series partner Enel X will provide mobile charging stations called JuiceRoll for charging. This consists of a semi-mobile unit and a mobile unit per motorcycle. The semi-mobile unit will stand in the electric paddock and charge the batteries of the motorcycles between sessions. The mobile unit can be taken to the motorcycle on the starting grid and used to fully charge the motorcycle’s battery. It is also used to power the electric blankets. Solar cells are connected to intelligent electricity meters that constantly measure the energy consumption during the race weekend. Enel will provide a distribution system that connects JuiceRolls and the auxiliary loads of the MotoE paddock to the grid and integrates solar panels. The result is complete electrification of the Moto E-Event, from the grid to the motorcycle.

The field of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup (the official name) will consist of 18 riders (including one woman) competing for twelve different teams. Riders from a total of ten different nations will be competing. Among them will be four former MotoGP riders, including two-time Vice Champion Sete Gibernau. With Nico Terol (2011) from Spain and Mike di Meglio (2008) from France, two former FIM Moto3 champions will also join the mix. The two FIM Endurance World Champions Josh Hook (2017) and Kenny Foray (2014) as well as former European Moto2 Champion Eric Granado from Brazil will also be competing.

Five races are planned for this year: On 5 May in Spanish Jerez, on 19 May in French Le Mans, on 7 July on the German Sachsenring, on 11 August in Austria (exact location still unknown) and on 15 September in Italian Misano (two races).

Update 14.03.2019: The launch on May 5th now seems more than questionable. During tests in Jerez, Spain, there was a big fire in the paddock where all 18 electric motorcycles of the manufacturer Energica were destroyed. Fortunately nobody was injured. But with the fire, the next test drives from 23 to 25 April in Jerez will also be cancelled. Besides the electric bikes, the teams also lost their equipment. The cause of the fire is still unclear. MotoGP promoter Dorna has meanwhile published a statement announcing an update as soon as the cause of the fire and necessary changes to the MotoE calendar have been clarified.

Update 16.03.2019: The big fire in the paddock of the electric motorcycle racing series MotoE, in which all 18 electric motorcycles of the manufacturer Energica were destroyed, among other things, started from a charging station. According to Nicolas Goubert, director of MotoE, the charger was a prototype. The planned start of the season on 5 May will not be possible, but “it will certainly continue and a World Cup will be held this year”. The race series will also remain with the previously planned five events.

Update 03.04.2019: The plans for the MotoE electric motorcycle racing series have been revised again. After the big fire in the paddock, it has now been made clear that the originally planned first two races at Jerez in Spain and Le Mans in France will be cancelled. The start of the season is now scheduled for early July at the Sachsenring in Germany.

motogp.com, autosport.com (Update), motorsport-total.com (Update II), motogp.com (Update III)