Just like their petrol powered counterparts, the relatively new MotoE championship for electric motorcycles, is resuming, or maybe even beginning, their 2020 campaign, here in Spain at Jerez de la Frontera, and they too, will also race here next weekend in the Andalucia Grand Prix. These motorcycles are much like the cars of Formula E and being powered by electricity, compared to a regular motorbike, make very little noise. Something for new fans to get used to, and yet, perhaps, a way to conserve and clean up the environment, if indeed electric motorcycle batteries are recyclable. All riders and teams in the MotoE championship, use identically prepared electric motorcycles, supplied by Energica. The Energica Ego Corsa. So, this race will have a level playing field and it will all come down to rider skill.
OK. It's time for MotoE action, in Spain. On the pole, is bike #51 ridden by Brazilian Eric Granado for Avintia ESponsorama Racing. Granado looks like he has the lead going into turn one for the first time as the red lights are out and we are racing here at Jerez de la Frontera. Granado is opening a gap on second place rider Niki Tuuli of Finland on bike #66 for Avant Ajo MotoE owned by former Moto2 racer and fellow Finn Niki Ajo. This is a short race. Just six laps and we're already on the last lap of this MotoE race. There's probably only so much charge in the batteries on these motorcycles that they can only run fairly short distances compared to their petrol fueled counterparts.
But that doesn't mean the racing is any less exciting! The stewards have dinged Alex de Angelis on bike #15 for a jumped start. He will have to do a ride through penalty in the pit lane to redress that. de Angelis, the Argentinian rider has raced in MotoGP and in FIM World Superbike if my memory serves me correctly, and now, he is a contender in MotoE in it's second season, albeit an abbreviated one, as we know due to the virus pandemic. Big time action and a battle for the lead as we see Niki Tuuli challenging Eric Granado for that top spot. It's the Finn and the Brazilian, going for it hammer and tongs at the front!
Granado maintains the lead and guess what? He opened it up and dominated this race to the flag! Lap six of six. MotoE in Spain, the first go around, is done and dusted. Eric Granado is your winner! Celebrate your victory! You've got it. Matteo Ferrari and Dominique Aegerter, riders who have run classes like Moto3, World Supersport, and Moto2 in the past, round out the podium in MotoE. Lukas Tulovic of Germany and Mattia Casadei of Italy round out the top five. In sixth through ninth it's Jordi Torres, Alejandro Medina, Xavier Simeon, (Moto2 veteran from Belgium), and Australian World Superbike and World Endurance rider Josh Hook.
#51 Eric Granado BRA.
That'll do it for the first race back for MotoGP in a while, and we get to do all of this again, this weekend.
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