In the "circus" of MotoGp Lucio Cecchinello is an institution. "LCR Honda Team Principal, Former 125cc road racing rider, all motorsports lover", according to his self-definition on Twitter, Cecchinello is about to start, with the usual mix of competence and pragmatism, the new adventure with electric motorcycles, as the LCR E-Team Team Manager. Born in Venice in the 1969, he was a very strong 125 class driver: after having stopped racing in the 2003 (with a palmares that has seven victories, a fourth final place as best result and an unforgettable triumph at Mugello in his last season as a driver) , Cecchinello has been directing the team he founded in '96 since then. As a manager he immediately stood out for his ability to discover talent (he launched, say, a certain Casey Stoner) and for that of managing the sponsors. His opinion on the potential of this new class is therefore particularly interesting.
1 - Not all teams have agreed to debut in MotoE: why LCR yes?
I firmly believe that the automotive world will evolve towards a greater number of electric vehicles and the competitions have always been a fundamental platform for the manufacturers, who use racing to develop technologies to be transmitted to production. I believe that the choice of Dorna, to organize a World Cup for electric motorcycles, is only the first step, destined to become an increasingly important reality. Let's say that I consider the decision to be an investment for the future.
2 - Motorbike races are made especially for passion but participation in a world championship is also a business: the class MotoE Will it help attract new sponsors?
Yes, the team manager, the mechanics, the engineers and the drivers do it mainly out of passion. We, at least, do it with great passion! For sponsors, of course, it's a business. So they are looking for a motorcycling that, in some way, can embody the same values of the company.
Today we see the MotoGP swarming with sponsors from the oil & gas sector, the betting sector, in the past the tobacco sector ... MotoE, like FormulaE, has instead the potential to attract companies with a great attention towards eco-sustainability. This value is crucial to involve new companies, able to support the show that MotoE is proving able to give.
3 - You mentioned the FormulaE, but the formula chosen for the bikes will be very different; what do you think about it?
It will be different, yes. But it is also true that the FormulaE itself started from a single-brand store with important technological restrictions. And now we start from there: from a single-brand store with important technological restrictions, which are - I believe - destined to become a little more open in the future, just as happened in FormulaE. I think this starting point is correct: otherwise the participation costs would have immediately skyrocketed, causing great difficulties for the participating teams. Thus, instead, it is easier to set the gear in motion, with the prospect of possibly changing the regulation as the teams increase revenues.
4 - What is the balance of the first tests carried out in Jerez, also from the point of view of the riders?
Extremely positive balance. The pilots found the bike to be agile, interesting to drive and above all very linear in terms of delivery. The problem that everyone feared, that is the heaviness of the bike, turned out to be manageable. Despite the motoE in this moment it exceeds the 250 kilos, in fact, it has the advantage of not having masses in rotation, and therefore of not having the gyroscopic effect that makes the bike feel "heavy" in the changes of direction (, promising the technical data sheet of the motorcycle). The rotating masses are extremely limited, because they are only those relating to the electric motor, which in any case runs at very low rotation speeds compared to those of a combustion engine. In Jerez there were no major technical breaks, only minor minor problems, which is a success for a debut. The tests went very well because our drivers proved to be immediately competitive: both Randy (De Puniet) and Niccolò (Canepa) (, promising their cards), despite the need to share the only bike available, they recorded very good times and were always among the best. They were satisfied, they gave a positive opinion on the bike. It is a vehicle that you must learn to know, of course: for example, the electric motor, having a very regular delivery, is very connected to the accelerator. It has a delivery that allows the rider to also manage the fact of sliding the tire out of corners. Here, if we want to highlight an aspect to pay attention to, we must remember that this bike does not have traction control, so potentially there could be the risk of seeing some high-sides, but it is equally true that when the tire begins to slip the riders are able to manage it fairly directly, by moving the throttle (even if the bike is electric, the habit of saying “give gas” will be difficult to lose…).
5 - How did the technicians find themselves working on an unconventional motorcycle?
The technicians did a great job. Because in fact they found themselves having to deal with completely new problems. This, however, only applies to some of the staff, because two of our new technicians are world champions with electric motorcycles. As you know, in fact, before there was the Electric Motorcycle World Cup organized by another promoter: in that version, Luciano Betti won four world championships and Thomas Betti won five. They have literally made the history of racing with electric motorcycles, they know much better than anyone else the problems that can be found. The most obvious problem is that you have a fair amount of power, but for a limited time. You also have a battery temperature increase during use and when the temperature exceeds a certain temperature it begins to deliver less energy and therefore limits performance. The use of ratios is also slightly different, because having a lot of torque available you can also use very long ratios (the MotoE it does not have the gearbox, speaking of ratios we mean the final one between crown and pinion). In summary… there is still a lot to learn and so we can't wait to be on track for the next test in Jerez!
To see how the tests went MotoE in Jerez last November, click , promising
To this link you can see the intervention of Lucio Cecchinello at the stand of Energica Motor Company to EICMA 2018
