Matteo Ferrari and Alessio Finello concluded the first official test of the MotoE 2024 on the Portimao circuit. The results for the Gresini team riders were good in view of the first race of the season, the Portuguese GP.
The last time that the MotoGP electric class was on track was in September in Italy, during the 2023 San Marino Grand Prix. On that occasion, Matteo Ferrari managed to take third place in the general standings, closing the sixth season out of six on the final podium of MotoE. A few months later, the MotoE bikes of the Gresini team are back on track to kick off the 2024 season with three days of pre-season testing in Portimao, Portugal, with Matteo Ferrari and Alessio Finello. This year, the two Italian riders of the Gresini team will no longer be followed directly by Manuel Poggiali, who has moved on to Ducati Corse, but by a new coach, Toni Elias. In a month, right on the Portuguese track, the MotoE World Championship 2024 will start.
The 2024 test of the Gresini MotoE team in Portimao
On the Portuguese track, we found Matteo Ferrari in excellent form, third in the three-day combined, with a time of 1'47.086 set on Day2, when the track conditions were optimal. Despite the third fastest time, Ferrari still has some development to do, particularly on the qualifying lap and wet set-up, Ferrari's Achilles' heel last year.
On the other side of the box, Alessio Finello improved his performance compared to last year and reduced the gap to the top riders. The Gresini team rider is still working on braking, the phase in which the gap that Finello accumulates over the course of the lap is generated.
Both riders will have one more day of testing available, Thursday, 21 March, on the eve of the Portuguese GP, again on the Portimao track, on 22-23 March 2024.
Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE rider)
“Three days of positive tests, we have improved a lot since day one. We still have to work on some details to be faster in the flying lap and be more precise in a few turns of this circuit. In general, I am very happy with these tests, finishing the combined in TOP3 raises the morale of the team and gives us even more motivation. We still need to improve in wet conditions, which was a critical point also last season, but we have collected a lot of data on which we will work in view of the next test and the first race!”
Alessio Finello ( Felo Gresini MotoE rider)
“Three intense days, in particular weather conditions that affected our performances every day. We used the first day on track to regain confidence and to find the speed again, and I must say that I felt good on the bike straight away. We worked really hard and tried a lot of things, finding the right path and a solid base for the first race, for which I have a lot of expectations. We still need a small step to be able to consistently stay in the top10, but we can do it. I will train as much as possible in these last free weeks, I can't wait to get started!”
MotoE World Championship 2024
The gallery of the test in Portimao
The combined times of the three days of the MotoE test in Portimao
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