Dominique Aegerter is the winner of the MotoE World Cup 2022; on the third attempt, the rider of the Dynavolt Intact GP team wins the title of champion of the MotoGP electric class. As the Swiss rider says, 'this year no one could have stopped me', not even in the WSSP where Aegerter is currently the favorite to win.
After two unsuccessful attempts, in his third year in the MotoGP electric class, Dominique Aegerter wins the title of the MotoE World Cup 2022. As the Swiss rider says in this interview: “This year no one could have stopped me”. The numbers of Aegerter in the 2022 season of the MotoE prove it: three wins, three pole positions and ten podiums. Only in two races, the Swiss did not get on the podium: in the debut race in Jerez in which he finished fourth, and in the final one, in Misano, in which the Dynavolt Intact GP team rider finished fourth again. Aegerter's average points are also impressive: 18,9 points per race, by far the highest ever recorded in MotoE. In addition to a fantastic season in the world of electric motorcycles, Aegerter is also the author of an impressive season in the other world, that of 'thermal' motorcycles, in which the Swiss is the favorite for the victory in the Supersport World Championship.
Since his debut in the MotoGP electric class, Aegerter had shown an exceptional feeling with the MotoE, conquering a podium in the debut race (GP of Spain) and victory in the second race of the new category (GP of Andalusia). Aegerter could have fought for the title of the MotoE already in 2020 if he had not been involved in two crashes caused by other riders in the Misano and Le Mans races. Two 'zeros' out of seven total races in the 2020 season prevented Aegerter from going beyond the third final position behind Jordi Torres and Matteo Ferrari, despite the two victories of the season.
In 2021, the Swiss rider was more consistent even though he never managed to get on the top step of the podium. Last year Aegerter compromised his chances of winning the title in the Assen race, crashing on the first lap of the Dutch GP due to a braking error in the chicane before the finish line. That zero in the standings costed Aegerter the victory of the MotoE 2021. Victory, however, only postponed because the impressive performance of this year and three victories (Le Mans, Mugello and Assen), have allowed the Swiss of the Dynavolt Intact GP team to become the third rider to win the title of the MotoE World Cup after Matteo Ferrari (2019) and Jordi Torres (2020 and 2021).
You have won the title of the MotoE World Cup on the third attempt; how do you feel to have finally succeeded?
“For sure, I’m very happy to get this MotoE title finally. I tried three times: in the first year, I finished third but also because I got crashed out two times by other riders; last year, I finished second fighting till the end for the championship in the last lap in Misano, but then I got a penalty, and I lost the championship.
This year I think no one could have stopped me. I made three wins, three poles and ten podiums without ever falling, neither in practice nor in races. I had great races and great victories, the one at Mugello in particular was incredible, it was my best victory in MotoE."
Looking at the numbers it would seem to have been an easy season but Aegerter admits it wasn't like that: “No, it wasn't an easy season: Eric Granado was my strongest rival, but Ferrari and Casadei were also hard to beat; both had very fast bikes and were the most difficult to overtake.”
How did you get these results? What was your strong point?
“Surely the experience was my strong point: having raced with different bikes and knowing all the tracks. It was also very important to have a great team around me, thanks to them I was able to be fast right away. A good team is essential to be fast right away, especially in MotoE where you make a few km. My strength points in the race were the braking and the consistency, especially in the final laps. Ok, those of the MotoE are sprint races (7-8 laps), but, in the last 2-3 laps, I was able to be very fast and to brake very hard.”
Looking at how you ride and judging by your results, it looks like you're at the top of your career at 31.
“I’m 31 years old; I’m for sure one of the oldest guys in MotoE. Nevertheless, I learned a lot over my career; I gained a lot of experience in riding style, bikes, teams, tracks, training, and mental attitude. Now I’m in my best moment. In the last two years, I haven’t got injuries, and I got the best teams around me, so I could focus on my riding style and races. Those things allow me to get out the maximum profit from my riding talent.”
Did competing in two championships help you?
"Yes, it helps; when all works well, you have a good motivation, a good mood, and you feel in a good flow. Sprint races help you to be aggressive in the first laps, and Supersport races help me to keep in the rhythm; racing is the best training; you can’t do any training better than racing.
It’s not easy to have two championship calendars without clashes. In 2021, I missed two races in Supersport because there was a MotoE round the same weekend. The main challenge is to keep your physical condition on top all over the year because you spend a lot of time on travel. Other aspects are mental: you must refresh your mind between races. You have to look back to close the last race and immediately look forward to preparing the new one. When you have three or four races in a row, it’s very demanding physically and mentally.”
With Ferrari, Torres and Granado, you have been one of the protagonists of the first phase of the MotoE World Cup; how do you judge the category, and what do you think about the next phase?
“Yes, I was not in the Cup in 2019, but I raced in MotoE for three years. In 2020, I joined MotoE to have the chance to be back in Moto2. I was the spare rider in Moto2 for the IntactGP team, but I hoped to be back in Moto2 in 2021. Unfortunately, this did not happen; I could not go back to the World Championship, so I decided to stay in MotoE and join the WSSP.
I was really expecting MotoE to develop and evolve quickly and much faster, but it did not happen. I had more or less the same bike that Jesko Raffin (Intact GP rider in 2019, ndr.) had in the beginning. I do not know why; maybe it was the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, during which, for sure, it was not easy to develop the bike, or maybe it was a matter of budget.
Next year there will be Ducati that developed a new bike, but I think the bike would not have the potential to be as fast as a Moto2 or a MotoGP bike. Also, the weight will be higher than other bikes, and the race duration will not be the same as a GP, but we will see what will happen if I’ll ride it.
My target for 2023 is to move to WSBK, but only if I can get a good contract in Superbike with a good bike and team. If not, I’ll stay with TenKate in WSSP and Dynavolt Intact GP in MotoE. So let’s wait and see what will happen in the next weeks.”
Photos: motogp.com and Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE team
MotoE World Cup
The gallery of MotoE 2022
MotoE World Cup 2022
The final classification of the championship
MotoE World Cup 2023
The Ducati MotoE
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