It ended with the final round of Le Mans the first season in MotoE by Dominique Aegerter. The Swiss rider of the Intact GP team finished a great season achieveing the third overall position. Over the seven races, he achieved two wins, two third places and one pole position. We asked him to share his impressions after this first year in the MotoGP electric class.
1 - Dominique, did you have fun riding the MotoE this year?
“It had a lot of fun riding MotoE bike. I waited all winter, and I was surprised jumping on the bike at the first test in Jerez. I was expecting more difficulties, and I was surprised by how the bike is enjoyable to ride."
2 - You have a great experience with all types of motorbikes, your familiarization with MotoE was rapid. What are the differences between MotoE and the other motorbikes you have ridden?
“I have many experiences in various categories: 125cc, Moto2 with different chasses and with the 1000cc Endurance Superbikes (Aegerter also participated in the famous Suzuka 8h, ed.). This experience helped me a lot, but also, the IntactGP team supported me very well with a good bike with the right setting that allowed me to change my riding stile for the MotoE quickly.
The MotoE bike is completely different than any other petrol bike because you have different torque values at different speeds. In the slow corners, you have more torque than in the fast corners. You have to open the throttle differently at slow speed than at high speed. The bike is heavier, you can feel the weight during braking, but change directions are not a problem. The lines and trajectories are quite similar. You do not have a lot of time on the bike, and you can’t make many changes to the settings. You have six, seven laps each session; you need to ride at best what you have under your seat.
3 - When did you realize that you and your team could be fighting for the title?
“When I signed the contract in 2019, it was clear that my target was to compete in the front. After the first test and the first race, I saw I was very fast, and our goal was immediately to be on top of each race. We did quite well, but we have been very unlucky with two nulls without any fault from our side. With only seven races in the season, I lost the championship because of that two crashes."
4 - What kind of work you and your team do in the free practice sessions? How do you use the few laps available?
“We work a lot at home before to come to track (i.e. watching the previous races and digging into the telemetry). We see all the small details, and when we come to track on Thursday, we do a walk-on track, we select the setting and gearing. With only a few laps during the free practices, if you can’t find the perfect set-up, you have to adapt your riding style to the bike and get the best of it."
5 - What do you think about the overall level of the MotoE class?
“For me, MotoE is a very nice category, and it is also important because you are part of the MotoGP. It is nice to ride on the best tracks, with the best TV coverage, and the highest security level. I would like that the MotoE will improve the bike. They already made good improvements, but now it is time to take a step forward, maybe reducing the weight or increasing the power of the bike or improving the duration of the battery to have longer races next year.
I will soon sign the contract with Intact GP team for 2021, so I hope to have great races and make a great show again in MotoE. I hope to have the chance to ride also some Moto2 and Superbike. I hope to have a MotoE calendar with more rounds. The double races on the same weekend is a perfect solution because you can improve more and have a better show."
Here you can see the final standings of the MotoE World Cup 2020.
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