In the second of the two races on the Barcelona circuit, Kevin Zannoni takes his first victory in MotoE, in a race characterized by the falls of many protagonists of the championship, starting with the 2023 champion, Mattia Casadei.
Kevin Zannoni wins race 1 of the Catalan GP MotoE 2024 in Barcelona – This weekend, the MotoE took part in the Catalan GP, the third round of the electric category of MotoGP.
The second race of the day in Barcelona was an example of classic Catalan Grand Prix chaos. This time it was Kevin Zannoni (Openbank Aspar Team) who took his first victory in MotoE after having to fend off not one, but two riders in the final laps. The winner of race 1, Oscar Gutierrez (Axxis-MSI), tried in every way to challenge Zannoni for the victory, with Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing) who, behind the first two, was ready to take advantage of a their mistake.
When the traffic lights went out it was the reigning champion and championship leader, Mattia Casadei (LCR E-Team) who took the lead of the race. But his early lead didn't last long, as Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) immediately took over from his teammate, moving from third to first.
The smiles on the faces of the LCR E-Team members, who were expecting a possible one-two punch, were soon swept away and replaced by expressions of disbelief. First Casadei crashed dramatically at turn 10, making his first mistake of the season. A few laps later, here is the double disaster for the LCR team: Granado, leading the race, crashes with his Ducati V21L at Turn 5. The LCR team was not the only team to see a championship contender fall: Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-Racing), who had achieved a brilliant double victory in the last round in France, went on as a hero to a double zero, with his second crash of the day, completing a whole negative Saturday in Barcelona.
After all these crashes, the winner of Race 1, Oscar Gutierrez, inherited the lead of the race, and with this, the dream of a double in his home GP. Kevin Zannoni also had a dream: to conquer the only step on the podium of the MotoE that he still missed, the first. On the last lap Zannoni, as he had done many times during the day, took the lead. Gutierrez was probably thinking of a counter-overtaking on the last lap.
After completing a final lap at qualifying pace, Zannoni showed no signs of nervousness as he drifted around the final corners and crossed the finish line for an extraordinary first victory in MotoE, in a race in which he started eighth on the grid. Gutierrez had to settle for second place, while Zaccone's third place guaranteed him his first podium in almost three years.
Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) took fourth place thanks to the chaos that was created in front, while Hector Garzò (Dynavolt IntactGP MotoE) rounded out the top five.
After this unpredictable weekend in Catalonia, the MotoE is ready to get back on track straight away next weekend at Mugello, with the top three in the championship separated by just two points. In fact, in the general classification, the new leader is Kevin Zannoni with 88 points, one more than Mattia Casadei and two more than Oscar Gutierrez.
The results of Race 2 of the MotoE 2024 in Barcelona for the Catalan GP
| POS. | N. | Nat. | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 |  |
Kevin Zannoni | Openbank Aspar Team | 12'42.300 | |
| 2 | 99 |  |
Oscar Gutierrez | Axxis-MSI | 12'42.774 | 0,474 |
| 3 | 61 | |
Alessandro Zaccone | Tech3 E-Racing | 12'43.476 | 1,176 |
| 4 | 81 | |
Jordi Torres | Openbank Aspar Team | 12'46.457 | 4,157 |
| 5 | 4 | |
Hector Garzo | Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ | 12'46.634 | 4,334 |
| 6 | 3 |  |
Lukas Tulovic | Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™ | 12'47.384 | 5,084 |
| 7 | 9 | |
Andrea Mantovani | Klint Forward Factory Team | 12'46.836 | 4,536 |
| 8 | 11 | |
Matteo Ferrari | Felo Gresini MotoE™ | 12'46.969 | 4,669 |
| 9 | 77 | |
Miquel Pons | Axxis-MSI | 12'47.111 | 4,811 |
| 10 | 34 | |
Kevin Manfredi | Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse | 12'49.997 | 7,697 |
| 11 | 55 | |
Massimo Roccoli | Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse | 12'50.101 | 7,801 |
| 12 | 72 | |
Alessio Finello | Felo Gresini MotoE™ | 12'52.780 | 10,480 |
| 13 | 6 | |
Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team | 12'53.239 | 10,939 |
| 14 | 7 |  |
Chaz Davies | Aruba Cloud MotoE™ Racing Team | 12'56.515 | 14,215 |
| 15 | 80 | |
Armando Pontone | Aruba Cloud MotoE™ Racing Team | 12'57.138 | 14,838 |
| 16 | 51 |  |
Eric Granado | LCR E-Team | nc | 5,000 |
| 17 | 29 | |
Nicholas Spinelli | Tech3 E-Racing | nc | 4,000 |
| 18 | 40 | |
Mattia Casadei | LCR E-Team | nc | 6,000 |
MotoE World Championship
The standings of the MotoE 2024
MotoE World Championship
The essential kit of the MotoE 2024
Photos: MotoGP
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