MotoE - In the San Marino GP, the LCR E-Team won the title of Vice Champion of the MotoE World Cup 2022 with Eric Granado. The Brazilian rider completed his best season in MotoEachieveing five victories. His teammate, Miquel Pons, took fifth place in the final championship standings.
In the San Marino GP of the MotoE, LCR E-Team rider Eric Granado took second place in the final standings of the championship, his best result since participating in the MotoGP electric class. At Misano, the Brazilian riderarrived mathematically fighting for the title of the category, but a crash in race 1 quenched his hopes, handing the final victory to Dominique Aegerter. Granado did not give up and in race 2 he conquered his eighth podium of the season, becoming runner-up of the MotoE 2022. The Brazilian rider thus crowned his best season since making his debut in MotoE World Cup, in 2019.
Miquel Pons, Granado's teammate in Lucio Cecchinello's team, ended the season in the Top 5 final of the championship. Pons, best rookie of MotoE in 2021, was still fighting for the podium in the category, but a crash at the start of race 1 stopped the Spanish rider's chances of overtaking Matteo Ferrari and Mattia Casadei in the standings.
MotoE World Cup
The gallery of the San Marino GP of MotoE 2022
Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) - Vice Champion of the MotoE World Cup 2022
In his story, Granado began by saying that “the Misano weekend started with a crazy day: we had a difficult morning; I had a bad feeling with the bike during FP1 and I also crashed after the checkered flag due to wet just off the track. The bike was almost destroyed, but the team managed to change all the damaged parts in time. During FP2 I was able to be faster than in the morning. We then changed something for Q2, which made me even faster, but it wasn't enough for Pole Position. Anyway, I was fast, with the same pace as the first ones; P.4 was a good position to start both races of the weekend.”
Race 1 did not go as the Brazilian rider expected, as Granado bitterly admits: “Having lost the opportunity to fight for the championship until the last race breaks my heart. It was my mistake and I know the next few days are going to be very hard for me. Something similar happened last year, but then I made a mistake while overtaking. In race 1 I didn't do anything strange… So, I can't stop thinking about the accident. I felt like I did everything right. I did well all season, scoring points even when I didn't win, while last year I made more serious mistakes. The team worked very well every weekend. But these are the races: Aegerter was better than me, I just have to accept him and look to the future.”
Even if the fight for the title was compromised, Race 2 was still important for Granado: “I was very happy with the podium on Sunday, which compensates for the bad day on Saturday. To finish the season with a podium was fantastic, and it was also my first here in Misano! At the end of the race I struggled a bit with the front, it was difficult for me to push harder and try to overtake, but I managed to secure my P.3. I dedicated this podium to my team, to the sponsors and to all the fans who have supported me from Brazil, and who support me even in difficult moments like that of Race 1. My 2022 season has been really positive, I have always been in the leading group and I finished all the races, even when I didn't have great feeling like at Le Mans or Mugello. If I look back, I have made very few mistakes and I am very proud of my season, which has been my best so far in MotoE. Of course I wanted to win, but being runner-up is also positive. It will push me to do better in the future.”
Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) - Fifth at the end of the MotoE World Cup 2022
“Misano is a special track for us and the San Marino GP is a sort of Home GP for the Team, so it's always an important weekend. On Friday I started with mixed feelings: I struggled a bit to find a good setting for the bike, but on the other hand I improved from FP1 to FP2 and managed to go straight into Q2. During qualifying, I ended up finishing in P6, which meant starting from the second row, not bad!
Race 1 wasn't the race we wanted, but that's how racing is. I made a mistake, but I didn't understand exactly what went wrong.
Unfortunately also Race 2 did not go well and it was not the best way to end the season here in Misano; I had a bad feeling with the bike. For the first few laps I felt good, but after two laps I started not feeling comfortable with the front and also with the rear when I was pushing. I am not happy, but on the other hand I am satisfied with my 2022 season. I have improved compared to 2021, which was my first year in MotoE: I got 5 podiums and I hope to continue improving next year as well. I will continue to do my best and hope to be more consistent throughout the season, without falls and injuries! Finally, I want to express a big thank you to the Team for the hard work they have done.”
MotoE World Cup 2022
The final classification of the championship
Photos: motogp.com
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