MotoE 2022 - After the Spanish GP, we asked Matteo Ferrari for an analysis of the races at Jerez and to explain why with a lighter bike, performance has not improved compared to last year. With acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h like a MotoGP, the MotoE pays for the heavy weight on the front when braking.
We are on the eve of the second round of the MotoE World Cup 2022. The first took place in Jerez two weeks ago, while this weekend the MotoGP electric class riders will compete on the French circuit of Le Mans. For the fourth consecutive year Matteo Ferrari will take part in the electric championship which is part of the world championship.
For those who have not followed the MotoE in his first seasons, Matteo Ferrari was the winner of the first edition of the MotoE World Cup, in 2019 with the Gresini Racing team. In the following two years, again with the Italian team, Ferrari finished second and third respectively in the overall standings.
Given his great experience in MotoE, we asked him for an analysis of the races in Jerez and to explain why with a lighter bike, performance hasn't improved compared to last year.
“This year the bike has changed a lot, the lower weight has greatly reduced the inertia of the bike. The weight reduction mainly concerned the engine, thus, by decreasing the mass of the rotating components, the overall inertia of the bike decreased.
Now the MotoE is easier to ride into the corner but using the rear brake has become more complicated. Last year the inertia of the rear motor-tire assembly was so high that you could act decisively on the rear brake to slow the bike down. This year, on the other hand, you have to be more delicate otherwise you risk braking too much and locking the wheel.
By now, after two test sessions, all the teams have now found a good overall set-up. I saw instead that all the riders are still trying to find the right rear brake set, which, as I said, has changed a lot.”
MotoE World Cup 2022
New components and less weight for the MotoE 2022
“The braking has changed both for the lower inertia, as I said before, and for the engine brake which is completely different from the previous one. To sum up, the bike is lighter, but the rear brake is more difficult to use and the engine brake has different reactions that we still have to get used to; what emerges is a behavior of the bike under braking that still needs to be brought into focus.
The acceleration of the bike this year is also very different, especially at the start there is a lot of torque compared to other years. With this bike we can no longer start with full throttle, otherwise the bike has a wheelie. You have to understand how to get off to a good start because you can reach 2,5 seconds of acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h as in the MotoGP bikes.”
“Plus, I saw that the bike changed a bit between testing and the race. At the tests, the track conditions weren't perfect, but the bike was slower than last year, it went like in 2020. Then in the race the bike went better and we all decreased the laptimes, a sign that Energica worked on it to optimize the bike.
At tests the pace was 1:49 while in the race we were at 1:48 and the tires were the same. I think in Energica people have worked to improve the power output between testing and racing. The maximum speed in the tests were also lower than usual, but then in the race we were back to the normal values.
Perhaps at the beginning an attempt was made to see if with less weight it was possible to be as fast as last year while consuming less battery, but this was not the case. Obviously it wasn't enough to have less weight to be faster, because in a bike there are many factors that need a good balance."
MotoE World Cup 2022
The results of the first round of the 2022 season in Jerez
“This change between test and race mixed things up a bit, because the set-up we had prepared was not the best for the race. Looking at the telemetry data after FP2, the team and I had seen that something had changed a bit but we didn't want to alter the setup so as not to risk compromising the qualifying and the two races. However, I am happy with the races in Jerez because I went faster than last year and managed to take a podium in Race 1. In 2021, I hadn't really been in the match.
In Race 2, I got a bad start and was stuck behind Okubo for a long time, who is not an easy one to overtake. There I lost time and when I overtaked him, at the middle of the race, there was no more time to recover the gap from the leaders.”
“In the end, I scored 26 points which is the highest number of points I have ever had after two races of the MotoE. Grando had a great weekend managing the two races well but I expect the scenario to change as we move from one circuit to another. It will also depend on who will be able to find the right set-up immediately because compared to previous years we have one less free practice session. Indeed, almost two because FP1 at 8:25 in the morning will hardly be able to give us reliable informations due to the low temperatures."
“This year the values have been mixed up a bit than usual. In Jerez I saw both Torres and Aegerter in a bit of trouble. The latter then managed to recover a bit and take a second place, while Torres did not. Aegerter in the fight is very strong and hardly makes mistakes while in Jerez he made a couple of mistakes. Granado did very well, as did Pons who always has good results at Jerez. Mattia (Casadei) was also very good, in my opinion he was the strongest in the leading group, too bad he made a couple of mistakes. However the differences are minimal at the moment, I haven't seen anyone go much faster than the others. I think these riders that will be strongest throughout the championship.
Now let's go to Le Mans where I expect to go very well because it's a track I like where I know I can do well; victory is my goal."
MotoE World Cup 2022
MotoE at Le Mans: TV and streaming schedule of the French GP
Photos: MotoGP.com and Gresini Racing
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