From tomorrow, the MotoE World Championship 2024 teams and riders will be in Portimao for three days of pre-season testing for the first time. All the protagonists of last season will be present: from Mattia Casadei to Eric Granado, from Jordi Torres to Matteo Ferrari.
The 21 MotoE season officially starts on Wednesday, February 2024; it is the sixth season since its debut in 2019 and the second with the electric motorcycle by Ducati, the V21L. The Circuito do Algarve, in Portimao, hosts the pre-season tests of the MotoGP electric class. From Wednesday, 21st, to Friday, 23rd February, the teams competing in the MotoE World Championship will have four sessions of 15 minutes each available each day, for a total of approximately 120-130 laps overall over the three days of testing.
On Wednesday, the track will be for the exclusive use of MotoE, while on Thursday and Friday, it will be shared with the Moto3 and Moto2 riders. On Wednesday, sessions are scheduled to start at 10:00, 12:15, 14:30 and 16:45 local time, while on Thursday and Friday, the times are 9:30, 11:45, 14:00 and 16:15 local time.
What new features will we see in the tests of MotoE 2024 in Portimao?
What's new we'll see in these tests? On the rider side, there are several important changes. The first of all concerns the reigning world champion, Mattia Casadei, who announced the agreement with Lucio Cecchinello's LCR team. Casadei won the title with the PONS Racing team in 2023, the last year in the world championship for the Spanish team, which, in addition to the MotoE, also abandoned the Moto2 class. PONS Racing has been replaced by another Spanish team: Axxis – MSi, which in 2024 will line up with Miquel Pons and Oscar Gutierrez.
Two other teams are making their debut this year in MotoE: the Aruba Cloud MotoE team took the place of Pramac Racing, while the Swiss team Klint Forward Racing took over from the RNF team. The first of these teams lines up two rookies in MotoE, Chaz Davies and Armando Pontone, while the Forward team has chosen two veterans, Maria Herrera and Andrea Mantovani.
Among other news on the pilot side, we mention Nicholas Spinelli, winner of the last race of 2023, who this year will be in the Tech3 team together with Alessandro Zaccone and Kevin Zannoni, who moved from Sic58 Squadra Corse to the Aspar team. Massimo Roccoli arrives in his place in the Italian team. Lastly, we remember Lukas Tulovic, who returns in MotoE, this time with the Dynavolt IntactGP team.
Focus on the tyres during the three days of testing of the MotoE 2024
If, as far as the bike is concerned, there won't be any big news waiting for the new Ducati model for the two-year period 2025-2026, significant changes are expected on the tyre front. Last year, on several occasions, the Michelin tyres suffered from the performance step introduced by the V21L, especially the front tyre. Since the first tests in 2023, many riders have complained of excessive front tyre wear. Last September, Michelin had brought new tyres, which the riders had tested on the eve of the Misano GP before the end of the championship. With the data collected at that time, Michelin developed the design of the tyres that the MotoE team's riders will evaluate in these three days on the Portuguese track.
However, the three days in Algarve will not be a simple test for the tyres. Given the limited track time during the official rounds of the championship, teams need to find a good basic set-up during testing to have a clear direction for the development during the championship. Starting from Wednesday, we will see who will find the best balance between the bike and new tyres first. On Epaddock.it you will find daily updates about the tests of the MotoE in Portimao.
For the occasion, the stands of the Portuguese circuit will be open, free of charge.
A further day of testing will take place on 21 March, again in Portimao, before the official start of the 2024 MotoE World Championship at the Portuguese GP, on 22 and 23 March.
The list of teams and riders of the MotoE World Championship 2024
These are the teams and riders of the MotoE World Championship 2024:
LCR E-Team: Mattia Casadei – Eric Granado
Felo Gresini MotoE rider: Matteo Ferrari – Alessio Finello
Openbank Aspar team: Jordi Torres – Kevin Zannoni
Tech3 E-Racing: Alessandro Zaccone – Nicholas Spinelli
Dynavolt Intact GP: Lukas Tulovic – Hector Garzò
Ongetta Sic58 Squadra Corse: Kevin Manfredi – Massimo Roccoli
Axxis – MSi: Miquel Pons – Oscar Gutierrez
Klint Forward Racing: Andrea Mantovani – Maria Herrera
Aruba Cloud MotoE: Chaz Davies – Armando Pontone
MotoE World Championship 2024
The calendar of MotoE 2024: 16 races and the new-entry of Portimao
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