The Epole and Race 1 of the French GP of the MotoE World Cup 2020 took place on Saturday at Le Mans circuit. On Sunday the eighteen riders of the championship are engaged in Race 2 at 15:40 for the final race of the MotoE 2020. Here's what the riders said at the end of the first race.
Jordi TORRES - Join Contract Pons 40
“Today the EPole went very well. While you are doing the lap you don't really know how you are doing it until you see the time and it has gone great, achieving the first EPole. Then, already in the race, the red flag has us made to start again. I started calmly, very focused on our objective and with the fall of Ferrari I stayed in the first position. I set my pace, very stable, taking as few risks as possible. The team did a great job , managing well the advantage we had with the rivals and everything has been favorable for us today. I am very happy with this first victory and now we are leaders of the championship. Tomorrow we will have to start very concentrated, thinking about achieving the goal and avoiding making mistakes and being cautious".
Mike DI MEGLIO - Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS
“I am very happy to be back on the podium in MotoE and in particular here in my home race. I was much more aggressive from the beginning in the second start and I was relieved not to be caught in the incident at turn three because I could hear the crash behind me. Ferrari also crashed in front of me and unfortunately I hit him and I hope he is fine. That meant I lost contact with Torres in the early stages but once I got past Tuuli I felt really strong. My pace was very strong on the last lap and I just kept trying to put pressure on Torres to see if he made a mistake. I was also careful not to push over the limit because a crash means I’d have to start tomorrow from the back of the grid. Second place is fantastic, and I want to say thanks to the team for all their hard work and support this year. Hopefully we can back on the podium tomorrow to finish the 2020 season in the best possible way ".
Niki TUULI - Avant Ajo MotoE
“It's a very good feeling to be back on the podium. It was a crazy race, since at the second corner there was a crash that forced me to change my line to avoid going down. After what happened, I tried to stay focused and set my own pace. Unlike previous contests that have seen a group at the front, today I was able to ride calmer knowing that the gap to the rivals behind me was greater. I tried to follow the second placed rider to hunt down the leader and I felt very comfortable. I really enjoyed this round and I am very happy to have achieved this third position today."
Joshua HOOK - OCTO Pramac MotoE
“The race was difficult because of the red flag, but I'm happy with how the race went in general and the result. Tomorrow I will start from fourth position and we can fight for the podium."
Tommaso MARCON - Tech3 E-racing
“The race was very strange with only five laps. I was starting from fourteenth position. At the first corner there were some crashes and I was lucky enough to be able to avoid them. In the end, I set a good pace, I increased my lap time by a second from the EPole and I finished fifth, so I'm happy. Thanks to the team and all the sponsors. Now let's work for tomorrow."
Eric GRANADO - Avintia Esponsorama Racing
“Chaotic race today. We had two rare starts, in the second there were many crashes and I had to brake a lot and I lost many positions. In this incident we lost the opportunity to make a podium but we were able to go back to sixth position. Tomorrow I will start the race in the second row, and this gives me much more confidence going into the race”.
Maria HERRERA - Openbank Aspar Team
“It was a very crazy race, in which I started very well on both occasions. I have seen actions of other riders that have not been correct, and it has been seen in the crashes. In the second outing, the tyres were cold and I didn't feel well, I was skidding a lot, but little by little I have increased the pace and have started riding faster. I'm very happy to have been able to fight, but it was a shame that there were so many crashes because they separated us a lot. For tomorrow's race I have a good position on the grid and, with confidence, I think we can improve a lot".
Alejandro MEDINA - Openbank Aspar Team
"The appearance of the red flag was a shame, because in the first race I had started very well and I had placed second. In the second start, I had to be careful with the tyres and I did well, but in the second lap I went long, I had a problem entering the chicane and I lost several positions, I could not find the grip. We'll see tomorrow, we can have a good race".
Alessandro ZACCONE - TRENTINO Gresini MotoE
“Little to say, it was difficult to be fast with just a few laps. I didn't shine in qualifying even though I managed to repeat yesterday's best lap. Then in the race the accident slowed me down immediately after a few corners. I recovered and even managed to make a couple of overtakes. Tomorrow we start later and we will try to do even better”.
Lukas TULOVIC - Tech3 E-racing
“This morning, I never expected to finish the race in tenth position in dry conditions, so I’m really happy and really surprised. Of course, we benefitted a bit from the crashes, the first one with Casadei for the red flag. After the restart for the five laps race, three riders crashed, but it also cost me some time, because I had to avoid the bikes and went off track. Then I was fighting back a bit, overtook two riders, almost three and finishing the race in P10, taking some points for the championship is more than I expected, so I’m really happy for this”.
Xavier Cardelus - Avintia Esponsorama Racing
“The race was weird and bumpy. In the second outing, the accident of the first braking hurt me a lot since I had to avoid one of the bikes. Tomorrow we hope to have a better race”.
Alex DE ANGELIS - OCTO Pramac MotoE
“In the crash this morning unfortunately I hurt my shoulder where I had an operation four years ago and I had no strength in my arm during the race. I wasn't able to push as I wanted, but I still managed to finish the race. I hope to feel better tomorrow".
Jakub KORNFEIL - WithU Motorsport
“We finished in the points again, even though today was a difficult race for us. From the first lap I never had a good feeling, especially with the tyres, as they didn't get up to an optimal temperature. Luckily I felt a little better with the front end, as the compound gained a few degrees with my heavy braking. The first part of the race was good and, despite having to avoid a crash on the first lap, I was closing the gap to those at the front. Unfortunately my times slowed down as the race progressed, due to the issue I mentioned. For tomorrow we will try to analyse what happened and find a solution. I want to enjoy what will be the last race of 2020 and close the year with a good result”.
Dominique AEGERTER - Dynavolt Intact GP
“Today was once again very unfortunate. After the second start, in the first chicane, I was kicked off the bike again, which is bitter because there was absolutely nothing I could have done. Then I continued the race because I didn't want to give up so easily. Because of the total of four crashed riders, I assumed that the race would be stopped again. I am convinced that the red flag should have come out again because there were still three motorcycles lying on the track. I cannot understand this decision. Fortunately, I was able to save two points this time, but my title rival Jordi Torres has just won 25 points. I'm angry and disappointed because we certainly could have fought for the podium again, if not for victory. That was my goal. With the extremely bad starting position for tomorrow's race, it will be difficult to win the title on my own. Of course, I'll give it my best from the back. It's not my fault, but I'm still so sorry for the team, the sponsors, and my fans because we all thought we could turn things around here again. Now I hope that tomorrow all Guardian Angels and all the luck in this world will be on my side again”.
Matteo FERRARI - TRENTINO Gresini MotoE
“It's not the best Saturday of my life, but we're still second and it's a position we have to defend. Very sorry because we had been very good, we had made two excellent starts, but then a cold tyre cheated us. In the race I could manage it quietly, tomorrow I will race to defend second place, but in MotoE everything could happen so never say never".
Xavier SIMEON - LCR E-Team
“I did a good start today. Due to the red flag, it was very important to be in front directly from the first corners. I was a little bit inside to enter the chicane and when I leaned in more, I just lost the rear. I did a 360 ° that made Niccolò and Aegerter crash with me. I am really sorry for them. I made a mistake. It is a pity also for us because we are fast and very competitive and we really do have potencial to fight for the podium”.
Niccolò CANEPA - LCR E-Team
“On this track, I was feeling great because I have a lot of experience here. I did not make a good lap time in the E-Pole but I could have been on the podium today. I am sad but these things happen. Now the end of the season is a bit compromised because we will start from last position tomorrow. We’ll try to do our best but in 7 laps is not possible to go back to the top which is what I wanted to do and what I needed”.
Race 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 15:40 pm (local time). Here you can find the general standings with one race to go
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