After an excellent fourth place in Jerez two weeks ago, Mattia Casadei did another exceptional race in the French GP at Le Mans. Casadei started from fifteenth position on the grid and, lap after lap, he was able to recover many positions without making mistakes or being involved in accidents by other riders. Casadei's progression was impressive: in the first lap he gains five positions, in another two laps he reaches sixth place, with two laps to go he is fifth and with two overtakes in the final lap he reaches the third position. The last position is earned after the checkered flag, due to the penalty to Alessandro Zaccone who was second at the finish line but in the last lap he had gone outside the track, on the green area beyond the curb.
In the general standings Mattia Casadei is second with 33 points, 8 points less than Alessandro Zaccone who leads the MotoE World Cup after two races. Next appointment on June 6th in Barcelona.
Here are the words of Marco Grana, technical manager of the Sic58 Squadra Corse team, on the start of the season of Mattia Casadei in MotoE.
MotoE World Cup 2021
The report of the French GP of the MotoE World Cup
Marco Grana (Technical Director Sic58 Squadra Corse)
“The period before the start of the MotoE was complicated by the foot injury that Mattia suffered on the eve of the first test, in March. This forced him to skip the first test session completely and he was able to ride the MotoE only in the last test, two weeks before the first race in Jerez.
The foot surgery operation done in March went well but unfortunately, in the fall during the EPole on Saturday, Mattia hit the same foot and therefore he limped a bit but the overall physical condition is good.
When we arrive on the track on Friday we think we are already ok with the set-up, but then we realize that we have to change it completely. This happens because we skipped the first test; at each race we find ourselves chasing the others because we have not been able to make real comparisons on this year's new components; I am referring to the front fork and tyres. Based on the data we have, the most important performance step we observed came from the new Michelin tyres which have much more grip and consistency, as can be seen from the lap-times."
“I am very happy because, despite the initial gap, both Mattia and the team are working very well and at the end of the race we are with on top. We still need a final step to take the first win in MotoE. The element on which we need to improve is the EPole; we must be able to start from the first or the second row to fight with the top riders right away. In the race we know we are strong and we proved it on Sunday as well: Mattia started fifteenth on the grid and finished second just three tenths from the winner. We need to start from the front to fight for the victory more decisively."
MotoE World Cup 2021
The gallery of the French GP of the MotoE 2021
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