The teams and riders of the MotoE World Championship 2024 are in Portimao for the first time for three days of pre-season testing. At the end of the first day, the riders with the best laptime were the two of the Tech3 E-Racing team: Nicholas Spinelli and Alessandro Zaccone. Behind them, Kevin Zannoni and the reigning champion, Mattia Casadei. The tests will end on Friday.
Today, Wednesday, 21 February, with the tests in Portimao, the 2024 MotoE season officially started; the sixth since its debut in 2019 and the second with the electric motorcycle by Ducati, the V21L. The Autodromo 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 have four sessions of 15 minutes each available each day, for a total of around 120 laps overall over the three days of testing.
On the first day, the fastest rider was Nicholas Spinelli, winner of the last race of 2023 in Misano, who joined the Tech3 team this year. The second-best time of the day was set by his teammate, Alessandro Zaccone. Behind them, we find two other Italian riders, Kevin Zannoni, making his debut with the Openbank Aspar team, and the 2023 world champion, Mattia Casadei, who moved to the LCR E-Team this year. Fifth, closing the Top5 of the day, the two-time champion of MotoE, Jordi Torres.
Matteo Ferrari and Eric Granado, two of the sure protagonists of the 2024 season, are slightly separated from the leading riders, a sign that they probably worked differently to find the correct set-up for the new tyres brought by Michelin. Two fast riders throughout the day are Hector Garzò, with the sixth final time, and rookie Oscar Gutierrez.
The times over the four sessions that took place today decreased considerably, from Garzò's 1:49.336 in the morning, up to Spinelli's 1:47.632 in the last session. If track conditions allow it, in the next two days we will see the times drop even further, at least by another second. In the next two days the MotoE will share the track with Moto3 and Moto2. Thursday and Friday the sessions reserved for MotoE are at: 9:30, 11:45, 14:00 and 16:15 local time.
On Epaddock.it you will find daily updates on 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.
Times of the last session of the first day of testing of the MotoE 2024 in Portimao
Focus on tyres during the three days of testing of the MotoE 2024 in Portimao.
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.
The three days in the Algarve will not, however, simply be a 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 of development during the championship. Starting from Wednesday, we will see who will be the riders who find the best balance between bike and new tyres.
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
The times of the third session of the first day of testing MotoE 2024 in Portimao
The times of the second session of the first day of testing MotoE 2024 in Portimao
The times of the first session of the first day of testing of the MotoE 2024 in Portimao
MotoE World Championship 2024
The calendar of MotoE 2024: 16 races and the new-entry of Portimao
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