One year after the first track test at Misano, Ducati is manufacturing the eighteen bikes that will be the protagonists of the MotoE World Championship 2023. At the beginning of March, in Jerez, the debut on track for the first pre-season test.
In December 2021, just over a year ago, the first test of the MotoE of Ducati with Michele Pirro took place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Now, after several months of tests, analysis and checks, the construction of the "V21L" prototypes, the protagonists of the 2023 season of the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship, is finally underway. Production of the bikes started in December, and the 23 units will be ready by mid-February. In addition to the 18 motorcycles assigned to the teams, 5 reserve units will be added at the organisation's disposal to replace damaged and non-repairable motorcycles during the race weekend. The first made-in-Ducati electric motorcycles are assembled by technicians from the Ducati Corse Department, who work alongside the colleagues who build the MotoGP bikes.
As stated by Ducati: “The start of production of the 'V21L' prototypes represents the beginning of a new and important chapter in Ducati's history. For the Bologna-based company, this project was born with the aim of developing skills for its future, maintaining the approach that has always fuelled Ducati's DNA: experimenting with technological solutions in the world of racing and working to ensure that everything developed in this area can then be used on motorbikes destined for enthusiasts all over the world. To do this, Ducati created the world's most technological, refined and sophisticated electric motorcycle, the result of the joint work of Ducati R&D engineers and the Ducati Corse team."
The Ducati "V21L" represents the MotoGP of electric motorcycles: it has the chassis dimensions, electronic technologies and stylistic features developed by Ducati Corse for the Panigale of the SBK World Championship. It is the result of the best skills of the two worlds, racing and production, a prototype with which Ducati experiments in a world yet to be discovered, that of electric sport bikes.
In this interview with Andrea Ferraresi, Head of Design at Ducati, you will find the story of the birth of the V21L, developed following the "Manual of the good Ducati designer".
Interview with Andrea Ferraresi
The design of the MotoE explained by the Director of the Ducati Centro Stile
After a year of tests that have seen Michele Pirro, Chaz Davies and, above all, Alex De Angelis take turns riding the 'V21L' prototype, the Ducati MotoE project is getting closer to the moment when the bikes will take to the track. The first test with the riders and teams who will compete in the 2023 World Championship is scheduled for 6, 7, and 8 March in Jerez de la Frontera, which will be followed by another three-day test on 3, 4, and 5 April at the Montmelò circuit in Barcelona.
At that point, teams and riders will be ready for their race debut, in the French Grand Prix on Saturday 13 May, at the Le Mans circuit. The 2023 MotoE World Championship calendar is spread over eight Grands Prix with two races per weekend, both on Saturdays. After the French debut, the MotoE World Championship will be present in all the following European races until the end in Misano, on the weekend of 9-10 September. The other stages of the MotoE World Championship will be: Mugello on the weekend of 10-11 June, Sachsenring after seven days and Assen, on the weekend of 24-25 June. After the summer break, the Ducatis MotoE will be back on track at Silverstone on August 5, before tackling the final three Grands Prix at the Red Bull Ring (August 19), Catalunya (September 2) and Misano (September 9).
Ducati MotoE
The gallery of Ducati's electric motorbike
Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO
“The start of production of the Ducati MotoE is a historic moment for our company, which with this project is thoroughly studying the technologies of the future for the world of motorcycling. It is an important area of experimentation, in which we are investing to build know-how, so that we will be ready when battery technology should allow the creation of an exciting electric road bike with the weight, performance and range that enthusiasts expect from a Ducati. We are therefore embarking on this new adventure with the aim of developing the people and skills within the company to shape what the character of a future Ducati electric road bike might be. The MotoE project represents a decisive step for Ducati to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions on the product side, alongside research into synthetic fuels (eFuel) that can reduce the total CO2 emissions of internal combustion engines to zero. Environmental sustainability is something that all individuals and all companies must consider a priority if the delicate balance of the planet is to be preserved. Ducati is committed to this also at industrial level, and the construction of the new Finitura e Delibera Estetica area classified as Nearly Zero Energy Building is just the latest example."
Photos: Ducati
To be updated on the MotoE World Championship, subscribe to Epaddock's Whatsapp broadcast and receive all our news for free on your mobile phone in real time: find out how here.
