With the presentation of the Forward Racing team, the lineup of the teams for the MotoE World Championship 2024 is completed. In the event held in Milan, Forward Racing presented teams and riders for the Moto2 and MotoE World Championships.
The Forward Racing team is certainly one of the main novelties of the MotoE World Championship 2024. Those who regularly follow Epaddock already know the path that brought Giovanni Cuzari's team into the electric class of MotoGP; despite this, let's make a brief summary for those who missed the previous episodes.
Forward Racing takes over MotoE to the Cryptodata RNF team, a team that was excluded from the world championship at the end of 2023 for failing to comply with various contractual obligations. In MotoGP, the two ex-RNF Aprilias were taken over by the new American team Trackhouse, while the two Ducati V21L for the MotoE World Championship were taken by Cuzari, whose team, between Moto2 and MotoE, will line up four riders in the 2024 World Championship.
In Moto2, Forward Racing is one of the two manufacturers, together with Boscoscuro, not to be part of the Kalex motorcycle line-up that dominates the starting grid of the world championship. For years, in fact, the Forward Racing team has been designing, developing and manufacturing its own Moto2 bikes.
On the occasion of the official presentation of the team, we got to know directly the new team that will line up Alex Escrig and Xavi Artigas in Moto2, and Andrea Mantovani and Maria Herrera in MotoE.
Alex Escrig is in his second season with the Forward team after racing in MotoE with the Tech3 team in the 2022 season, while Xavi Artigas is a rookie in Moto2. Andrea Mantovani raced in MotoE last year with the RNF team, winning two races at Mugello and in Barcelona, while Maria Herrera is in her sixth season in MotoE after five years spent in the Aspar team.
Mantovani will find Ramon Forcada in the Forward garage, a technician famous for having supported riders such as Jorge Lorenzo, Franco Morbidelli and Andrea Dovizioso in MotoGP, and his crew chief just last year in RNF.
Andrea Mantovani (Forward Racing MotoE)
“I am very happy to join the Forward family for the 2024 season. I am convinced that I will have all the tools to do well and therefore I can't wait to start the season with this new adventure. The first tests will be in Portimao and I'm really excited. I thank the team and all the sponsors for this occasion.
This year, the starting target is to fight for the title. With Forward I find all the people who were with me on the RNF team last year, including Ramon, so I'm super happy. Last year's results, the podiums and victories, came thanks to the guys in the garage who explained to me how to ride this bike and go fast, this year we need to improve further.
Last year, in addition to the good results, there were too many falls. I'm used to giving everything, even over 100%: sometimes the victory comes, and other times, I end up in the gravel. This year I have to understand when it's time to push and when to bring home important points, I'll have to go a little against miself because I'm never satisfied.
On a couple of occasions, however, I had strange reactions from the tyres; I thought I was in control, but I crashed. The Michelins MotoE are tires in continuous development, and 2023 was the first year they were mounted on the Ducati V21L, I expect them to be better in many aspects this year.”
Maria Herrera (Forward Racing MotoE)
“I am very happy with this new opportunity. I needed a change, I'm motivated and can't wait to start the season. My goal is to rediscover the pleasure of riding and the good sensations needed to fight for the top positions. We need a good season and I know Forward can help me. I thank the team for this opportunity. Let's work to do well!
This is my sixth year in MotoE, a category whose bike is very different from any other. The bike has become lighter over the years and this is very positive. Last year I wasn't able to find a setting that was right for me and the results didn't arrive. I am very happy that this year among the technicians I will find people with whom I have worked in the past and with whom I got along very well and it will be a thrill to have Ramon Forcada in the garage, I expect to do well with the new team".
Ramon Forcada (Forward Racing MotoE)
"The project MotoE is growing a lot and becoming important, and it's good that new teams, like Forward, decided to join it. The bike is very good; the Ducati V21L is a real racing bike. This championship is growing, and this is important because we need it to experiment with the ecological solutions for our future, of which electric is one, while MotoGP will test Efuels. It's not easy because all of us in the world championship like to burn petrol, it's our background, it's not an easy change but we have to make it.
This year, my only commitment will be MotoE; we have to concentrate well. I have known Andrea Mantovani since last year. We won two races, and this year, we have to fight for the world championship; we are here to win, everybody always races to win. Plus, there will also be Maria Herrera, who I already knew before and with whom we can achieve good results."
In two weeks, the Forward Racing MotoE team will bring its Ducati V21L on track in the three days of testing scheduled on the Portimao circuit from February 21 to 23.
MotoE World Championship 2024
The calendar of MotoE 2024: 16 races and the new-entry of Portimao
In addition to the Forward Racing team, there will be two other teams making their debut in the MotoE 2024 World Championship : MT Helmets Msi, with Miquel Pons and Oscar Gutierrez, and Aruba Cloud MotoE, with Chaz Davies and Armando Pontone.
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
Sic58 Squadra Corse: Kevin Manfredi – Massimo Roccoli
MT Helmets – MSi: Miquel Pons – Oscar Gutierrez
Forward Racing: Andrea Mantovani – Maria Herrera
Aruba Cloud MotoE: Chaz Davies – Armando Pontone
Photos: MotoGP and Forward Racing
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