The Tech3 E-Racing team, with its riders Alessandro Zaccone and Nicholas Spinelli, concluded the first official test of the MotoE 2024 at the Portimao circuit. The results were excellent for both Hervé Poncharal riders.
The last time the electric MotoGP class took to the track was in September in Italy, on the occasion of the 2023 San Marino GP, in which Mattia Casadei won the 2023 World Championship title. A few months have passed, and the MotoE teams are back on track to kick off the 2024 season with three days of pre-season test in Portimao, Portugal. Precisely on the same track, in a month, the MotoE World Championship will start for its sixth season. The Tech3 E-Racing team has confirmed Alessandro Zaccone for the 2024 season and has chosen Nicholas Spinelli as his teammate. Here's the recap.
The Portimao test couldn't have started better on Wednesday, with a 1-2 for the Tech3 E-Racing team after the first day of activity. Nicholas Spinelli, winner of a race in the MotoE, was the fastest of the day with a best lap of 1'47.632, followed by teammate Alessandro Zaccone, who was in P2 just 0,101 seconds behind after four sessions of fifteen minutes each. Excellent teamwork for the Tech3 riders.
Also on the second day, Spinelli and Zaccone performed four more sessions on the Portuguese roller coaster. Hector Garzò was the fastest, overtaking Spinelli at the top of the timesheets, but the number 29 of the French team still climbed onto the virtual podium and closed the second day in second place with a 1'47.036, improving his time by Wednesday by 0,596 seconds. Zaccone continued to make progress with his Ducati V21L, especially in the third session, just before the rain interrupted the day. His lap of 1'47.274 allowed him to finish the second day in fourth place.
The overnight rain left a treacherous track for the MotoE class on Friday morning when a race simulation was scheduled. Alessandro Zaccone took P6 at the end of the seven laps, with a best lap of 2'01.992. Unfortunately, Spinelli crashed on lap four after an excellent start. He was the fastest on the third lap. The day then continued with the conclusion of the test programs for both riders. Zaccone took first place in session 2, while Spinelli was third fastest in P3, but track conditions were not as good as the previous day, and times did not drop on Friday. Spinelli's best lap on the second day places him in second position in the overall standings of the official MotoE test in Portimao, while Zaccone, with his best time on Thursday, finished sixth in the overall standings.
This concluded a very positive and encouraging test for the Tech3 E-Racing team, which will return on track together with all the MotoE teams, the Thursday before the Portuguese Grand Prix for a final day of testing. The MotoE World Championship will officially start in Portimao on March 22-23, 2024.
Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-Racing rider)
"I am really happy with these three days of tests. The feeling with the bike was good and we worked well with my new team. I am disappointed with my crash this morning during the race simulation, but overall, we are leaving Portimao happy. The season will start in one month now, and I am looking forward to giving my best in 2024!"
Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing rider)
"We are super happy with this test because we are feeling so much better on the bike than last year, so this is a big step for us. Unfortunately, today was not great because I was sick all night and I could not give my 100%, but day XNUMX and XNUMX were really positive for us. We have another day of testing in Portimao on the Thursday before the Portuguese GP, and then we will be fully ready for the season! Thank you to my team for the work this week!"
MotoE World Championship 2024
The gallery of the test in Portimao
Hervé Poncharal (Tech3 E-Racing director)
"Strong start to the season for the Tech3 E-Racing team at the Portimao Test. We have a new line up, as we welcomed to the team Nicholas Spinelli who we carefully followed in 2023, and we were pleased to retain Alessandro Zaccone for another season. The results of this first official test are very encouraging for the Tech3 E-Racing squad. New recruit Nicholas ends the test second fastest rider after twelve tough sessions and a race simulation, and his teammate Alessandro finishes sixth, so having both our riders in the top 6 is very exciting for us.There have also been a few changes within our technical crew, as we have welcomed three new members this year, and I think that we had a great atmosphere in the box. Having two good riders happy to be back on track, together with a well qualified staff eager to be part of the 2024 season has been the key to a good vibe in the box during this test, and I hope it continues this way when the season starts. Ducati made a step in tuning their V21L, and Michelin brought interesting updates on their tyres, so I believe that the electric class will beat records in 2024, and we have an exciting electric season ahead of us! Thank you to both riders and crew for their work, and we’ll see them in one month at the Portuguese Grand Prix for the opening round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship."
The combined times of the three days of the MotoE test in Portimao
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