(Finance) – A new era has begun for MotoE. With the official launch of the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE World Championship the electric competition gains World Championship status, runs more races in more countries than ever before and welcomes a new manufacturer: Ducati. Today Vallelunga hosted the official presentation in view of the competition which will begin in May, in the presence of the protagonists of the Championship. Francesco Starace, managing director and general manager of Is in the; Claudio Domenicali, managing director of Ducati Motors; And Carmelo Ezpeletamanaging director of Dorna Sportstook to the stage to welcome everyone to this new era of competition, which was followed by a presentation by Elisabetta RipaCEO of Enel X Way – Official Smart Charging Partner of FIM Enel MotoE World Championship. He also went on stage Philippe Jacquinsenior VP of tire development at Michelin, official and sole tire supplier of MotoE.
During the presentation the new Ducati V21L performed a demonstration lap along the Vallelunga circuit in the hands of the expert pilot Alex De Angelis. A perfect showcase for the new era, this demonstration ride closed the launch event waiting to crown the first MotoE World Champion.
“We are proud,” he said Starace – to be once again a partner of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship and to have another Italian excellence like Ducati with us in this adventure. The world of motorsport offers the ideal setting for integrating and testing cutting-edge charging technologies that can then be applied to everyday mobility, supporting the electrification of transport, which is a key element in ensuring the energy transition.”
“The decision to participate in the MotoE World Championship as the sole supplier of the bikes – he commented Sundays – is a key element of the Ducati strategy. In fact, electrification, together with the introduction of carbon neutral fuels for internal combustion engines (e-fuel), will be necessary to reduce Ducati’s carbon footprint and allow us to achieve our long-term sustainability goals. However, every true Ducati is above all emotion, so it is very important to manage this transition carefully, taking care to maintain the sporty character and pleasant riding characteristics of each Borgo Panigale bike. With the V21L we wanted to challenge the limits of the sector by aiming to create the most performing electric motorcycle ever made for the track. Above all, we wanted to develop the company’s internal skills to be ready when battery technology, in particular weight, will make it possible to create an electric road bike with all the characteristics that distinguish a Ducati. Having 18 riders with different needs and riding styles on the track at the same time represents a great opportunity for Ducati to study what could become the character of a future electric Ducati. The first tests in Jerez went very well. Despite the unfavorable weather, the feedback on the bike from the riders and teams was very good, with the new unofficial circuit record. Ducati has never built such a large number of prototypes and this too represents a challenge within a challenge for us.”
“As Official Smart Charging Partner of the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship, like Enel X Way – he said Ripa – we will leverage our experience to provide the championship with a sustainable charging solution. We will deliver two charging systems integrated into a fully sustainable micro-grid that also includes a number of battery storage systems and solar panels. This solution, developed specifically for the championship, gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that through innovation and R&D activities we can offer the best performance in the field of electric mobility”.
“From the very beginning, when we started collaborating with Enel, the goal for us at Dorna and for motorsport is everything – he declared Ezpeleta – was to consider any kind of new technology, and when electricity started to play an important role in the field of mobility, we understood how electric was a fundamental technology. Any kind of improvement over the last 100 years has come from racing: motorcycles, cars, all kinds of vehicles. First the technology is used in competition, and then it is perfected. Four years ago we thought the same thing. We shared these ideas with Enel and Energica, the previous manufacturer that we thank for these four years, and the goal was to develop the technology with the best MotoGP teams, on the best stages such as MotoGP, thanks also to the amplification of the television medium – to bring new technologies to the highest possible levels. We are very happy, the races are becoming more and more engaging and the new course with Ducati opens the door to another level, so the future looks even more interesting. This year the competition turns into a world championship, the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship: we are following the right path and it is important to provide the industry with the right tools to develop new technologies. Like everything we do in MotoGP, the goal is to improve every day. We begin each year in the awareness that the following year will have to be even more stimulating, and we continue along this path together. This concerns not only the motorbikes, but also the work done by Enel and all the technological part, with the transport of chargers and infrastructure around the world. We started in Jerez four years ago and the first experience was also challenging! We worked together to improve and I think today the FIM Enel MotoE World Championship is very different from then. We know a lot more than we did four years ago and I think in four years we will be able to say the same.”