Rennie Scaysbrook | February 6, 2018
MotoGP FIM MotoE World Cup Officially Launched—MotoGP commercial rights holder Dorna has officially launched the 2019 MotoE World Cup in Rome overnight with three-time World Champion Loris Capirossi riding a new Energica Ego at the ceremony.
Energica was recently announced as the sold motorcycle supplier for the series, along with series sponsor Enel and Michelin tires in what will be the world’s premier motorcycle racing series’ first official foray into electric motorcycle competition.
“We are delighted to announce this new Dorna-Enel partnership, with Enel having shown a solid plan in the development of renewable energy generation technologies,” said FIM President, Vito Ippolito. “We are absolutely confident that the partnership between Dorna, Energica, and Enel will ensure that within the sports sector, we are contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related with Affordable Clean Energy.”
Teams lining up to race
The series will see 18 machines on the grid fielded by 11 teams, with current MotoGP teams Tech 3, LCR, Marc VDS, Pramac, Avintia, Angel Nieto (formerly Aspar) and Gresini all confirming two rider entries.
“Today we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Enel as the official title sponsor for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, as well as being the Sustainable Power Partner of MotoGP—a technical partner we look forward to working within this new venture,” said Dorna CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta. “We are satisfied with the commitment and values Enel encapsulates, as they perfectly highlight the principles that the new FIM Enel MotoE World Cup is founded on. We are very proud to work with such a global, innovative and far-reaching company such as Enel and look forward to the collaboration which also involves IRTA, the MotoGP Independent Teams, and the excellent Energica bike. You can be sure that together we can make the Cup a resounding success.”
Enel will design and deliver smart charging devices to ensure fast charging for the Energica machines, whereby a specially designed battery-equipped mobile charger, capable of fully charging the electric motorcycle in less than 30 minutes, will be connected to the Enel’s smart e-mobility platform to optimize the charging process.
The race calendar for the inaugural 2019 series is yet to be finalized, but it is expected it will consist of five, eight lap races, all held within Europe.