Opinion: Why you should watch MotoE

MotoE will enter its fifth season as a support class for MotoGP but has lacked viewership, compared to other Grand Prix classes. With new bikes, riders, and circuits, here are reasons why you should watch the championship.

Brand new bikes

In 2023 a brand-new sole bike supplier will enter the championship, with Ducati entering the series for the first time. They will be taking over from fellow Italian manufacturer Energica. The Energica Ego has been used in the championship since the first season in 2019.

Energica’s MotoE motorcycles weighed around 260kg and delivered around 163 hp. These motorcycles were incredibly fast and had instant torque for the rider. However, Ducati claims to have built a bike which weighs 225kg and around 150hp.

Although Ducati’s motorcycle has less power, it is 35kg lighter than Energica. The weight was the main issue for the riders, struggling to get the bike slowed down, resulting in slower lap times.

The riders will only be allowed six days of official pre-season testing before the first race weekend at Le Mans. Both tests will be held in Spain, with one at Jerez and the other pre-season test in Catalunya.

Big names

Tito Rabat will join the MotoE grid for 2023 with Pramac racing, as the Spanish rider attempts to add a second-world title to his CV. In 2014, Rabat won the Moto2 world championship, earning a place in MotoGP.

Current WorldSBK rider Eric Granado will continue in MotoE with the LCR team and will race for MIE Honda in WorldSBK. Granado is no stranger to the class, competing since 2019 and achieving second in the series last year.

Randy Krummenacher will return to a World Championship after spending a year in the Italian CIV series. Krummenacher won the World SuperSport championship in 2020, with Yamaha.

Matteo Ferrari returns to the series for a fifth season with the Felo Gresini team. Ferrari has had incredible success in the class, becoming the first-ever MotoE champion and yet to finish out of the top three in the series.

Close battles

Throughout the five seasons, there have been some incredibly close racing at Mugello, Assen and San Marino. In 2022 at Mugello, Dominique Aegerter and Marc Alcoba finished at the exact same time, resulting in a dead heat. 

The most famous moment came at the 2021 San Marino race 2, where championship rivals Dominique Aegerter and Jordi Torres were battling for the title. The title went down to the last lap when a move by Dominique Aegerter would force Torres to crash.

The championship would be decided in the stewards’ room, with Aegerter receiving a 38-second penalty. This would hand Torres the championship, ending the year with controversy.

World Championship status

For 2023 MotoE has been awarded World Championship status after four years of it being known as the World Cup. The calendar features eight events, with two races each race weekend. This just gives riders and teams just 16 races to fight for the World Championship, adding to the tension. 

Each race weekend has two races, which unlike MotoGP is not unusual for the series. These races are very short, making every corner count (each race is roughly seven laps).

A brand-new circuit

The MotoE calendar constantly changes yearly, allowing the riders to have a new challenge. For round five of the season, there would be a new circuit, Silverstone where MotoE has never been before.

This kicked off the second half of the season, where riders can take on the famous British circuit. With long straights and direction changes, it looks to provide exciting racing, pushing riders and bikes to the limit.

Images from motogp.com