A Guide to the FIM Moto E World Cup

In 2019, the MotoGP paddock will host a new electric category in the form of the FIM Enel Moto E World Cup, as part of the global effort to combine racing with speed and sustainability.

So, with no further ado, here is everything you need to know about the 2019 FIM Enel Moto E World Cup. 

The Bike

The Moto E World Cup will use bikes manufactured by the Energica Motor Company, that use a high voltage lithium ion battery that produces around 120kW (160bhp).

In addition, the battery will use a Fast Charge DC Mode 4, which will allow it to reach 85% charge within 20 minutes.

The Energica Ego Corsa also uses a ride-by-wire throttle system that’ll reach around 5,000rpm. 

The riders are expected to achieve a top speed of 270km/h (168mph), with Michelin and Brembo involved as technical partners.

Dorna Sports Safety Advisor Loris Capirossi – a winner of eight MotoGP races – was one of the first people to test the bike and discussed what it is like to ride:

“When you get on and start, you don’t realise that it’s electric,” Capirossi said.

“The weight distribution is low, while the throttle connection is easy, precisely because it’s electric.”

Capirossi added: “The torque is always constant as there is no gearbox, while the weight is over 240kg plus, I must say that the bike is not bad at all in direction changes.”

Calendar and Format

The inaugural Moto E World Cup calendar will be made up of six races across four Grand Prix weekends, all of which will be contested in Europe.

The season was due to kick-off with races at Jerez and Le Mans. However, these were cancelled after a fire broke in a specially-built facility that housed the Moto E bikes.

Subsequently, Germany’s Sachsenring will host the first Moto E race on July 7.

The series will then travel to Austria in August and will be followed by a double-header in San Marino on the 14 and 15 September 2019.

To compensate for the cancelled races at the start of the season, two new races in Valencia will have been added. 

They’ll occur on the 16 and 17 November and will sign off the 2019 FIM Enel Moto E World Cup.

The Moto E format will consist of the following:

• Two free practices on Fridays
• A Qualifying Session on Saturdays
• The proposed ten-lap race will take place on Sundays before the Moto3 race
• A race each on the Saturday and Sunday for the double-headers in Misano and Valencia

Riders and Teams

18 riders across 12 teams will race in the 2019 FIM Moto E World Cup and features many recognisable names in the world of motorcycle racing.

Former MotoGP rider Bradley Smith – who topped the timesheets in the first Moto E test – will compete alongside the likes of Alex de Angelis, Sete Gibernau, Randy de Puniet and Xavier Simeon.

Joining them on the grid will be 125cc world champions Mike Di Meglio and Nico Terol and FIM CEV Moto2 champions Jesko Raffin and Eric Granado.

Angel Nieto’s Maria Herrera will be the only female rider on the grid.

Regulations

Any riders that compete in the FIM Moto E World Cup are not allowed to compete in any Grand Prix class during a weekend in which there is a Moto E race. Additionally, wildcard entries are not permitted.

Teams will also be banned from testing any electric-powered motorcycle outside of the official Moto E tests.

For each weekend, type supplier Michelin will provide one type of front and rear slick type and one type of front and rear rain tyre, with the potential to change the specifications for each race.

Each rider will be allowed to use four front slick tyres and five rears, and three front rain tyres and four rears.  

The championship kicks off this weekend at Germany’s Sachsenring, with qualifying on Saturday and the inaugural race on Saturday morning.

Photo Credit: MotoGP/Dorna