Tag Archives: 2019 MotoE

Niki Tuuli wins first ever MotoE World Cup race

2019 MotoE World Cup

Round 1 – Sachsenring, Germany


Niki Tuuli has laid claim to the first ever FIM Enel MotoE World Cup race win, converting his E-Pole (also a first ever) into victory as the Cup kicked off in style in Germany alongside the MotoGP. A Red Flag on the penultimate lap brought the race to an early end with Bradley Smith taking second and Mike Di Meglio completing the podium.

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

It was Hector Garzo who took the holeshot from second on the grid, with Smith up to his old MotoGP class tricks to get a stunning launch from P7 and move into second, round the outside of polesitter Tuuli. Garzo then headed wide and Smith took over in the lead, with Tuuli also a little off line and that letting Di Meglio through into third. Xavier Simeon then picked the pocket of the Finn too, and the polesitter was down into fifth.

He soon set about hitting back, however, slicing through into fourth and then third as Di Meglio attacked Smith at the front, taking the lead. The trio were pulling away to make the fight for the podium a three-way affair, leaving Garzo battling Matteo Ferrari for fourth and Alex de Angelis defending from Simeon.

MotoE Rnd Germany Garzo
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

With six to go, Smith struck back for the lead and it wasn’t long until Tuuli moved through too, tagged onto the back wheel of the Brit and recovery from a tougher first couple of laps almost complete. A lap later he made a move but Smith took him back at the final corner, and the two blasted down the start-finish straight in tandem.

Tuuli set it up and attacked again into Turn 1, the Finnish rider back in charge and slowly but surely able to get just enough breathing space to stay out the clutches of Smith. Meanwhile, just behind, Garzo had managed to tag onto the battle for second. But drama then hit slightly further back as Eric Granado came together with Lorenzo Savadori and the Italian went down, and ultimately that would decide the race.

MotoE Rnd Germany Smith Di Meglio
Smith & De Meglio battle it out – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Savadori was up and ok, but the air fence took a hit from the bike and that meant the Red Flag came out, cutting the race short. With the standings based on the last lap over the line, that made Niki Tuuli the history-making first ever winner in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup.

Bradley Smith took second ahead of Di Meglio, with the Frenchman having only just attacked him for P2 but that now null and void. Garzo was forced to settle for fourth, with Ferrari completing the top five.

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoJosh Hook
Josh Hook – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Alex De Angelis got the better of Xavier Simeon and took P6, with Eric Granado recovering from well outside the top ten after getting caught out in an early melee and the Brazilian taking P8. Sete Gibernau was ninth at the head of a big gaggle of riders squabbling over the final two places in the top ten, ahead of Nico Terol, Mattia Casadei, Niccolo Canepa, Jesko Raffin and Kenny Foray. Australian Josh Hook completed the points.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE Podium
MotoE podium 1) Niki Tuli, 2) Bradley Smith, 3) Mike di Meglio – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Niki Tuuli – P1

“I’m really happy, already after the first test we knew the bike was going to fit for me, but every time we’ve gone but we’ve been close to the top three and that’s the main thing, and especially here in the fast corners I’ve been really good and I think that’s where yesterday I made the laptime as well. On Friday and Saturday we had good speed and I know the places where I’m quite a lot faster at the moment. In the race because the weather is quite difficult we didn’t know where were the wet patches on track and we made the bike softer. Then straightaway when we started the race and I hit the brakes at Turn 1 I hit the bottom and knew it was too soft. After that I tried to keep the riding quite soft for the first two laps and after that I tried to push a bit and find out where it was working or not. I made a couple of mistakes when I was pushing too much, but in the end I made a small gap. We have many thing to improve and unfortunately today we had a really short race. But in the end we were first all weekend so it’s a good start to the year!”

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE
Niki Tuuli – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Bradley Smith – P2

“I’m very happy to have got on the podium at this first MotoE World Cup race with ONE Energy Racing. Yesterday I was somewhat disappointed with my result in E-Pole, but I still knew that if I got a good start I could be in the fight in the race. I managed to get a very good start and lead the race, so that was nice. I couldn’t be a part of the race simulation in Valencia, so I was lacking some knowledge of what the contest was going to be like, but I learned a lot today. It was only five laps, but I know where I can improve for the next round in Austria. The race was exciting, so that’s good for the show and for the competition. I want to thank the team; they changed the bike from yesterday to today and did a great job.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Bradley Smith FER
Bradley Smith – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Hector Garzo – P4

“Unfortunately, it was a difficult race and not the result we have hoped for. I was waiting for the last two laps. Just the moment before the red flag, I was thinking about my overtake. But well, this is racing. You never know, that this is going to happen. Anyway, I’m happy because we four riders finished with a great time. For sure, I would have been a bit more satisfied to get a podium in the first MotoE race, but still our work is good and we know we are strong in every condition. Thanks a lot to the team, we did a really good job and for the first MotoE race of the history, it’s not bad. We must be happy. I’m looking forward to Austria now, keep calm and work hard.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Alex De Angelis – P6

“I had a great time. At the first corner I chose to brake and stay inside and it was a good tactic because it allowed me to recover some positions. The duel with Simeon made me lose contact with the leading group but it was really exciting.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoAlex De Angelis
Alex De Angelis – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Niccolò Canepa – P12

“I’m really upset because I had contact in the first lap – I was in 8th place and was put back to 14th place. I was coming back into the top 10 and was 10th when the red flag came out but they gave the results from the previous lap so I was actually 12th in the results. I feel frustrated because I think this time a 5-lap race is too short.”

Kenny Foray – P14

“It was a good race. The result is not, what I expected, but my feeling was better. Now, I need to be more aggressive in the race, because two times, I decided to stay behind the guys in front of me and two times, somebody overtook me. So, I need to push all the time. I was really good on the brakes, but I couldn’t take full advantage of this. My feeling on the bike was good, it was great fun. The result is not ideal, but now I need to improve for the next race. I was a good experience for me and I’m happy, although I was hoping for a few more points. I’m sure for Austria, we will be better.”

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Kenny Foray
Kenny Foray – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Josh Hook – P15

“The feeling with the bike grew during the race. It was very important to be with the peloton on a circuit where I raced on Friday for the first time. It wasn’t a particularly satisfying weekend but we have to take the positive side and improve.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoJosh Hook
Josh Hook – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Randy De Puniet – P17

“It was not an easy race – since the beginning of the weekend, as I’ve explained before, I have zero feeling and I’m not confident after crashing in Valencia. I really hoped to get some more confidence and speed during the race, but it was not the case. I’m sorry to the team and the sponsors but I was not able to do better today. I hope after the break I will feel better on the bike so we will see for the next race.”

That’s it from the inaugural weekend for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with Tuuli the first ever winner and therefore first Championship leader. How will Austria shake it up? The Sachsenring is about corners, and the Red Bull Ring is much more stop-and-go. Tune in on the August 11 for Round 2!

MotoE Rnd Germany Terol leads Gibernau
2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

MotoE Results


Source: MCNews.com.au

Marquez claims tenth Sachsenring win in a row | Miller sixth

MotoGP 2019

Round Nine – Sachsenring
MotoGP Race Results / Report


Marc Marquez proved who’s boss at Sachsenring over the weekend taking his tenth victory at the track in a row, having claimed an early lead from Turn one and then proceeding to lead for the entire duration, finishing +4.587 ahead of Maverick Vinales.

Marc Marquez

“My plan was try to lead from the beginning to the end, that was my mentality. For that reason the start wasn’t perfect but I took a lot of risk in the first corner, I braked so late and I was able to be in there and then the first two laps I was just cruising and trying to understand the limit of the track after the rain. Then when I saw the tyres were ready, I was ready and the bike was ready, then I started to attack. I started to do low 1:21s, that was my rhythm in the first ten laps, and apart from that, when I saw Rins was three seconds behind me, then I started to save the tyre and finish the race.”

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Marquez Podium
Marc Marquez – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

That makes it ten wins in a row in Germany for the reigning Champion, all from pole, with Maverick Viñales and Cal Crutchlow completing the podium. Marquez’ win for the seventh successive time in the premier class at the Sachsenring also equals Valentino Rossi’s record of premier class wins in a row at one venue, set in Mugello from 2002-2008.

Despite a bad start Marquez kept it pinned into Turn 1, the last of the late brakers able to emerge in the lead as Fabio Quartararo slipped back from second to sixth at the start; Viñales, Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Crutchlow all getting past the Frenchman. The first shot of drama would come from the Frenchman too as Quartararo’s race suddenly ended at Turn 3 on Lap 2, the rookie going to get back past Ducati Team’s Danilo Petrucci but the front washing away in his first ever premier class crash out of a race.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Marquez
Marc Marquez – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

The battle at the front at that point was more a freight train, with Marquez conducting the pace from Viñales as Crutchlow and Rins demoted Miller down to fifth. The top four started to edge clear of the rest, but edging clear of everyone was King of the Ring Marquez as a 1:21.228 – a new lap record – on Lap 5 saw his lead creep up to just under a second. The man in second was Rins, and he was also stretching his advantage over Viñales and Crutchlow to the same distance, but Marquez was in the groove.

The seven-time Champion showed exactly why the Sachsenring is his playground, not powering away at a rapid rate but instead eking out a tenth here and there, his lead gradually increasing until he suddenly put the hammer down. Lap 10 saw Marquez go 0.4 faster than Rins as the gap rose above the two-second barrier. From then on, there was no stopping the now ten-time Sachsenring winner.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

The battle for the second and third steps on the podium was heating up, however. Crutchlow was shadowing Viñales, who in turn was sitting a second back from Rins, with the gap remaining constant between the trio as we passed the mid-stage of the race. And the battle for fifth place was very much on as Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Petrucci were going head-to-head with fellow GP19 rider Miller, Joan Mir, Valentino Rossi and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro in a close fight for big points.

Nearer the front though, disaster then struck at the top of ‘The Waterfall’ for Rins. 0.9 clear of Viñales and Crutchlow, the Suzuki man suddenly skitted out at Ralf Waldmann corner for his second consecutive DNF. With the man on the chase down and out, it left Marquez with an unassailable 4.9 lead.

The last ten laps were just about controlling the gap for Marquez as he saw a 10th Sachsenring win appear ever closer, but who would finish second? Crutchlow had been attached to Viñales’ back wheel for some time to put the Spaniard under pressure and with two laps to go, the duo were separated by nothing.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Vinales Crutchlow
Maverick Vinales – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

But the number 35 then had a scare at Turn 10; a warning sign that saw Crutchlow running wide and subsequently keeping it calmer to give up the chase. Just ahead, Marquez crossed the line to win his fifth race of 2019, the seventh consecutive year he’s won five or more races in a premier class season – a record that sees him surpass MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini and nine-time Champion Rossi, both of whom managed to do it for six straight years.

Viñales crossed the line to take his second straight podium, with Crutchlow getting his equal best result of the year in third and his first rostrum since Qatar GP. The Brit’s ride was even more impressive as he battled a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a small fracture to the top of his tibia this weekend following a cycling mishap. Behind the top trio, meanwhile, there were important points in the Championship to be decided just down the road.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Jack Miller
Jack Miller & Valentino Rossi – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

Rossi had lost touch on the battle for fourth in the latter stages, and it was Mir vs the three Ducatis. With Marquez out in front, second in the Championship Dovizioso needed to limit the damage as much as possible but Petrucci wasn’t going to let his teammate have it all his own way. The Italians exchanged P4 at the bottom of ‘The Waterfall’ before Dovi went to get back past Petrucci into Turn 1 with three to go and they both ran wide; Miller diving up the inside of both.

Dovizioso was aggressive though and attacked the Australian as the battle between the Ducatis went down to the wire, Petrucci leading them onto the last lap. The Mugello winner would ultimately hold fourth as the chequered flag came out, a terrific performance after his big crash in Q2, with Dovizioso producing another fine fight back to take P5 from P13 on the grid. Miller was forced to settle for a solid sixth.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany Petrucci Dovi
Dovizioso chases down teammate Petrucci – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

Mir picked up his third consecutive top ten in seventh, a great ride from the rookie, with Rossi ending his run of three-straight DNFs with a P8 at the Sachsenring. Franco Morbidelli finished ninth in Germany, the first time he’d raced in the premier class at the track after missing out last year, with Jorge Lorenzo’s replacement Stefan Bradl grabbing his second top ten of the season in front of his home fans.

Tito Rabat put in a stunner to take P11 from last on the grid, ahead of a tougher race for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro. Andrea Iannone was 13th and top Aprilia after a crash for teammate Aleix Espargaro, with Takaaki Nakagami riding through the pain barrier to P14. Karel Abraham completed the points.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoGP Podium
Marquez took the win from Vinales and Crutchlow – Sachsenring Round 9 – MotoGP 2019

The summer break is now upon us and Marquez will doubtless be the most relaxed after extending his lead once again. But next up is Brno and it’s a good venues for some key rivals…as well as a few weeks away, giving the likes of Quartararo time to come back swinging. Will the reign continue? The Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky will decide…

MotoGP Results


Source: MCNews.com.au

2019 MotoE season to now start in July at Sachsenring

New 2019 MotoE calendar announced

After the disastrous fire wiped out the majority of the MotoE machines, along with the equipment required to charge and maintain them, a new revised 2019 MotoE Calendar schedule has been confirmed. The calendar will retain six races and MotoE will be back in business at a test in June at a circuit to be confirmed.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Josh Hook
Taree’s World Endurance Champion Josh Hook will contest the inaugural MotoE Championship

The fledgling new racing category for battery powered motorcycles, the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, was originally slated to get underway at Jerez over the first weekend in May, in conjunction with round four of the MotoGP World Championship. Under the new 2019 MotoE Calendar the first race of the 2019 MotoE season will now take place at the HJC Helmets Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in July, at Sachsenring.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Niccolo Canepa
Niccolo Canepa

The next two events are set for the Red Bull Ring and Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli respectively, the latter of which will remain a double header.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Josh Hook
Taree’s World Endurance Champion Josh Hook will contest the inaugural MotoE Championship

It won’t be the season finale, however, as the last round of the Cup will now take place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, where there will be another two races to end the inaugural MotoE season.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Nico Terol
Nico Terol

As previously stated, Jerez will not host MotoE as part of the Gran Premio Red Bull de España and the revised calendar confirms that MotoE will not race at Le Mans.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Alex De Angelis
Alex De Angelis

The exact causes of the fire that destroyed the majority of the equipment for the Cup remains under investigation.

FIM Enel MotoE World Cup Fire
Fire forces early conclusion to MotoE Test

For now, save the date for the season opener at the German Grand Prix on the 7th of July.

2019 MotoE calendar

  • Race 1 – July 5th -7th – Sachsenring, Germany
  • Race 2 – August 9th -11th – Red Bull Ring – Spielberg, Austria
  • Races 3 & 4 – September 13th -15th – Misano, San Marino and Riviera di Rimini
  • Races 5 & 6 – November 15th -17th – Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia
Lucio Cecchinello LCR Pic
Lucio Cecchinello put this image out on his Instagram account that shows some of what is behind the fairings of the new MotoE machines

Source: MCNews.com.au