Day 1 of the Official FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup Jerez Test has drawn to a close as 2020 third place finisher Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) topped the combined times with a 1:48.478, with Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) the only other rider to join him in the 1:48s.
The duo set their fastest laps in the third and final session of the day at a dry Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, as did all but two of the riders on track. 17 of the 18 2021 campaigners are in attendance for the three-day outing down in southern Spain, injured Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) is the only absentee as his competitors returned to MotoE™ action – or tasted it for the first time.
Nine rookies enter the fray this year and all of them were able to tackle an Energica Ego Corsa for the first time, the quickest of them all was the youngest rider on the grid: Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team). The 15-year-old – who turns 16 before the start of the season – enjoyed his first day on a MotoE™ machine, as the Spaniard went just over a second slower than Granado in just the second session of the test. Impressive stuff from the Aspar rider, who ended the day fourth fastest and less than a second shy of Aegerter’s pace.
Just ahead of Aldeguer on the timesheets was Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE), the electric class sophomore set a 1:49.202 best time and was one of only three riders – Granado and Aldeguer being the others – to get within a second of Aegerter.
Fifth fastest Matteo Ferrari (Team Gresini MotoE) was a faller on Day 1 but thankfully, the former World Cup winner and 2020’s runner-up was unhurt and unfazed. The Italian’s quickest lap was a 1:49.491, enough to beat Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) and reigning World Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) by less than a tenth – the latter two ending Day 1 in P6 and P7 respectively. Completing the top 10 were Xavier Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) and the second fastest rookie Andrea Mantovani (Team Gresini MotoE).
Our electrical boys are back on track as well and day one finished like this:
— Tech3 Racing (@Tech3Racing) March 2, 2021
Lukas - P6
Corentin - P14
⚡️????#Tech3 #Racing #ERacing @MotoGP #MotoGP #CP19 #LT3 @EnergicaMotor #JerezTest pic.twitter.com/kZ3wF3TdJM
After the opening stint, the teams were using a new system to cool down the batteries. Each has a box with dry ice in it at -80ºC, and they connect the box to the bikes’ battery.
The MotoE™ riders will be back out on track for Day 2 on Wednesday, before the Official Test ends on Thursday evening. You can keep up with the happenings via Jerez’s Live Timing throughout the second and third days!