Granado times his run to perfection in Race 2

Patience was key for Eric Granado as he made it two from two in the opening weekend of FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup competition at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. It was an LCR E-Team one-two after he passed team-mate Miquel Pons midway through the final lap around the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto – the first time the Brazilian had led all race.

Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) completed the Race 2 podium, while Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) finished fourth after challenging for the lead at the start of the last lap.

A frantic opening

For the second day in a row, Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) got the holeshot from the middle of the front row, but he held the lead only until the Pons Corner (Turn 5), where Casadei went down the inside.

The running order got a shake-up when seemingly everyone went deep into the Pedrosa Corner (Turn 6) at the other end of the back straight. Aegerter emerged in first position, ahead of pole-sitter Pons and the rider who had started all the way back in eighth, Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™). Fourth at that point was Garzo, ahead of Casadei and Granado.

The breakaway forms

Pons was back to where he started when he overtook Aegerter at the Lorenzo Corner (Turn 13) at the end of Lap 1. Okubo could not hold onto a podium place for very long, the Japanese rider passed by both Garzo and Granado on Lap 2.

The top four quickly broke away from the rest of the field, but after Granado went underneath Garzo and into a provisional podium position at the end of Lap 2, it quickly became clear that the battle for victory was going to be a race in three. Even so, the previous day’s winner seemed content to watch Pons and Aegerter chop and change at the very front of the field, and what a sight that was.

Aegerter’s preferred passing zone was Turn 9, while Pons was better under brakes at Turn 6, and the lead kept switching from one rider to another.

Matters come to a head on the final lap

All the while, Granado continued to circulate just behind the top two, until Aegerter made a lunge at Pons at Turn 1 at the start of the eighth and final lap. The Swiss rider went deep – too deep – and Granado took his chance to grab second position, making contact with Aegerter on exit.

Then, the early-season World Cup leader did a Pons move on Pons, getting a run down the back straight and outbraking his LCR E-Team team-mate at Turn 6. From there, Granado would not be headed, and he beat Pons to the chequered flag by 0.217 seconds.

In all the excitement, Casadei had caught up to the leading bunch, and he pinched a podium with a forceful move on Aegerter at the very last corner of the weekend. Okubo got home in fifth, just ahead of the two FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup title winners to date, as Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) finished sixth and Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) seventh. Rounding out the top 10 were Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing), Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team), and Kevin Manfredi (OCTO Pramac MotoE™).

Garzo was a surprise non-finisher, the Spaniard crashing when he tried to hang in there on the outside line as Casadei overtook him for fourth at the Lorenzo Corner on Lap 5. Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team) took a tumble at the end of Lap 1 after contact with Lukas Tulovic (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team), and Yeray Ruiz (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) had a fast fall at Turn 4 on Lap 4, while the other 15 riders made it to the chequered flag.

In the World Cup standings, Granado already enjoys a 17-point lead, with Aegerter his nearest rival and Pons another five points behind in third.

Can the Brazilian remain unbeaten when MotoE™ continues in just two weeks from now? Tune into the SHARK Grand Prix de France on 13 May - 15 May to find out.

MotoE™ Race 2 Top 10:

1. Eric Granado (LCR E-Team)
2. Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) + 0.217
3. Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) + 0.394
4. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) + 0.488
5. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) + 1.182
6. Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) + 1.715
7. Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) + 2.701
8. Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing) + 4.202
9. Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE Team) + 5.471
10. Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE) + 5.755

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