2023-08-18 01:11:00
The program for the Grand Prix of the Motorcycle World Championship this weekend in Austria is tightly packed, as it is for the rest of the season. But world championship promoter Dorna and the world motorcycle association FIM still seem to find ways and means to fill any time gaps on a GP weekend. The electric racing series MotoE, which is integrated into the World Championship, is contesting its fifth season. And it still seems more like an annoying appendage than a solution for the future.
Even the start did not go smoothly when all 18 motorcycles burst into flames during testing in Jerez in 2019 following a charging station caught fire. The initial problems have been eliminated, but MotoE, which is peppered with many ex-GP riders, continues to fight for recognition.
Since this year, instead of Energica, the manufacturer Ducati, which is also dominant in MotoGP, has been supplying the standard motorcycles. The V21L is regarding as fast as a Moto3 machine. KTM boss Stefan Pierer already pointed out last year: “If we want to achieve the same energy efficiency with an electric motorcycle as with a MotoGP combustion engine, the battery would have to weigh around 500 kilos.”
But the FIM is already working on a new fountain pen in the background: the aim is to have a women’s world championship over six runs from 2024. The manufacturers are on the brakes. Pit Beirer, motorsport director at KTM, points out: “The complete substructure for a project like this is still missing. You can do a series like this, but you also need good drivers.” With the Spaniard Ana Carrasco, one has been riding in Moto3 so far.
Dominik Feischl
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