Italian firm Energica to supply bikes for Moto-e World Cup
Italian company Energica has been chosen by MotoGP owners Dorna Sports to be the supplier of the Moto-e World Cup all-electric support series to be introduced in 2019.
Plans for the electric one-make series were confirmed earlier this year, with Dorna aiming for a five-round series of 10-lap races with grids somewhere in the region of 15-20 entrants.
Energica – who was one of the rumoured early contenders to provide machinery and beat out Belgian firm Sarolea – will supply a tuned version of its road-going Ego model.
The standard bike finished seventh out of eight entrants in this year’s Zero TT race on the Isle of Man, lapping at an average speed of 78.848mph.
“We are proud to have been chosen by Dorna and we are already committed to this project,” Energica CEO Livia Cevolini said.
“The passion for engines is what brought us here, to build new dream vehicles right in the beating heart of the Italian Motor Valley, Modena, Italy.
“We took the electric field to another level: each Energica undergoes quality control and performance tests, and our R&D department is always focused on new technologies and their practical application.
“Our history comes from racing, our passion for this sector has never faded.
“Moto-e is an excellent project. After all, it is what we hoped since our racing years, now it can be managed professionally thanks to Dorna and its unique and long-lasting experience.”
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta added: “The FIM Moto-e World Cup is a new and exciting project for Dorna, and it makes us very proud to announce Energica will be the supplier in this new venture.
“We believe in excellence, quality and performance and we cannot think of a better collaborator with whom to launch the FIM Moto-e World Cup.
“Energica are an industry-leading and innovative company, and we look forward to the incredible spectacle of electric-powered racing together.”
The Moto-e World Cup will be the first all-electric motorcycle racing series since the short-lived e-RoadRacing World Cup in 2013, which lasted only six rounds before it was shelved.
The series will be headed by Nicolas Goubert, who announced prior to the conclusion of the 2017 season that he would leaving his role as technical director with tyre supplier Michelin.