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MotoE, Ferrari and Gresini shake up the world championship

The team that will compete in next year's electric bike championship is presented in Trento: Matteo Ferrari the rider

MotoE: Ferrari and Gresini shake up the world championship

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What do the quiet mountains of Trentino have to do with the noisy world championship? This (almost impossible) pairing has to do with the MotoE championship... The Palazzo delle Albere in Trento was the setting for the presentation of team Gresini's Energica bike, the livery of which (designed by Aldo Drudi) features the logo of a region famous around the world for its nature and the Dolomites.

What connect us? The values of sport, technology and research, while passion is what holds it all together ” sums up Ugo Rossi, President of the Autonomous Province of Trento. Trentino will have a new stages on which to promote itself next year, “MotoE is a new frontier, which will exist alongside the traditional MotoGP”.

It goes without saying that the aim, as always in racing, is to win, Fausto Gresini beating the competition and presenting his team first. Also one of the two riders, or rather Matteo Ferrari, who already has experience of the world championship, after three seasons in Moto3, and has just finished as runner-up in the Italian SBK championship.

“After 22 years as a team manager, a new adventure awaits, one that looks to the future - comments Fausto - It is a great opportunity to discover a new world and I'm pleased to be part of it right from the outset. It's all new and I'm very curious”.

The championship has already been unveiled, with five rounds (at Jerez, Le Mans, Sachsenring, Red Bull Ring and Misano) for a total of 6 races (the Italian event is a double-header) which will take place following the Sunday warm-ups, before the Moto3 race.

A few years ago the first electric cars arrived and then 2 or 3 years ago the first bikes, we don't want to race that which the public is riding - explains Nicolas Goubert, Dorna's championship representative- the aim is two-fold - to promote new technologies and develop them”.

As we've said, team Gresini will field Matteo Ferrari, for whom this will be a brand-new challenge.

I've not yet tested the Energica and haven't spoken to anyone who has because I want to discover it for myself. I'd been talking to Fausto about this new championship for a while, for me it's an opportunity to return to the world championship and to grow”.

The MotoE is not held in high regard by the motorcycle 'purists’.

At first, some people were winding up about racing with an electric bike, but now there's a line of people wanting to compete in this champonship - he observes - If we look at Formula E, it seems like the future is going that way and racing in MotoE can only open new doors, if you want to be a professional rider, you have to know how to adapt to different situations”.

On paper, the level appears far from low: De Angelis, Terol, Torres are just some of the names.

The great thing is that we'll all start from zero and, even if there are some very experienced riders, everyone will able to say their piece. I'll be able to learn by racing alongside champions and what I learn can be an advantage. On paper, it looks like the electric bikes needs a flowing riding style, but they also have great acceleration. The track I'm most curious about? The Red Bull Ring, I've never raced there and I think it will be fun with these bikes”.

Translated by Heather Watson
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