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Granado wins in Valencia ahead of Garzo, lots of duels, MotoE promoted

Overtaking and a great show on the track in the simulated race, with the Brazilian who got the best out of his rival only in the last lap, Ferrari 5th

MotoE: Granado wins in Valencia ahead of Garzo, lots of duels, MotoE promoted

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It might even be true that points weren't award for the championship, but this morning's race in Valencia was a tried and true one. The first in the history of the MotoE after the starting and Superpole simulations. The riders didn't back out. They pushed to the max from the first to the last lap, and the result was a spectacular race, wit lots of overtaking and adrenaline.

Eric Granado got the better of everyone, beating Hector Garzo only at the last pass and after an intense duel. The two were constantly in the top positions of the rankings in each session of this test in Valencia, and they confirmed themselves in the race as sure contenders for the title. The duel at the last lap was great. Two rivals who exchanged positions twice, in a truly exciting cold-weapon showdown.

Great satisfaction for Granado who, for this victory, received an Eva as a gift from Energica, the naked version of the electric bike. The Brazilian also established the best race time till now recorded during these three days in Valencia, stopping the clock in the last lap at 1'40.113.

ERIC GRANADO WITH HIS ENERGICA EVA

"I'm happy, we did a great job during these three days," declared Granado, " and we set up the bike perfectly. Certainly, there are still some aspects where we can improve, but it was a good race, even if simulated. It'll give me the drive to face the first real Grand Prix in Germany. At this point, I can't wait to get there and ride, also because the race was a lot of fun. This bike is very competitive, it brakes very hard and behaves very well in corners. It's really great to ride. Electric or not, it's a real racing bike that allows you to go fast and brake very hard. I have to congratulate all the people involved in this project. I'm happy to be here and battle it out at the top."

Niki Tuuli also reached the virtual podium. In this occasion he also confirmed himself as one of the best in the newborn category. Bradley Smith would probably also have risen on this podium, and yesterday, the only day he raced, he was the fastest on the track. The British rider had to skip today to return to Barcelona with the Aprilia RS-GP for a private test session.

MATTEO FERRARI 5th AND FIRST ITALIAN AT THE FINISH

The first Italian in the rankings was Matteo Ferrari, rider for the Trentino Gresini Team, who took 5th place behind Nico Terol and, after a difficult start, was able to recover and even become the star of some overtakings.

"It was a really fun race ," Ferrari told us. "Even if we saw it like a testing ground. I also changed something on the bike before entering the grid. In fact, it took me a couple of laps to adapt. Then I started pushing, and I was able to overtake a few times, which is not easy with this bike. You have to be careful, take the slipstream well, and prepare the whole maneuver as well as possible. It can be done, but it's not that easy. Then, in three days, we worked a lot on the bike. I didn't think we could go through so many tests. Instead, the team did a great job."

Mattia Casadei, 7th, became the star of a good performance on the Energica managed by the SIC58 Team and seems to have the potential to grow during the championship. Alex De Angelis and Niccolò Canepa also closed in the top ten. On the other hand, Maria Herrera wasn't able to reach the top. She had managed to ride slightly stronger in each session, but during the race today she didn't respond the same way.

14th position for Lorenzo Savadori, who also had some technical problems, which compromised his race. A not perfectly efficient tire ruined it for him. 

"Unfortunately, I had a tire that moved a lot, which immediately compromised the race," said Savadori. I noticed it in the alignment lap, but it was too late. Speaking of the race, the bikes are really very different from what I'm used to. It's a bit tough for me because these bikes require a very old style of riding. They want to ride a lot in cornering. I'm used to motorcycles that ride differently and the point is, since we don't race much with these bikes, it's difficult to change certain automatisms. In fact, the guys who come from medium-sized didplacements, like Moto2 or 600 SSP, are going strong. It was a test. We have to get ready for Sachsenring."

Ranking for the simulated race in Valencia

MOTOE VALENCIA RACE

Translated by Leila Myftija
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