Those of you who are diehard fans of the MotoGP likely also pay close attention to the Moto2, Moto3, and MotoE championships. Although not as glitzy and glamorous as the MotoGP, some exciting racing is to be had in these championships, especially the all-electric MotoE. It goes without saying that MotoE represents the future of road racing, with the technology found on the Energica race bikes really paving the way for electric motorcycle racing.
For the 2022 season of the FIM MotoE, the MotoE Grand Prix Commission composed Carmelo Ezpeleta, Chairman of Dorna Sports; Paul Duparc, from the FIM; and Herve Poncharal of IRTA, have agreed to make some revisions to the regulations of the racing series. From 2022 onwards, standard MotoE events will consist of two Free Practice sessions (FP1 and FP2), and a qualifying race to be held on Friday. Two races—one on Saturday, and the other on Sunday—will be held subsequently, normally once the gas-powered racing machines have concluded their events.
Previous seasons of MotoE made use of E-Pole races to determine starting positions at the grid. From 2022 onwards, E-Pole will be replaced by more traditional qualifying sessions. Q1 will run for ten minutes, and will comprise the slowest ten riders following the cumulative results of Free Practice sessions 1 and 2. The two fastest riders in Q1 will be given the benefit of recharging their machines in the paddock, and receive an additional rear tire.
Likewise, Q2 will also run for ten minutes, but will comprise the eight fastest riders for the combined results of FP1 and FP2. There will be a ten minute break in between Q1 and Q2, and no limitation in the number of laps in either qualifying session. Once qualifying sessions have concluded, the official racing begins at the start of the weekend. There will be two races, similar to what we have in WSBK—one on Saturday, the other on Sunday. Given these changes to the MotoE racing series, it appears that its organizers are making it simpler. This will definitely make for more exciting racing from 2022 onwards.
Sources: GPOne, Road Racing World