The pre-event Press Conference sees Granado, Pons, Aegerter, Ferrari and Okubo talk Round 2 of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup.
The FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup returns this weekend at the classic Le Mans circuit, with Sarthe playing host for the second round of the season. The pre-event Press Conference gave the weekend the green flag, with points leader Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) joined by teammate Miquel Pons, Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™), 2019 Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) and Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) to talk business before they head out on track on Friday.
Here are some key quotes! Make sure to tune in for MotoE™qualifying on Friday at 16:50 (GMT +2), before the races on Saturday at 16:25 and Sunday at 15:30.
QUOTES
Eric Granado: “I’m feeling good. I’m so happy with the start we made in Jerez. We did a great job as a team, it was amazing to have both riders on the podium in the second race, so it means we are doing a good job. It was the dream start for me, I’m very happy, so motivated for this weekend. This is a new track, a new weekend, so we need to start from zero on the work with the team, and to have a good set-up with the bike for the race. We will see how the conditions are. Here in Le Mans it is always very crazy weather so we need to be ready for every condition, but I am very motivated and looking forward to the weekend.”
Does 14 races mean more mathematical room to push and take risks or is it more important than ever to be consistent?
EG51: “To have 14 races for us is amazing. We have more points on the table, and we already saw in past years that consistency is the key to win the championship, with Matteo and also Jordi. For sure, the consistency is the main thing to have the possibilities in the end of the season. For me, it was good at the start to have two wins, but this weekend is a different history. We need to work to always be in the top, and get the maximum points possible. If we win, we win. If we can’t, we try to get the maximum points for the championship because it is the main target for us.”
Last year was a tougher round here. What are you aiming for this time round?
Miquel Pons: “Last year was not the best way to start the race, because we did a really good qualification, we started in second position, but on the sighting lap, I crashed. I hope this year that the same thing won’t happen!”
Will the Q1/Q2 format be even more positive in places where the weather cold be tricky?
MP71: “The new qualification system is much better, as we said in Jerez. It’s much better than last year because we can push to the maximum possible because we have more laps. The weather here is a bit crazy. It’s nice now, but maybe on Saturday it will change. We’ll wait and see…”
How are you feeling ahead of Round 2 and how do you expect the new bike to feel at Le Mans?
Dominique Aegerter: “It’s nice to be back here in Le Mans, a fantastic track, and very historic. We will see how the bike will work on this track. The weather is always a bit special here, but until now it looks good. On Sunday, there could be some rain, we don’t know. But we will try just to work tomorrow in Free Practice 1 to see how the grip is, which gearing, which suspension we can use on this track. We need to be focused on every lap we do because we don’t have so many laps to do. Maybe the track is a little bit different with this bike which has the new engine, a little bit less weight. We will see tomorrow but I hope it suits my riding style and I hope we can do a good job with the Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE team.”
Does a slightly tougher weekend in Jerez mean we’ll see more aggression here?
DA77: “My goal is the same, to be in front, to fight for the podium or the victory every race, and this is what I did in Jerez. I’m not really looking for a worse place because we have 14 races, for sure it’s better to have more races to see, but in the end every race counts, and I’ll try here to finish on the podium or win the race.”
Race 1 saw you on the podium but Race 2 was a bit tougher. Where are you looking to make a step forward?
Matteo Ferrari: “In Jerez, I think we had a great weekend because Jerez is a difficult track for me. Also, I think the bike changed a little bit from the tests. I made a great start in Race 1 but in Race 2 I made a little mistake, so I was not in the front. It was really difficult to overtake and, in the end, I didn’t achieve the podium. But, I think it’s the best year for me because I achieved 26 points, the best result in four years for me, and this is great!”
If it’s wet, what do you expect from the different bike this year?
MF11: “I think this bike is better compared to last year but we have to understand what the right way to ride this bike is, because we did six days of testing, but not too much in dry conditions. I did some sessions in the wet and the feeling was really, really good, so I’m ready for that this weekend. Also, we have the used tyre from Jerez to try in FP1. It’s a new strategy this year in MotoE, so it will be interesting to see what we can do in FP1.”
How is your 2022 so far, what’s your goal for the weekend and what adjustments are you looking to make?
Hikari Okubo: “For me, it’s not so different from last year to this year, but I feel I understand a bit more about the direction of the bike this year. Normally, I adjust a little bit slowly. Last year was a difficult season but I learnt a lot in the off-season. This year, in Race 1, I tried to get a podium and didn’t get it so I’m not so happy, but I got good points. At Le Mans, I will try to get good positions and a podium.
“It’s a difficult question because nothing changes this time, but I just try to do good work every session, and every race.”
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