Misano Adriatico (Italy) (AFP)

Launched this year, the MotoE electric motorcycle championship is gradually gaining ground in the speed racing scene despite its peculiarities and the hazards that marked its debut.

Two races were held this weekend on the sidelines of MotoGP San Marino and the last two of the championship, which has six in all, will take place at the Valencia GP in November.

"We are very satisfied with the course of the races and the reception of the paddock," said Nicolas Goubert, head of this championship at Dorna, the promoter of MotoGP. The 18 drivers themselves are often former MotoGP, Moto2 or Moto3 riders who are reconverted in this new discipline.

The MotoE also has the distinction of aligning the only woman in the world of MotoGP, the Spanish Maria Herrera, who notably finished 6th in the first race and 5th in the second at Misano

"It's fun to drive these bikes," she told AFP, adding "it's like a new world for drivers."

By far, the MotoE resemble their counterparts of other categories but once the fairing removed, it is a big rectangular battery that takes the place of the usual engine.

If their weight is almost twice as high as that of a MotoGP class, it is the silence that surprises their drivers. "We do not have any noise and it's mostly a hiss," said Frenchman Kenny Foray. "When we are in the race, we do not necessarily hear the people with whom we ride, but it does not mean that we hear a lot when we ride in heat," tempers the one who was world champion of endurance in 2014.

"But what surprises most is that it remains a motorcycle.In contrast to what we can think the sensations are the same, including that of speed," he adds.

All the championship bikes are identical, manufactured by the Italian manufacturer Energica which helps to level the board and bring out the driving.

The current characteristics of the championship are frozen until the end of 2021, or races of the order of fifteen minutes played on the sidelines of several MotoGP races in Europe.

Then everything will depend on the technological evolution, especially in terms of power and battery life.

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"We will not see a revolution in battery technology in three years," said Nicolas Goubert, recalling that the MotoE technology after 2021 should be stopped by the end of next year.

"I do not mean that the bike will not evolve but we will not have a spectacular technological leap," says the manager.

If the drivers do not complain too much about the shortness of the races and the weight of the motorcycles, they regret not being able to spend more time on them.

The test schedule suffered from the fire that destroyed the entire motorcycle fleet in March that Energica had to rebuild and the championship started two months late.

"I wish we could ride more because now I feel like riding 80% because I do not have enough confidence to ride as I would like to do," said Kenny Foray who wishes in particular see the autonomy of motorcycles progress.

As for opening the championship to other manufacturers, Nicolas Goubert does not consider it for the moment. "If Harley-Davidson had knocked on our door, they would have been told no," he says, even though the famous American manufacturer is betting on the development of the electric road bike to renew its image and its customers.

Kenny Foray warns of the technological gaps that this could create. "What would be a shame is that we are left with gaps of two to three seconds per lap because some would be able to make better motorcycles.The races would then become very boring".

© 2019 AFP