It seems as if MotoGP’s MotoE class is on the verge of a big shake-up, with electric motorcycle manufacturer Energica ending its stint as sole OEM in the series.
The press release from MotoGP says that 2022 will be Energica’s last season as the spec bike for MotoE.The first MotoE races ran in 2019, so that will be a four-year run for Energica in MotoE. So what’s next after that?
The press release from MotoGP is cryptic. The language from MotoGP sounds like it’s indicating Energica’s complete departure from the series (Dorna “wishes the company the best of success in their future endeavours after 2022“). The language from Energica sounds the same (“we now aim at testing ourselves with new challenges. This is why we are looking forward to the next big thing to come! … we are looking forward to wrapping up our journey together in style”). That hardly sounds like excitement over participation with other manufacturers in a multi-brand series.
Why is change coming?
Why would Energica and MotoGP split ways?
No doubt, the plan all along was for Energica to serve as a foundation for MotoE, with other companies coming along later. However, if Energica has decided not to continue further participation, chances are it’s over money—whatever MotoGP was offering wasn’t good enough. That’s how all business works, even racing business.
If this is MotoGP’s decision, then who knows. Ultimately, it’s about money here as well, but you’d think they’d want to keep Energica in the series, given that the bikes have proved to be reliable. Energica also did a remarkable job of keeping the series alive after a potentially disastrous garage fire in 2019 destroyed much of the MotoE infrastructure.
Whatever the case, this is likely not the end of MotoE, so stay tuned for an announcement of incoming manufacturers in coming months.
