All-Electric MotoGP Support Class By 2019!

This bit of news will surprise many motorsport fans. Carmelo Ezpeleta, the boss of Dorna which runs MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 racing has announced that an all-electric MotoGP support class is in the works. We can expect to see the same begin as early as 2019! According to Ezpeleta, four manufacturers have shown interest and want to be part of this all-electric series. But it will be a one-make series and it would be interesting to see which manufacturer gets the green signal. 

According to the Dorna boss, the bikes will have a top speed of around 200kmph and the races will be 10-laps long. The performance of the electric bikes will almost be at par with the Moto3 machines. The batteries for the motorcycles will be charged only by solar panels and not generators as seen on other electric motorsport series. 18 riders will be part of this new electric motorsport series and five tracks in Europe have been shortlisted for the debut season. Isle Of Mann TT already has an electric series which debuted as zero-emission class in 2010. 

Such has been the development and growth of electric bikes that their lap times are getting closer to internal combustion motorcycles every passing year. Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, also has the Formula E series featuring all-electric cars which also features our very own Mahindra Racing on the grid. The rate at which electric bikes are gaining popularity, they might as well be the future. But in the absence of the resonating roar of race bikes that makes them special, it will be interesting to see how MotoGP fans respond to the near-silent but fast electronic bikes.