Ducati, among all the major motorcycle manufacturers, has remained strangely silent on the whole issue of electrification of motorcycling, which is why it was all the more surprising when it was announced that the Bologna-based company had won the contract to supply motorcycles and associated technology to the MotoE championship in place of previous supplier Energica, starting in this, the 2023 season.
Well, the season is almost upon us and the latest news to come out of the Borgo Panigale factory is that production has commenced on the 23 ‘V21L’ motorcycles Ducati will supply: 18 race bikes and five spares.
This is an important development for Ducati and the project’s aims are to develop skills for the future, experimenting with technological solutions and working to ensure that everything developed in this area can be transferred to the development of electric road motorcycles. This is the first indication that Ducati is seriously contemplating an electric future.
The V21L has taken a year to develop, with Michele Pirro, Alex de Angelis and Chaz Davies performing the bulk of the track testing and development. The first opportunity that the MotoE teams and riders will have to test the new machinery will be on the 6th, 7th and 8th of March at the first official test at Jerez, followed by a further three days at the beginning of April in Barcelona.
The first MotoE championship race will take place at the French Grand Prix on Saturday, 13th May, the first of eight rounds comprising the season, with two races at each round, both on a Saturday.
It remains to be seen whether television channels will start to feature the MotoE races in their broadcast schedules, a move that one feels Dorna would be keen to encourage to boost interest in what many are saying is the future of the sport.
