History was made at Jerez as Pons scored the first FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup pole position to be decided under the Q1-Q2 format
The LCR E-Team’s Miquel Pons will start from pole position in the opening two races of the 2022 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup after his single completed lap in Q2 at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto was officially the best of all. Pons set a 1:48.372 before crashing at Turn 8 of the venue for this weekend’s Gran Premio Red Bull de España on his next flyer.
YELLOW FLAGS PROVE CRUCIAL
The Spaniard’s tumble triggered a yellow flag which saw several laps cancelled, including a 1:48.324 for team-mate Eric Granado which would have been good enough for pole position if it was allowed to stand. Granado managed to improve again with a subsequent lap which did count, but not by enough to elevate himself from fourth on the timing screen.
The yellow also meant that Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) qualified second thanks to his 1:48.435, with Mattia Casadei (Pomns Racing 40) to also line up on the front row for this weekend’s pair of MotoE™ races thanks to a 1:48.609. Granado will be joined on Row 2 by Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) and Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™).
TWO-TIME CHAMPION TO START FROM ROW 3
The Cup Champion of the past two seasons, Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40), qualified seventh, ahead of Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) and Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing). Escrig and Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) were the two riders to come through Q1, with the latter setting the fastest lap of 1:49.119 in that earlier stanza of qualifying.
This weekend is the first time MotoE™ has used the qualifying format which has become the standard in the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship classes, a move enabled thanks to Enel X Way’s news Juice Pump 60 Race Edition chargers. Combined results from Q1 and Q2 will set the grid for both races at each event of the season.
Torres: MotoE™ is like racing with a knife in your mouth
FINE MARGINS AT THE END OF Q1
Lukas Tulovic (WithU GRT RNF MotoE Team), who is filling in for the injured Bradley Smith, will start one position outside the top 10, with Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC59 Squadracorse) joining him and Canepa on Row 4. Both Tulovic and Zannoni mounted challenges on the top two in the latter stages of Q1, but the former fell 0.076 seconds shy with a best lap of 1:49.280 and the latter was only another 0.006 seconds slower.
Maria Herrera is set to start 13th and will share Row 5 with team-mate Marc Alcoba, the two OpenBank Aspar Team riders split by Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE™). Yeray Ruiz (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) managed to qualify 16th despite a crash at Turn 13, with the 18-strong field rounded out by Alessio Finello (Felo Gresini MotoE™) and Xavi Fores (Octo Pramac MotoE™).
Gran Premio Red Bull de España: MotoE™ Q1
Pole has been decided, but who will take the first MotoE™ race win of 2022? Find out on Saturday at 16:25 (GMT +2).
MotoE™ Q2 Top 5:
1. Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) – 1:48.372
2. Hector Garzo (Tech 3 E-Racing) + 0.063
3. Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) + 0.237
4. Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) + 0.321
5. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) + 0.391