Energica Ego Corsa on fire | Photo credits: Motorsport Week
Just yesterday everything seemed to be great with the first pre-season test of the FIM MotoE Cup, in Spanish circuit of Jerez. Eric Granado was the fastest rider onboard the 160 hp Energica Ego Corsa electric race bike, and today was supposed to be the second day of testing for all 18 riders and respective MotoE teams. But disaster struck!
During the night, around midnight, the Jerez paddock was invaded by an uncontrollable fire that hit the MotoE hospitality. The structure, used for the first time yesterday and in which Dorna invested a lot of money, was completely destroyed, consumed by the intense flames.
Along with the hospitality, all 18 Energica Ego Corsa bikes, and all the necessary equipment to recharge their batteries, was also consumed by the fire, so today’s and tomorrow’s test session was obviously canceled.
What caused the destructive fire is still unknown, Spanish authorities are already trying to find out what exactly happened at the Jerez paddock this morning, but some rumors are pointing that the fire started during the charge cycle of one of the Energica bikes, possibly a charge overload that sparked the flames, and with so many volatile materials and equipment in the same place, the fire lasted for six hours before it was controlled and extinguished.
This is a huge blow to Dorna and to all those that are supporting the first-ever world championship for electric motorcycles. The FIM MotoE Cup was supposed to start early May, at Le Mans, as a support race of the MotoGP round, but given that all the bikes and all the equipment are destroyed, the organizers won’t have an easy task to rebuild everything in time for that first race.