Energica EgoGP Makes Demo Lap At Qatar

Energica, the single supplier to the MotoE class which will officially begin in 2019, publicly showed a preview of the EgoGP electric superbike's capability at the Losail International Circuit last Sunday, after the premier class race. Former 500 cc British Grand Prix winner Simon Crafar took the bike for a demo lap around the track, and he seemed pretty impressed by the electric racer's performance, although he did note a few fundamental differences between the EgoGP and an internal combustion engine superbike.

"The experience was really different, the only thing that felt normal was the acceleration off the corner," said Crafar. "But then I was automatically going for the gear lever, which it doesn't need. Then, braking, you can feel the battery weight. It wants to go straight ahead a little more. I was on both brakes trying to get it to stop."

Former 500 cc British Grand Prix winner Simon Crafar took the bike for a demo lap

The EgoGP is technically still in the prototype phase, and it will go through further tweaks and development before the first MotoE season kicks off next year. The EgoGP is the race-spec model of the stock production model Energica Ego. The Energica Ego has a 0-100 kmph acceleration time of just 3 seconds and a top speed of over 240 kmph, and uses an oil-cooled permanent magnet AC electric motor. The stock bike has output of 145 bhp and 195 Nm of peak torque. Currently, the EgoGP is still undergoing tests and the first official tests of the completed race-spec bike are expected to be held in February 2019. Expect more demo laps of the Energica EgoGP at other races as well, including the next race on April 8 in Argentina.

The inaugural MotoE season in 2019 will consist of five races with 18 motorcycles. Seven private teams will get two bikes each and four more bikes will be reserved for Moto2 or Moto3 teams. The MotoE races will be short, with only 10 laps, primarily due to range constraints on the EgoGP.