Dominique Aegerter finishes thrilling MotoE battle in fourth place
These were nail-biting scenes in the closing stages of the second MotoE race of the season at the Circuito de Jerez, in which Dynavolt Intact GP Team rider Dominique Aegerter finished in fourth place and still second in the world championship after a heated four-way battle at the final corner.
Yesterday's opening race showed once again how closely contested the all-electric series will continue to be in 2022. After a brilliant first battle with Eric Granado and Matteo Ferrari on Saturday, it continued in the same vein in the second round of the Gran Premio de España, but this time other protagonists were also involved.
Nothing fitted between the initial leading trio, consisting of the Swiss Dominique Aegerter, the Spaniard Miguel Pons and the Brazilian Eric Granado, who all held the lead in the 8-lap sprint race at times. Unlike the previous day, the race began as action-packed as usual and swept many off their feet until the final corner.
After the start, the 31-year-old was in fourth position, but just a few corners later his rivals in front of him braked late, running wide. Aegerter obliged and took the lead, but Pons hit back before the end of the first lap, forcing Aegerter to cross the line in second. In the following laps, Grando came closer and closer, building up the rear in the three-man leading group that managed to pull away from the rest of the field until just before the final lap. However, several attacks by all three riders cost time and so Mattia Casadei crept up again, taking the reigning Supersport World Champion by surprise when he tried to make a final attack in the last corner of the last lap. The Rohrbach rider had to open up and watch as the Italian snatched the podium spot from under his nose with a 0.094s lead.
However, there is no reason for discontent in the Dynavolt Intact GP team, because, with another 13 points, their protégé is only 17 points behind Cup leader Granado, who won the two opening races. In just two weeks' time, the German racing team will already have the chance for revenge when the second round of the FIM MotoE World Cup gets underway in Le Mans, France, with races three and four.
Race 2:
1. Eric GRANADO/ BRA
2. Miquel PONS/ SPA (+0.217)
3. Mattia CASADEI/ ITA (+0.394)
4. Dominique AEGERTER/ SWI (+0.488)
MotoE World Cup:
1. GRANADO Eric / BRA / 50
2. AEGERTER Dominique / SWI / 33
3. PONS Miquel / SPA / 28
4. FERRARI Matteo / ITA / 26
5. OKUBO Hikari / JPN / 21
6. TORRES Jordi / SPA / 20
7. ESCRIG Alex / SPA / 17
8. CASADEI Mattio/ ITA/ 16
9. GARZO Hector / SPA / 13
10. CANEPA Niccolo/ ITA / 12
