Eric Granado decides an eventful MotoE opener in Jerez in his favour – Dominique Aegerter finishes a strong second after colliding in the leading group
Eric Granado has won the MotoE season opener in Jerez. The Brazilian from the LCR team beat Dominique Aegerter (IntactGP) and Matteo Ferrari (Gresini) in eight race laps. The latter benefited from a late penalty for Miquel Pons (LCR), who actually finished third.
It was also Pons who started the first MotoE race of the season from pole position. Hector Garzo (Tech3) and Mattia Casadei (Pons) completed the front row alongside him. Granado, Aegerter and Ferrari took their places on row two. Jordi Torres (Pons), last year’s overall winner, started the race from position seven.
Garzo won the start, but lost the lead to Casadei during the first lap. Pole setter Pons kept up with him in third. Behind him, a gap had already opened up on the next rivals, Granado, Ferrari and Aegerter.
But Granado and Aegerter managed to catch up again at the halfway point. So the three-way fight for the podium became a five-way fight. Ferrari were already eight tenths behind in sixth place.
At the end of the third-last lap, Granado made the decisive overtaking manoeuvre at the start of turn 13 and slowed Casadei down. He drove another line, which Pons took as an invitation: He stabbed into the inside, there was contact and Casadei crashed. Garzo had to take evasive action and also fell back.
@mattiacasadei27 IS OUT!!!
A coming together with @miquelpons77 see’s the Italian go down at the final turn! MotoESpanishGP pic.twitter.com/CCxdhDPeda
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 30, 2022
The beneficiaries of the incident were Granado and Pons, who were now ahead of the field. Aegerter moved up to third and Ferrari were also back within striking distance. However, the collision with Casadei was to have repercussions for Pons: Shortly before the end of the race, the stewards gave him a long-lap penalty.
But Pons failed to take the penalty. In the last lap he fought a duel with Aegerter for second place. He crossed the finish line in third place. The missed long lap was converted into a three-second penalty, which dropped him to eighth place.
Ferrari inherited the final podium spot. Garzo and Torres completed the top five, with Hikari Okubo (Ajo), Alex Escrig (Tech3), the penalised Pons, Marc Alcoba (Aspar) and Lukas Tulovic (RNF) taking the remaining top 10 places. The German replaces the injured Bradley Smith. Tomorrow there will be another race.
