The table is set for this weekend, September 17-19, when the final round of the 2021 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup season will take place in Misano, San Marino, where at least four riders have a real chance of winning the title.
Alessandro Zaccone, Dominique Aegerter, Jordi Torres and Eric Granado are the favorites to be crowned. Although nothing can be ruled out, it is unlikely that, beyond these riders, others can aspire to victory in the category.
While they are not mathematically excluded from the competition, Lukas Tulovic, Matteo Ferrari, Miquel Pons and Mattia Casadei are too far behind standings leader Alessandro Zaccone to close the gap in just two races.
Aegerter puts on pressure
The Dynavolt Intact GP representative is not only very fast, but also the most experienced. He was one step away from becoming MotoE champion on his debut and would have made it if he hadn’t been knocked down at both Misano and Le Mans.
Related content: Aegerter Confident on Winning MotoE Title
This year he was less impressive than in 2020 when he had taken two wins, one of them at Misano, and paid for the mistake he made at Assen by crashing on the first lap. However, eleven starting points are very few when there are still fifty available.
The Champion wants to retain his title
In the overall standings, Jordi Torres has three points more than Aegerter and eight points behind Zaccone. In the three races held last year at Misano, the Spaniard achieved a fourth, third and second place, and pole position. San Marino is undoubtedly the place where the 2020 champion achieved his best overall results and is perhaps the one he would have chosen to challenge for the title at the start of the championship.
The Granado Train stalking the field
Eric Granado is just seven points behind Zaccone and one point ahead of Torres. The Brazilian’s performance this 2021 is very different from previous seasons when he used to be very fast, but he made mistakes just as often and ended up on the ground.
This season he has more experience, knows the MotoE tracks, has fewer mistakes and is still fast. He has taken four of the five pole positions so far and has two victories. His year could have been even more encouraging if he had not had to start from the pit lane at the Catalan GP due to a technical problem with his bike.
At Misano, Granado has not achieved significant results so far, in 2019 a qualifying mistake and a crash in the race marked his weekend. In 2020, he had another mistake at EPole and crashed in turn four. In the three editions held on Italian territory last year, Granado’s best result was a seventh place, but he is also the one who has set the fastest lap with 1’42.910.
Zaccone with much on his side
The Italian of the Octo Pramac team has led the overall standings since the first race of the season at Jerez de la Frontera, and has had an exceptional year so far.
For Zaccone, the San Marino GP is his home race, since he lives close to the track he knows perfectly. This, combined with the performance and determination he has shown throughout the season, makes him the favorite for the final victory, even with the small advantage he has over his opponents.
Read also: Mattias Ekström: A Peculiar Way to Prepare for the PURE ETCR Final
Undoubtedly, other elements will influence the outcome of the challenge, particularly the performances of the other local riders: Matteo Ferrari and Mattia Casadei. The Gresini representative has been almost unbeatable in the past at the Misano circuit, while Casadei has made some of his best MotoE races there. This, without forgetting the Barcelona and Red Bull Ring winners: Miquel Pons and Lukas Tulovic.
Finally, the regulations will also play an important role when it comes to the outcome of the San Marino GP. The starting grid for Race 1 and Race 2 will be defined by a unique EPole; a single lap will decide the grid position of the riders on both days. Therefore, a mistake during the EPole will cost valuable positions for not only day 1 but also for day 2.
Written by I Jhonattan González
