Expect the unexpected. Today’s E-Pole at the ‘Bugatti Circuit’ of Le Mans was as unpredictable as it gets, with the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup riders who had to face a last-minute downpour and tackle a whole different session aboard their Energica Ego Corsa machine – which consisted in four quick-lap attempts and shared track.
Of the three riders who made their way to the Parc Fermé, only one eventually claimed a front-row start for tomorrow’s 15:30 race (postponed from its original start time at 10:05). Despite being one of the many riders who saw their lap being cancelled either for yellow flags or for exceeding the track limits, Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) claimed second place on the grid behind the surprising pole-sitter Eric Granado (One Energy Racing), who led the session early on before crashing unhurt.
The front row is completed by Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE), who had a bit of luck at his side after a challenging opening day, with Xavier Cardelus (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), race winner at Jerez Alessandro Zaccone (OCTO Pramac MotoE) and Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt IntactGP) on row two – with the Swiss rider who lifted the #1 plate for the pole position before being demoted to sixth.
Seventh place went to Andrea Mantovani (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini Racing), with the top ten completed by Fermin Aldeguer (OpenBank Aspar Team), Yonny Hernandez (OCTO Pramac MotoE) and Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE), who showed great speed today by topping this morning’s FP3 and – before the lap cancellation – finishing the E-Pole in third place.
The wet and slippery track conditions at Le Mans led to many crashes, which involved – on top of the aforementioned Granado and Hernandez – also Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing), Mattia Casadei (Ongetta Sic58 SquadraCorse).