#MotoE – Ferrari run close but takes a clean sweep at Assen, Torres leads championship
Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) is back on a roll. The Italian took the lead early on in Race 1 at the TT Circuit Assen and then pushed at the front to hold off points leader Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team), with Torres then left to contend with a charging Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™). But the Spaniard was able to just stay ahead, taking another valuable 20 points as Ferrari cut the gap to just 13.
Torres took the holeshot but Ferrari didn’t wait long to attack, slicing through early on Lap 1. From there Torres had his hands full to try and stick with him, and initially he did as the two started to pull away.
The fight for third was Krummenacher vs Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) vs Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) early on, with Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE™ Team) then able to join the party. With the chopping and changing, Ferrari and Torres were able to eke out a lead, and then Ferrari put the hammer down at the front even further.
Able to pull out just under a second, the Italian then kept it pitch perfect to the flag to take another convincing win. In the fight for second, Krummenacher, free of the fight behind, began to home in on Torres. The Swiss rider got close but it wasn’t quite close enough to mount a last lap attack, so the Spaniard takes those valuable 20 points – and Krummenacher nevertheless impresses with another rookie podium.
Casadei held onto fourth as the fight for fifth became a duel, with Mantovani able to fend off Granado. A huge group battle behind decid seventh, and that just went the way of Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™), who pipped Tito Rabat (Prettl Pramac MotoE™) at the line.
After a Race 1 that went almost to the wire, Race 2 most definitely did for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship at the TT Circuit Assen. But once again, Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) just couldn’t quite get the better of Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™). The Italian completed the double in style to move within eight points of Torres as the Spaniard was forced to settle for second, with Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) slicing through from P10 to complete the rostrum.
Torres took the holeshot, with Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) slotting into second initially and Ferrari third, and the trio were separated by absolutely nothing as Casadei got to work behind moving up into fourth. Also on the move was Andrea Mantovani (RNF MotoE™ Team) as he got his elbows out to get into the fight for fifth, taking on Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) and Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC59 Squadra Corse).
There was then drama at the front as Granado tagged the back of Ferrari, the Brazilian staying on and not losing the position but losing some time as the duel ahead then pulled a gap. And that gap stayed there as the race became a two-rider showdown for the win.
What would turn out to be the winning overtake came with four to go as Ferrari pulled an absolute stunner to sweep around Torres and into the lead at Hoge Heide, with the Spaniard then left with the same challenge as Race 1: stay with him. This time around, that he did… on the final lap getting to within possible striking distance. But not without some serious risk, and Torres instead made it a straight shot towards the line, just losing out by 0.078 – and taking those valuable 20 points as Ferrari once again proved impeccably quick with his third win of the year.
Casadei also most definitely impressed, up seven positions from his grid slot and completing the podium. Mantovani suffered a late crash out of podium contention, and Granado took fourth one place ahead of teammate Miquel Pons.
Pons managed to pip Zannoni by the flag, with Alessandro Zaccone (Tech 3 E-Racing) taking P7. Nicholas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40) took eighth ahead of a tough finish for Krummenacher, with Kevin Manfredi (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) beating Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) to the final place in the top ten.
Source: motogp.com
