Eric Granado remains unbeaten in Enel MotoE World Cup E-Pole this season after the Brazilian was fastest once again in Round 4.
It was close, however, with Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) just 0.074 off Granado’s best of a 1:43.114. Points leader and Free Practice pacesetter Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) completes the front row, with the session concluding right as rain began at the TT Circuit Assen and the Italian the last one out.
Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) was the first rider to set a sub-1:44 lap, a 1:43.968 putting him a sizeable 0.736 faster than the competition up to that point.
Corentin Perolari (Tech3 E-Racing) cut Casadei’s advantage to 0.294 to go second, before Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) then lit up his Energica Ego Corsa’s rear wheel on the exit of Turn 5 – a mistake that cost the Spaniard, whose lap would then get chalked off again after exiting pitlane too late anyway.
Rookie Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) then went fastest overall with a 1:43.923, a new benchmark for the following riders to try and better. And that’s exactly what Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE) did as the 2019 World Cup winner beat Aldeguer’s time by 0.047 to sit on provisional pole, but the Italian would immediately get shoved down to P2.
By whom? Reigning World Cup winner Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) – smoking his rear tyre out of Turn 11 – moved the goalposts in a big way as he went 0.398 clear at the summit to set a new benchmark. Tulovic was up for the challenge though and despite a rear-end twitch at Turn 5, the German rider took over at the top after an impressive 1:43.188.
Second in the standings Dominque Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) was next up, but the Swiss rider will be looking for more on Sunday after slotting himself into third at the time, leaving just two riders left to set a lap: Granado and Zaccone.
Granado was up first, the second fastest man on the combined times, and the Brazilian recovered from a bit of a moment to nevertheless take provisional pole by 0.074 and deny Tulovic for sure. Could Zaccone take over at the top? All eyes panned to the Italian, who was a tenth and a half down in Sector 1, but he’d pulled it back by the end of Sector 3 to be heading into the final split 0.121 up.
With the rain flag out but Race Direction judging the conditions to not yet be affecting track conditions, the lap was able to be finished but, crossing the line, the Italian couldn’t hold his advantage and instead slotted into third.
That leaves Granado on pole ahead of Tulovic and Zaccone, pushing Torres down to fourth at the head of the second row. He’s joined by Aegerter and Ferrari, who were fifth and sixth respectively.
Seventh place Aldeguer and eighth fastest Casadei are the only other riders to get within a second of polesitter Granado at Assen, with Corentin Perolari and Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) completing the top 10.
Now all that’s left to do is race, which MotoE do at Assen at 15:30 local time (GMT+2) on Sunday!
MotoE front row:
1 Eric Granado – One Energy Racing – Energica – 1:43.114
2 Lukas Tulovic – Tech 3 E-Racing – Energica – +0.074
3 Alessandro Zaccone – Octo Pramac MotoE – Energica – +0.124