2023 MotoE World Cup expands to 16 races with new Ducati electric racer
The 2023 MotoE World Cup will feature more races next season with Silverstone joining for the first time, alongside the returning Sachsenring and Catalunya
The MotoE World Cup will swell to eight rounds and 16 races for 2023 as it prepares to make use of the all-new Ducati MotoE racer for next season.
In what will be the fifth iteration of the ground-breaking all-electric motorcycle racing series, the 2023 MotoE World Cup will usher in a new generation of machine after Ducati secured the tender to supply the entire field.
While Ducati has offered numerous hints and teasers as to what the MotoE bike will look like, to date it is yet to divulge specific performance details.
That should come in the next few weeks as Ducati prepares to reveal the final model - which has been undergoing rigorous testing with its development rider Michele Pirro for the last 12 months - but in the meantime, the FIM has confirmed a fuller calendar taking in eight rounds.
This is an increase over the most recent season, which played out over six round and 12 races.
Five of those six events - Le Mans, Mugello, Assen, Red Bull Ring and Misano - are carried over from the current campaign, with two returning events at the Sachsenring (which hosted the inaugural MotoE event back in 2019) and Catalunya included.
Silverstone, meanwhile, will host its first-ever MotoE event as part of the British MotoGP on 4-6 August, with Jerez dropped for 2023.
Two test sessions are planned before the season, with March 6-7-8 earmarked as the first opportunity for the MotoE teams to test the new Ducati bike in anger.
2023 MotoE World Cup Calendar
| 2023 MotoE World Cup Calendar | |||
| Rd | Date | Circuit | Country |
| Test | March 6 - 7 - 8 | Jerez | Spain |
| Test | April 3 - 4 - 5 | Catalunya | Spain |
| 1 | May 12-14 | Le Mans | France |
| 2 | June 9 - 11 | Mugello | Italy |
| 3 | June 16 - 18 | Sachsenring | Germany |
| 4 | June 23 - 25 | Assen | Netherlands |
| 5 | August 4 - 6 | Silverstone | United Kingdom |
| 6 | August 18 - 20 | Catalunya | Spain |
| 7 | September 1 - 3 | Red Bull Ring | Austria |
| 8 | September 8 - 10 | Misano | San Marino |
The FIM is yet to confirm how long the MotoE races will be but there is expectation they will run to more laps than the current formula, which is hampered by the use of the roadgoing Energica Ego machinery.
Indeed, the new Ducati MotoE bike - though similar in appearance to a Panigale - is a lighter and more efficient new-from-the-ground-up prototype that has been maximised for performance and range.
A total of 18 bikes across 11 teams are due to compete next season with the only variation in entry coming from RNF Racing, which is joining forces with WorldSBK Yamaha team GRT for its effort.
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