Eric Granado didn’t lead much of MotoE™ Race 2 at Jerez, but he was in front when it counted
Patience was key for Eric Granado as he made it two from two in the opening weekend of FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup competition at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. It was an LCR E-Team one-two after he passed team-mate Miquel Pons midway through the final lap around the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto – the first time the Brazilian had led all race.
Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) completed the Race 2 podium, while Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) finished fourth after challenging for the lead at the start of the last lap.
For the second day in a row, Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) got the holeshot from the middle of the front row, but he held the lead only until the Pons Corner (Turn 5), where Casadei went down the inside.
The running order got a shake-up when seemingly everyone went deep into the Pedrosa Corner (Turn 6) at the other end of the back straight. Aegerter emerged in first position, ahead of pole-sitter Pons and the rider who had started all the way back in eighth, Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™). Fourth at that point was Garzo, ahead of Casadei and Granado.
Pons was back to where he started when he overtook Aegerter at the Lorenzo Corner (Turn 13) at the end of Lap 1. Okubo could not hold onto a podium place for very long, the Japanese rider passed by both Garzo and Granado on Lap 2.
The top four quickly broke away from the rest of the field, but after Granado went underneath Garzo and into a provisional podium position at the end of Lap 2, it quickly became clear that the battle for victory was going to be a race in three. Even so, the previous day’s winner seemed content to watch Pons and Aegerter chop and change at the very front of the field, and what a sight that was.
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