An Italian rider claimed the MotoE world championship title Saturday, a bittersweet victory as the electric motorcycle series concluded its final season due to a lack of sponsors.
Alessandro Zaccone of the Aruba Cloud team secured the championship in Portimão, Portugal, marking the final title for the electric motorcycle category. The series is set to be suspended indefinitely.
Zaccone expressed his relief and joy, stating, “I was super scared of crashing. Being a champion is any rider’s dream and I achieved it.”
He finished the season with 198 points, a 10-point lead over compatriot Mattia Casadei. Zaccone achieved three victories throughout the championship.
The last race of the season was won by Spain’s Oscar Gutierrez for MSI. Casadei, riding for LCR, finished second, just 0.098 seconds behind, with Italy’s Nicholas Spinelli taking third place.
Zaccone’s fourth-place finish in the final race was sufficient for him to clinch the title. He entered the Portuguese Grand Prix with a five-point advantage over Casadei, which he extended to 17 points in the day’s first race.
With a comfortable lead, Zaccone adopted a cautious approach. He focused on avoiding crashes, especially during the critical final laps of the race.
Several riders experienced falls during the event. Italian Lorenzo Baldassari crashed on the fourth of seven laps after contact in the mid-pack. Brazilian Eric Granado also went down, touched by his teammate Mattia Casadei. Romanian Jacopo Hosciuc was the final rider to retire due to a fall.