FELO Rabbit: A Tough Challenge at the 2024 MotoE Italian Round

The fourth round of the 2024 FIM Enel MotoE World Championship took place from May 31 to June 2 at the Mugello Circuit in Italy, concurrent with the seventh round of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship.

FELO Shanghai Electric Felo (Rabbit) supported the FELO Gresini MotoE team, maintaining an all-Italian rider lineup for the 2024 season. The team was led by Matteo Ferrari, No. 11, a two-time MotoE World Cup third-place finisher, and Alessio Finello, No. 72.

During Friday’s MotoE practice and qualifying sessions, both riders qualified directly for Q2. Ferrari set a best lap time of 1 minute 56.337 seconds in Q2, securing eighth on the grid, while Finello clocked 1 minute 56.651 seconds, starting ninth.

On Saturday, June 1, MotoE had two races. The first race was red-flagged after a crash in the opening lap, disrupting Ferrari’s initial third-place position. The restart was postponed until 6:40 PM local time following the second race.

In the restarted first race, Ferrari finished ninth after a less-than-ideal start, engaged in a fierce battle, while Finello placed twelfth, trying to break free from competitors. In the earlier second race, both riders faced challenging starts but pushed hard in the seven-lap, approximately 37-kilometer contest. Ferrari secured seventh place after overtaking two rivals in the final lap, while Finello, who found himself alone on the wide Mugello track after losing the slipstream, finished thirteenth.

After the Italian round, Ferrari commented, “We made some adjustments this weekend and got positive feedback, but unfortunately, that’s our current level. Although we tried to fight for the podium from a better grid position, we seem to be lacking now. We’ll keep our heads down, stay focused, and thank everyone supporting us. We’ll get back where we belong!”

Finello said, “I struggled in the second race, but the first one went better because I was faster. I had good starts in both races, but maybe I needed a more aggressive strategy in the first corner. Overall, I’m happy with the weekend; we’re making progress. I’ll use the upcoming break before the Netherlands round (at the end of June) to prepare well, so I can come back stronger and compete with the leaders.”