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  • Ducati Dives Head First Into Electrification With MotoE Supply Deal

Ducati Dives Head First Into Electrification With MotoE Supply Deal

ducati motoE race bike.

Starting 2023, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer will become the sole motorcycle supplier for the MotoE series.

If you want to learn to swim, the fastest way to learn is to throw yourself in the deep end. Sure, the ultimate outcome is split 50/50, and the consequences of failure are dire, but hey, those are great odds in certain circles. 

Ducati appears to be ready to roll those dice. 

Ducati officially announced on Thursday morning that is will become the sole supplier of electric racing machines for the MotoE world championship beginning with the 2023 season. 

Ducati seals the deal with Dorna Sports.
Image: Ducati

That’s huge news for Ducati considering they’re arguably the least visible of the major manufacturers in the current push for electrification. 

 The agreement they’ve signed with MotoGP organizer and promotor Dorna Sports puts them on the hook to supply machines for three years, through the end of the 2026 MotoE season. 

The decision comes at an interesting time in the Italian manufacturer’s racing history. Ducati has struggled to top podiums in all major racing events for years now. Grand Prix racing has never been their strong suit (they’ve won a single championship since the series began in 1949), but even in World Superbike, where Ducati dominated for the better part of 20 years, the Italian firm is fast approaching a decade-long drought. 

So the good news, in the short term, is that Ducati will be dominating all three spots on the podium in at least one contest in the very near future. What comes after the 2026 is anyone’s guess, but either way this deal bodes well for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. 

That’s because judging by the current rate of development on the electric motorcycle scene, there’s a good chance we’ll be looking at a multi-manufacturer contest for the 2027 season. If that were the case, Ducati would have three years of direct experience and on-track R&D under its belt, giving it the competitive advantage it so desperately needs to compete with its Japanese rivals.

Racing is a great start, but one important question still remains: “Is the public getting an electric Ducati Superbike or what?”

Ducati MotoE sketch.
Ducati’s current rendering of a potential MotoE homologation.

It may be too early to tell, but all “forward-looking statements” from Ducati point to yes. For example:

“The technological solutions developed in the world of racing, transferred to the products that make up the range, allow Ducati to offer its enthusiasts extremely high-performance and fun-to-ride motorcycles. The FIM Enel MotoE Championship will also be no exception in this regard and will allow the Company to develop the best technologies and test methodologies applied to sporty, light and powerful electric motorcycles.”

That’s a soft yes if we’ve ever heard one.


Interestingly enough, if you’re hot to buy a MotoE replica right now, you can. That’s because the series currently runs a field of race-spec Energica Ego Corsa motorcycles, the bones for which are available to the public as the Energica RS. Energica will even sell you a kit, their “Kit Corsa Clienti,” to convert your factory Energica to near race replica form that includes race-specific electronics, suspension, brakes, and running gear. Or you can just order 3D printed race bodywork from the Italian electric manufacturers to cover up those pesky head and tail lights for track days.

Energica MotoE motorcycle.
Energica’s current MotoE “homologation”

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