MotoGP organiser Dorna and motorcycle racing governing body the FIM have announced that the electric MotoE series, first introduced as a grand prix support series in 2019, will be suspended at the end of this season.
Announcing the news in a statement ahead of this weekend's penultimate round of the championship at Misano, Dorna and the FIM explained their logic, saying that both lack of fan engagement and a changing motorcycle market had forced the decision.
"MotoGP listens closely to fans," the statement said, "present and future, to deliver what best resonates within the sports and entertainment ecosystem, as well as consulting closely with the motorcycle industry and key stakeholders.
"MotoE has not been able to gain sufficient traction within our fanbase during its seven seasons of competition, during which time the electric performance motorcycle market has not developed as expected."
While it's hard to argue on one level with that statement, given how little fan interest there is in the Ducati-supplied series (the Italian manufacturer having taken over from original bike supplier Energica), there's a strong argument to be made that the reason for that lies not with the interests of MotoGP's fanbase and more with the way in which MotoE has been marketed by Dorna in particular.
The series has been very much an afterthought in the MotoGP paddock in terms of marketing, communications, and TV production, with coverage often hard to find and little-to-no opportunities presented to increase engagement at a time when other series such as Formula E have positioned themselves as something very different from internal-combustion-engined open-wheeled racing.
That's perhaps best exemplified by MotoE's relegation from the Sunday schedule, instead switching to two races on a Saturday, away from the biggest crowds of the weekend on Sunday.
That's a shame, too, because MotoE has, over the past seasons, produced both some of the best racing of a MotoGP weekend and some of the closest championship battles; as things stand going into Misano this weekend after five rounds and 10 races, Mattia Casadei and Lorenzo Baldassarri sit top of the championship on equal points.
Beyond the missed marketing opportunities that have contributed to the lack of fan awareness, suggesting as they have that a shifting market has also contributed to MotoE's demise also seems to somewhat miss the mark.
"The motorcycle industry," the statement added, "has increasingly pivoted towards the development of even more efficient combustion engines, alongside the use of non-fossil fuels.
"MotoGP fuels will become 100% non-fossil from 2027, increasing from a minimum of 40% non-fossil from 2024, matching the direction of the industry and serving as a clear statement of our commitment towards Racing for the Future."
While the electric performance market has not developed significantly in past years, the same can also be said of performance internal combustion motorcycles, with sportsbike sales crashing in the past decade.
However, with MotoGP positioning itself not as a direct 'race on Sunday, sell on Monday' model anymore but instead using its racing performance to inform and advance technology used in all motorcycles, it's hard to see how the same doesn't apply to electric vehicles at a time when sales of small-capacity EVs are booming across the all-important urban mobility sector.
Ironically, given Dorna's commitment to reducing emissions, it seems that one significant (and unmentioned) reason for scrapping MotoE is to make room in the weekend's schedule to introduce the new one-make Harley Davidson baggers series, which was officially launched last month at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Set to race at six rounds next year, it will now take MotoE's schedule slots amid a boom in interest in the class following its introduction as a support series to American national championship MotoAmerica in 2020.
