First race brings first points of the year for Niki Tuuli
19/07/2020The Avant Ajo MotoE rider finishes 11th at Round 1 of the 2020 FIM MotoE World Cup at Jerez.
After the worldwide health emergency forced the start of the season to be delayed earlier this year, the first race of the 2020 FIM MotoE World Cup was held today alongside the Spanish Grand Prix. Avant Ajo MotoE rider, Niki Tuuli, put in a solid performance, earning his first points after crossing the finish line in 11th place.
The contest was reduced to 6 laps, 1 fewer than scheduled, to ensure that all participants reached the end of the race with enough battery power to take the chequered flag. Tuuli, who started from the third row of the grid, managed to maintain his position on the opening corner. The Finn remained in the chasing group, trying to prevent the leader from escaping. Finally, the Avant Ajo MotoE rider lost contact with the group and, on the final laps, engaged in a duel with another opponent. Niki eventually placed 11th.
With these first points of the season, Tuuli is 11th in the overall standings with 5 points. Next week the Avant Ajo MotoE will return to Jerez, where Round 2 of the championship will take place from July 24th-26th.
Results – (MotoE Race)
1. Eric Granado 10:55.542
2. Matteo Ferrari +3.044
3. Dominique Aegerter +3.299
4. Lukas Tulovic +3.517
5. Mattia Casadei +4.082
11. Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) +8.791
FIM MotoE World Cup 2020
1. Eric Granado 25 points
2. Matteo Ferrari 20 points
3. Dominique Aegerter 16 points
4. Lukas Tulovic 13 points
5. Mattia Casadei 11 points
11. Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) 5 points
Aki Ajo – Team manager
“It wasn’t an easy weekend for us in MotoE. Last year we had a great start to the season but this time Niki [Tuuli] just didn’t feel comfortable. However, his confidence has been improving since the test on Wednesday. Next week we will have another opportunity and I am sure Niki will get back to the position he deserves to be in.”
66 NIKI TUULI
“We achieved our first points of the year, which is a positive thing even though it is not the position we had hoped for. We had a pretty good pace, but I just didn’t feel comfortable riding. Now we must analyze what happened to find out what we need in order to gain confidence again with the bike, like what we had last year. We are working very hard with the team to find the way forward. We will try to correct all of these points in the next few days before the second race, which takes place next week. I know we can challenge for higher places.”