Hikari Okubo completes the first of three days of official testing at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit.

The Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit hosted the start of the 2022 FIM MotoE World Cup pre-season, with an official three-day test for the electric contest. Hikari Okubo and the Avant Ajo MotoE made their long-awaited return to action on Monday, and the Japanese rider had a positive first day of practice, in which he took steady steps forward.

Okubo dedicated the first day of testing to regaining the good feeling and confidence he previously had with the MotoE bike, after the long winter break. The Avant Ajo MotoE rider put in a total of 24 laps of the Andalusian track, achieving a personal best time of 1:49.656 which has placed him in 6th position on the combined timesheets. The Japanese is optimistic about the work carried out this Monday, in which he was consistent and competitive.

There will be two more days of testing in Jerez, in which to prepare for the start of the 2022 FIM MotoE World Cup season.

COMBINED STANDINGS – DAY 1
1. Dominique Aegerter 1:48.634
2. Eric Granado 1:48.925 +0.291
3. Matteo Ferrari 1:49.230 +0.596
4. Xavier Cardelus 1:49.529 +0.895
5. Jordi Torres 1:49.530 +0.896
6. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) 1:49.656 +1.022

78 HIKARI OKUBO

“It was a while since I jumped into a MotoE bike, so today I was focused on getting back feelings on top of it. During the winter I practiced with other bikes, which helped me accumulate hours of riding, but the MotoE is different: bigger and with more electronics.

Today I focused on improving my riding style and my body position when I’m going through corners. At the end of the day, we can say that we found a good rhythm that we will try to maintain for the remaining days of testing. We set a good lap time, but we want to make another step forward and for that we will give the best we have during the following days.”