MotoE confirms cause of Jerez paddock fire

MotoE organisers have confirmed the cause of the Jerez paddock fire which destroyed the majority of the bikes and equipment as a short circuit which ignited batteries.

The MotoE project was left devastated by a huge fire which broke out around midnight following the first day of the Jerez test. The fire spread rapidly through the temporary paddock setup destroying bikes, charging stations and paddock equipment.

Organisers have already been forced to cancel the opening round of the inaugural MotoE season, which was due to take place at Jerez on May 3-5, as well as the remainder of pre-season testing.

Local police are still concluding their investigation into the fire but have announced the fire was caused by a short circuit which ignited a high-density battery that is part of the high-performance charger used in MotoE. The source of the short circuit is yet to be confirmed.

The statement from MotoE officials also confirmed no electric motorbikes were connected to the charging infrastructure when the fire began.

Organisers are determined to see the first-ever electric grand prix racing series begin this year with a new 2019 calendar set to be announced. MotoE teams and organisers are eager to recover from the fire and confident all bikes and materials can be replaced.