In a few minutes, I will be getting back on a plane to the United States, after having spent some time with the folks at Energica in Modena, Italy. There is a lot to say about this electric motorcycle company from Italy, so keep an eye out for those stories, but I wanted to whet your appetites with this machine, the Energica Ego Corsa.

The racing version of the company’s electric superbike, the Energica Ego Corsa is the consumer model to what the Grand Prix paddock will be racing in the new MotoE World Cup, which will see 18 riders from 11 teams battling it out in sprint races at 5 venues on the MotoGP calendar.

With some big names on the bikes (Sete Gibernau, Randy de Puniet, Bradley Smith, and more) the spec-series should have some close and hard-fought races. I think the electric series is going to surprise some race fans, and start making some petrol heads into EV freaks…but that is a different story.

For today, I just want to look at the bike, because…well, there is a lot to look at. The Energica Ego isn’t what you would call classically good looking, though its owl-like face and bulbous tail do grow on you over time.

The production bike makes 145hp and 147 lbs•ft of torque from its PMAC motor, so the Ego has plenty under the hood, but the bike is limited by its 580 lbs of mass, which packs only 11.7 kWh (nominal) of battery.

But, the “Corsa” version of the bike makes some steps in the right direction, both aesthetically and on the performance specs.

Power has been increased to over 160hp, and while there are 20kWh of battery on the bike, the weight is closer to the 500 lbs mark, thanks to the removal of all the street-legal running gear, the 3kW onboard charger, the hefty cast aluminum battery casing, and the use of carbon fiber fairings.

The removal of the onboard charger also means that a new tail fairing can be used, which is certainly much sleeker than what is found on the street-legal machine.

Peering beneath the fairings, I could spot the absence of the grey cast aluminum battery housing, which has given way to a black plastic enclosure. I would wager 50 lbs is lost in this change alone. Of note though, the PMAC motor retains its cast aluminum enclosure.

Overall, the Energica Ego Corsa is a sleek machine, devoid of the more…challenging…visual elements found on the street bike.

The direct-mounted rear shock on the left-hand side is still visually striking (partially because of its contrasting yellow coloring), and it is also a notable change from the original Energica prototype, which hid its shock down low inside the swingarm, along with the accompanying linkage.

One has to wonder how many seasons Energica will continue with this arrangement before a progressive shock linkage, and new mounting points come into play. This is because the side-mounted shock exists mostly because of packaging issues on the Ego street bike, but with the rear end of the Ego Corsa having considerably more space, new opportunities certainly exist.

Having ridden the entire lineup from Energica, I can confirm that the company operates on a high level with its electric drive systems. But, how well the company fair as a racing platform provider?

We will be watching intently to see how this latest creation from Modena works on the race course, in some of the most capable riders ever. The MotoE World Cup represents a moonshot moment for this plucky Italian firm.

Photos: © 2019 Jensen Beeler / Asphalt & Rubber – All Rights Reserved