Screenshot : Twitter

Disaster struck nascent international electric motorcycle series MotoE on Wednesday night during the series’ pre-season testing event in Jerez, Spain . Every single Energica Ego Corsa bike was burned in a currently unexplained paddock fire, spelling tragedy for the entire sport.


This year was intended to be the first season for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup series . Its five rounds were intended to start as a MotoGP support series at the Spanish Grand Prix weekend on May 3-5, and the pre-season test was the series’ first attempt at actually getting rubber on track.


A statement from the series organizers reads as follows:

A fire in the newly-built E-paddock has destroyed the majority of material for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Fortunately there have been no injuries. An update will follow in the coming hours regarding the exact causes of the fire and any subsequent changes to the calendar.

It’s a heartbreaking moment for each of the twelve teams involved in the series, some of whom also field MotoGP bikes .

This is a disaster that will be difficult to recover from. While it can be destroyed in one, a racing series isn’t something that can be developed overnight. MotoE will have a long way to go before we see bikes back on track again. The Angel Nieto team predicts that the series will be back in 2019 for a revised schedule, but that waits to be seen.