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Valencia MotoE: Ferrari takes title as Granado wins again

Gresini rider Matteo Ferrari became the first-ever MotoE champion, as Avintia’s Eric Granado completed a Valencia double.

Matteo Ferrari, Gresini Racing

Matteo Ferrari, Gresini Racing

Only a Bradley Smith victory could’ve put Ferrari’s title under threat, but Smith was defeated by Granado in a last-lap scrap.

Much like in Saturday’s race, Smith took the lead from the Brazilian pole-sitter into the first corner, establishing an early lead of around a second on the opening lap.

But after seeing off a challenge from Ferrari for second place, Granado set about catching up to Smith, and as the seven-lap race moved into its closing stages he was once more right on the tail of the leader.

This time, Smith managed to rebuff Granado’s advances until the final lap, but the pressure from the Brazilian was relentless and he found a way past down the inside of the high-speed Turn 7 left-hander.

Smith responded into Turn 10 but Granado held a tighter line to stay ahead, and saw off a last-gasp lunge from the Briton into the final corner to secure the win.

Tech 3’s Hector Garzo, who had been stripped of a second-place finish on Saturday due to a tyre pressure infringement and lost his title hopes as a result, was muscled down to seventh on the opening lap, but recovered to pass Pramac man Alex de Angelis for the final spot on the podium.

Both he and De Angelis had passed Ferrari, who rode a relatively cautious race to fifth place to make sure of the title.

Mike di Meglio overtook Sete Gibernau, who is bowing out of MotoE this weekend, for sixth place on the final lap of the race.

Valencia double winner Granado picked up third in the standings at the expense of his squadmate Xavier Simeon, who had occupied the spot heading into the race.

Simeon crashed on the opening lap at Turn 4, collecting Pramac’s Josh Hook in the process, with the the race’s only other retirement – LCR’s Niccolo Canepa – highsiding off his bike at that same corner just moments later.

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