Tuuli picked for Ajo MotoE Team
Niki Tuuli has been selected as Ajo MotoE Team’s rider for the first MotoE series
Niki Tuuli has been selected as Ajo MotoE Team’s rider for the first-ever all-electric motorcycle series running under the MotoGP world championship.
Following a flurry of rider announcements over the last two weeks, the Finnish rider becomes the latest name on the MotoE grid for its inaugural season.
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Tuuli, a race-winner at World Supersport level, made his Moto2 debut midway through this year but has endured an injury-hit campaign which has restrained him to a single point finish for the SIC-run Petronas Sprinta Racing squad.
Ajo will run a one-rider squad in the first-ever MotoE campaign with team boss Aki Ajo naturally delighted to be part of the historic season.
“The start of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup is like a new era for the MotoGP family,” Ajo said. “We are very excited about this new MotoGP project and are very proud to be part of it from its first season. It is sure to be a series that will surprise us positively in many aspects and it will be a challenge.
“Niki [Tuuli] is a rider who I've known since he was very young, and who I've been following throughout his career. This year he competed in his first Moto2 races, after taking podiums in the World Supersport Championship.
“He is a rider whom I believe has a great future ahead of him, and I think that the MotoE World Cup is a good opportunity for him to continue growing. I'm sure that we will form a great team.”
Tuuli is relishing the new experience against a vast range of current and former world championship competitors as he gets testing underway which begins at Jerez on 23-25 November.
“I want to thank Aki and all the Ajo Motorsport structure for this opportunity that they are giving me,” Tuuli said. “I can't wait to compete with this team and be part of the first MotoE season. It will be a great experience and it will be very interesting for everyone, because nobody knows what to expect.
“I expect that the races will be fun and closely matched, as there will be many World Championship riders from this past season.
“MotoE is part of the future, as everything is becoming increasingly electronic. I can't wait to try the bike out at Jerez, because I have never ridden an electric motorcycle before; it will be something completely new for me. I'll take things step by step and try to get used to the bike, but I think we can do a good job.
“It's a pleasure to compete for Ajo Motorsport. I'm from Finland, so it has always been a dream to be able to ride under Aki Ajo's guidance.”
The inaugural MotoE championship gets underway at Jerez next May before four further rounds at Le Mans, Sachsenring, Spielberg and Misano racing as part of the support classes to MotoGP in 2019.
