$21,500 Prize on Offer

Can you ride 61km @ 160km/hour?

Want to win a £10,000 ($21,500) prize? All you have to do is complete one lap of the iconic 37.73 mile (61 km) course at the Isle of Man at an average speed of 100mph (160km/hour).  Sound like a breeze?  There is one small  important detail.  The speed must be reached on a clean emission motorcycle i.e. an electric one like the Kingston University London’s Motorsport and Motorcycle Engineering machine pictured above.

Last June, emerging electric motorcycles were put to the racing test when the carbon-free 2009 TTXGP ran on the Isle of Man. This year they are returning to participate in the TT Zero Clean Emissions race which will feature as part of the core race programme. The roar of established internal combustion machines on world road racing’s hallowed ground will be replaced by the hum of futuristic electric motor designs. Racing development spurs production innovation. This is an accepted fact, particularly true in motorcycles. So why should electric motorcycles be any different?

The Isle of Man Government has put up the £10,000 prize for the first team to record a 100mph lap around the iconic 37.73-mile course which was first achieved by Bob McIntyre in 1957 on a conventional bike.

MotoCzysz  is expected to be one of the leading contenders to claim the prize.
“We are very excited to be returning to the Isle of Man to compete in the 2010 TT Zero. The fact that electric motorcycle racing has been elevated to an official class within the TT shows the commitment of the Isle of Man Government in providing the low emission pioneers with a world stage to demonstrate their solutions.” “This may end up being one of the purest prototype classes left in racing.”

The team's 2010 electric machine is already believed to have received significant improvements on the 2009 bike (pictured below), and it has been confirmed the team will debut the new MotoCzysz proprietary electric motor controller drive system, expected to be the highest torque/density electric motor in the industry.

TT Zero, which is expected to feature riders who are also competing in the other TT classes, is a one-lap race open to clean emission motorcycles and will take place on Wednesday, June 9.  There will also be qualifying sessions on June 5 and 7.

Last year’s rules were simple, but not sure whether they have changed:
1. No carbon-based fuels, no toxic emissions.
2. One lap of the 37.75 Isle of Man mountain course with no pit stops or refueling, with any bike incapable of lapping within 50minutes disqualified.

Ten machines are confirmed to compete in the 2010 TT Zero race including London based Ecolve, Agni Racing who have two bikes, University teams Brunel and Kingston, MotoCzysz from America, Isle of Man based ManTTx Racing, Austria’s HTBLAUVA – XX Project, SERT (Swedish Electric Racing Team) and Germany’s Peace E Rider.

So far, none of the large-volume motorcycle manufacturers have seen fit to toss in an electric prototype. For now it’s ambitious start-ups and college students answering the call. The pictures below show some of last year's competitiors.

Interesting Fact: Neal Saiki, creator and founder of Zero Motorcycles says that electric motorcycles have been in the works for decades but only recently became technically possible.

There were two breakthroughs that made electric motorcycles possible, Saiki says. First, the small, high-powered motors the military has been using for torpedoes were finally made available to the public sector. Then came powerful lithium-ion batteries, "about eight times more powerful per weight than typical lead acid batteries."

Check out these sites if you want to read more about:

Electricross (electric motocross) http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/525/3057/Motorcycle-Article/24-Hours-of-Electricross-Results.aspx

May 2010 Race Video  http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/video-first-ttxgp-electric-motorcycle-race-at-infineon/

Electric bike meets Harley Woman http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126264432

UPDATE: June 8th  : Go to www.ultimatemotorcycling.com  The Moto Czysz has just done the Fastest Lap Ever !!

FINAL UPDATE: Go to www.ultimatemotorcycling.com  They were just pipped for the prize. Reached an average of 98.973 mph! Vive 2011!