TTXGP: All-Electric Motorcycle Race

by Jordan Yerman | March 22, 2009 at 09:50 am

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Update: so far, 16 teams have signed up, with 24 bikes set to take to the starting line. Specs aside, these are some gorgeous machines. (Warning: this link may cause accelerated heart rate for sportbike enthusiasts. Click at your own risk)

The roar of the crowd will be the only roar at the TTXGP, the world's first all-electric motorcycle race.

The event itself will take place on June 12, though registration ends at the end of March... yeah, you can enter your own electric bike provided that you A) have designed and built an electric race bike, and B) have the stones to take to take it to the Isle of Man...

The Grand Prix will provide an exciting opportunity for leading global innovators in racing and clean emission technologies to compete and prove to the world that being green does not mean being slow. The planned TTXGP will showcase a diverse range of vehicles capable of reaching Grand Prix race speeds. Racing teams are likely to be backed by international corporations, universities and high tech institutions, all eager to prove their credentials in the brave new world of clean emission transportation.

The course: same as for the bladder-contracting Isle of Man TT. Public roads, and all the hazards present thereon.

The racing circuit is based on a number of public roads on the Isle of Man including the primary A2 Douglas to Ramsey Road,
A1 Douglas to Peel Road, A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road and the primary A18 Mountain Road.

TTXGP will have an open-class race as well, for vehicles powered by off-the-shelf sources, so you can enter your fry-greace-cycle, or your carrot-powered cruiser, but sorry- no modified plutonium-fueled R1s.

Electric bike development is getting bigger, with Mission Motors developing a silent superbike and Dakar mainstay KTM promises a race-ready electric by next year.

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