Click above to enlarge the rendering of the electric motorcycle from Motoczysz
Organizers for the upcoming TTXGP zero-emissions motorcycle race have finally released the full list of confirmed participants, which includes 24 motorcycles from 16 individual teams. We had been expecting to see teams from the likes of Mission Motors, Brammo and EVOdesign, and we also see that early rumors of a bike from Motoczysz are now confirmed. Above is a rendering the new electric machine from Motoczysz.
Other interesting entrants include Barefoot Motors, Electric Motorsport and KillaCycle Racing, all from the United States. Teams from the United Kingdom, India, Austria, Germany, Italy and even the Isle of Man itself will also take part in the first-ever running of the event.
In case you couldn't tell, we're very excited to see electric vehicles highlighted in a positive light on the world stage, and interest is sure to build as June 12th draws closer. Click past the break for the full list of teams and riders, and check out the gallery below for a few images.
[Source: TTXGP]
PRESS RELEASE:
24 entries confirmed to compete in TTXGP:
world's first zero-carbon eGP
- Seven nations to be represented at TTXGP
- 7-times TT winner Mick Grant to line up on starting grid
Alongside teams from the UK and the Isle of Man, there are representatives from Italy, USA, India, Germany and Austria, making this ground-breaking event a truly global competition.
TTXGP founder, Azhar Hussain, said, "With twenty-four confirmed entries, we are thrilled with the high level of interest the TTXGP has generated globally, and the superb quality of teams that will be involved in our first zero-carbon race."
Entries to the race range from the US-based Mission Motors team, which claims its electric superbike, Mission One, can reach speeds of up to 150mph, through to the Isle of Man's own entry.
British innovation and enterprise is well represented by Rick Simpson, Director of EVO Design Solutions, "Our EV-0 RR and EV-0 R entries will highlight the all British design and manufacture aspect of our race team. The motor, chassis and control systems used by the
EVO Design Solutions team are all developed and built in the UK."
A number of the UK's top universities and colleges are getting involved. Brunel University,
Kingston University and Imperial College London are all developing electric race bikes and hope to provide some serious competition to the more commercial US teams. Together with Mission Motors, commercial US teams include MotoCzysz, Barefoot Motors and Brammo, makers of the Enertia electric bike.
The list of riders taking part in the TTXGP includes seven-times winner of the Isle of Man TT, Mick Grant; Olie Linsdell, winner of the 2007 Northwest 200 400cc race, beating John McGuiness's lap record in the process; Tom Montano, who has previously raced the fastest MV Agusta in the history of the Isle of Man TT races; Dan Kneen, who made history in the 2008 Manx Grand Prix by being the first person ever to win three races in a week; Paul Owen, one of the stars of the PlayStation2 game 'TT Superbikes Real Road Racing Championship'; and Maria Costello, Guinness World Record holder for fastest female lap of the TT circuit.
Other riders of note include Thomas Schoenfelder, Roy Richardson, Rob Barber, Chris Petty, David Madsen-Mygdal, Martin Loicht, Antonio Maeso, Garth Woods, Chris Heath, Marie Hodgson, Steve Harper, Alessio Corradi, Steve Macdonald, Mark Miller, Alan Connor, and Chris Palmer.
Local Isle of Man interest will be represented by the ManTTx team, which will be thinking about more than just the environment when they roll up to the line on June 12, 2009.
ManTTx team leader, Keith McKay, said, "We're not in this just to save the planet. We're in this to put a winning motorcycle under a winning rider and win the race."
Azhar added, "Among the competitors are past TT winners and a number of seasoned motorcycle racing pros, all of whom are excited by the challenges and prospect of racing clean machines."
In terms of technology, the use of lithium-ion batteries is a common theme running through many of the teams' bike entries, but that's where the similarity ends. Some teams have incorporated the use of regenerative braking, another first in racing terms, while others, such as Imperial College London, are using a fully recyclable composite material for the body work of its bike.
The IET is the official technical advisor to TTXGP. The panel is made up of leading experts from the academic and commercial sectors, many of them members of the IET global automotive and road transport systems technical panel.
Mary Donovan, IET Head of Communications, said, "The technology and innovation we are
going to see at the TTXGP is a catalyst for converting all those who care about the world to wake up and realise that technology is the vehicle by which we can achieve the changes we so desperately need.
"With twenty-four entrants going head-to-head in a bid to prove who has developed the greatest clean-emission race machine, nowhere will the products of competitive innovation be more apparent than in the 2009 TTXGP. It's going to be a great motivator for budding engineers and will go a long way to prove that there is real excitement, energy and value in the fields of engineering, technology and science. Let the race begin!"
Please find below a full list of TTXGP teams and their corresponding riders:
- HTBLAUVA – TGM (AU) Martin Loicht
- eROCKIT (D) Rigo Richter
- eROCKIT (D) David Madsen-Mygdal
- XXL (D) Thomas Schoenfelder
- TORK (INDIA) Garth Woods
- ManTTx Racing (IoM) Dan Kneen
- Rondine Racing Team (IT) Alessio Corradi
- Brunel X-team (UK) Steve Harper
- EVOdesign (UK) Mick Grant
- EVOdesign (UK) Olie Linsdell
- EVOdesign (UK) Paul Owen
- Imperial TTxGP (UK) Chris Palmer
- Kingston University (UK) Maria Costello
- Team Agni (UK/INDIA) Robert Barber
- Barefoot Motors Racing (USA) Chris Petty
- Brammo/BIKE (USA) Roy Richardson
- Cool World Team (USA) Steve Macdonald
- Cool World Team (USA) Antonio Maeso
- Electric Motorsport (USA) Chris Heath
- Electric Motorsport (USA) Marie Hodgson
- KillaCycle Racing/Lightning Motorcycles (USA) Alan Connor
- Mission Motors (USA) Thomas Montano
- MotoCzysz (USA) Mark Miller
The TTXGP, the world's first clean emission eGP, is due to be held on the Isle of Man TT circuit, mid-TT season, on June 12, 2009. The TTXGP is about competitive innovation, providing an international platform for clean-emission engineers to test and demonstrate the latest innovations in clean emission technologies. The TTXGP aims to prove that clean-emission transport can be fast fun and exciting.
For the latest TTXGP news, please visit: www.ttxgp.com
About IET
1. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is a world leading professional organisation, sharing and advancing knowledge to promote science, engineering and technology across the world. For more information, visit www.theiet.org
2. The IET dates from 1871 and has 150,000 members in 127 countries with offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.
3. Appointed as official technical advisors to TTXGP in 2008, the IET will retain its commitment as TTXGP goes global in 2010.
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