Electric racing is taking off.
Formula E is on its third season, and the
Electric GT Championship is ready to get things underway. For two-wheeled racing, the Isle of Man TT has included an all-electric race, the
TT Zero, for years now. The
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has an Electric Motorcycle class, too, and motocross is seeing more battery powered bikes competing. Next up is
MotoGP, which could have an all-electric support class as early as 2019,
according to Motorsport.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports (parent company to MotoGP and
World SuperBike), confirms to
Motorsport that the electric series is coming, with up to five support races in 2019. Each race will be at least 10 laps, and it will be a one-make series, with each team using the same bikes. “We already have four offers from brands on the table,” says Ezpeleta.
The electric championship series will field a grid of 18 electric bikes, which will be capable of speeds up to 124 miles per hour.
Motorsport says that it’s possible independent MotoGP teams and certain Moto2 teams will be guaranteed slots in the series.
In terms of making the series green, Ezpeleta says he wants to charge the bikes using solar panels, “not from generators like in other championships.”
While electric racing is still in its relative infancy, it’s growing, and the addition of an all-electric support class for MotoGP is evidence of that. Its inclusion as part of a larger series, as with TT, Pikes Peak, and now MotoGP, also helps put it in front of mainstream audiences where it has a better opportunity to gain more widespread appreciation.
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