Zero Emission Road Race
With the cost of fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses on everyone’s mind, the Isle of Man TT organizers take the initiative and offer race fans zero emission racing.
The IOM TT has been around for more than 100 years. The races have seen many changes over the years, changes that were not just to the bikes, but to the course and the regulations too. But in 2009 what could be the biggest change ever is coming to the island.
Clean Emission Racing Motorcycles
Brain child of Azhar Hussain, a British electronics engineer and business man, the TTXGP will hold its inaugural race during TT week on June 12. The race will cater for clean emission racing motorcycles and could be the forerunner of a future international series and perhaps even Moto GP races.
Interest in the race is running sky high, not only from TT fans, but from motorcycle organizations, manufacturers, and of course riders; even the UK government and F1 car governing body the FIA are following the event. Upwards of 23 teams are registered so far from Italy, Austria, US, Germany, India, UK and the Isle of Man. The closing date for entries is officially March 31, 2009.
So what is TTXGP? A recent press release from the official web site says it all: “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.” (Anyone familiar with the performance of the KillaCycle drag bike will know that electrically powered motorcycles certainly can achieve incredible speeds).
One Lap of the TT Course
The race itself will be over one lap of the famous mountain course. Riders will set off for a single lap from the grandstand just outside of Douglas. Riders will be individually timed, and the rider completing the 37.73 miles course in the quickest time will be declared the winner.
There are two classes available for competitors: a pro (prototype) class and an open class. Machines entered in the pro class can be: electrically propelled machines, fuel cell, conventional internal combustion engined bikes fueled by none carbon-based fuels (e.g., Hydrogen) or Hybrids. The hybrids must still conform to the zero carbon fuel and zero toxic emission rules.
£20,000 per Bike
The open class is intended for the amateur team/rider. This class is restricted to electrically propelled machines only. Interestingly, to keep costs under control, competitors in the open class must agree to make their machines available for purchase after the race for a fee not exceeding £20,000 (UKP) per bike. Riders/teams refusing to sell their bikes will be excluded from the results. This rule does not apply, however, to the pro class where machines could cost far in excess of £20,000.
One of the latest entries in the pro class is from Mission Motors (a San Francisco-based manufacture of street legal electrically powered motorcycles founded by former Tesla battery engineer Forrest North). The company claim their street bike is the fastest electrically powered production motorcycle in the world, having a top speed of around 150 mph. No figures are available for their race bike, but they should be one of the leading contenders for the number one spot.
Place in History
The winner of the first TTXGP will guarantee his, or her, place in history as the first zero-emission race vehicle winner at the TT. Will this new race concept change the TT for ever? Only time will tell. But with the world looking to reduce greenhouse gasses wherever possible, international motorsport will have to change to stay alive; racers the world over will be watching with interest.