Hello all! I am switching the site over to it’s new home and frankly it’s gonna look a little sparse or disappear all together for a day or two. Better now than during the up coming racing, though. Thank you all for your patience!
Richard Dort
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ESBK Studios: Episode 23 (Teaser) Interview with Tyler Rowan of SPSU
Posted: 23rd May 2013 by k25500c in Podcast, Series, Teams
A great and fun interview with Tyler Rowan of the Motorcycle project side of the Southern Polytechnic State University’s Electric Vehicle Team. Say that three times fast. his is the fifth University club/team I have found with serious aspersions of building an FIM eRoadRacing contending bike. Give them a listen.
[audio http://ttxgpmatters.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/episode-23-teaser-interview-with-tyler-rowan-of-spsu.mp3]
Up Coming Racing, and there is a LOT of it!
Posted: 22nd May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Events, Series, Teams, Tracks
From iomtt.com
June is going to be ridiculous when it comes to racing over the next few weeks. I think it’s a conspiracy to try to make me OD on racing, and they might just succeed. Here’s what is coming up for the next few weeks:
May 31: First TT Zero Practice
June 1: Second TT Zero Practice Brammo Practice and Qualifying at AFM Round at Thunder Hill
June 2: Brammo at AFM Races
June 3: Third TT Zero Practice and Moto Electra starts cross Continent EV record attempt
June 5: The TT Zero race
June 8: M1GP Practice and Qualifying
June 9: M1GP Races
So, for the Europeans it is a 6 week break from the TT to the first round of the eRR in Europe. In North America it is only a 3 week break for the Hollywood Electrics guys from the last M1GP round to Pikes Peak and the REFUEL event being held the same weekend. And then another 3 weeks to the first North American eRR race at Laugna Seca. Thank the lord because I’ll need the breaks. It looks like the Pikes Peak will be very well covered by both Ride Apart and Asphalt & Rubber, and @Pinkyracr will be hooning around Laguna Seca at the REFUEL event. So we have that to look forward too.
Hold on to your pantyhose kids. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
Ride On Racing Round UP 19MAY13
Posted: 22nd May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Blah, blah, blah, People of the Press, PodcastSo last Sunday night I was a call-in guest on KCBQ Radio AM 1170′s “Ride-On Racing Roundupout” with Dave Stall & Alex Plewniak of San Diego, CA. They have a lean towards the green technologies and asked me to be on after a fun conversation with the co-hoast Alex Plewniak the other night. I must be getting real good at sounding like I know what I am talking about. There is nothing new here for long time listeners and followers accept the different perspectives that come with talking to new people. I was really nervous, and did my best to keep all the facts straight, but I am sure I messed up a detail or three. Give it a listen, and you can make fun of me later.
[audio http://ttxgpmatters.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ride-on-racing-round-up2013may19.mp3]
http://ttxgpmatters.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ride-on-racing-round-up2013may19.mp3
MotoElectra are Back with a Cross Continent Record Attempt
Posted: 21st May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Events, Manufacturers, Teams
Photo given by the Highland Canter
I am working on getting a little more info but in the mean time at least I found the press release. It pretty much says it all at this point:
Moto-Electra Racing to Attempt Coast to Coast Record for Electric Vehicles
Moto-Electra announced today that it is set to challenge the world record for electric vehicles in a cross-continent ride that is planned to cover 2,500 miles in just three days.
Blue Grass, VA (PRWEB) May 14, 2013
– Leader in electric motorcycle racing technology to cross the continent in a three-day 24×7 ride –
Moto-Electra announced today that it is set to challenge the world record for electric vehicles in a cross-continent ride that is planned to cover 2,500 miles in just three days. The event will begin on the beach of Jacksonville, FL, at dawn on June 3rd, 2013. Communications and media support will be provided by IceWarp, one of the team’s corporate supporters.
“We will travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean using only the batteries in the vehicle,” explained Brian Richardson, the manager of Moto-Electra Racing. “The event will conclude on the Santa Monica Pier in California. The race is against the clock and the motorcycle will be ridden by Thad Wolff, one of the great AMA Superbike racers of the 1980′s.”
The team will be making around 20 pit stops to charge the vehicle with an improvised “grid” — a generator carried along by the support crew of James Madison University engineering students. The team intends to demonstrate the capability of the current technology.
“At the turn of the 20th century, gasoline powered vehicles were useless for long distance travel,” says Mr. Richardson. “There were no roads, no filling stations, and the vehicles were not dependable. Our goal is to challenge perceptions about the useful range of electric vehicles, and set a world record in the process.”
The support vehicle for the ride is outfitted with an iPad-based IceWarp Messaging Server that provides native support for iPad that includes integrated Microsoft Active Sync. The combination allows real-time communication between the team, its supporters and fans regardless of what devices they are using, as long as they are based on universal standards.
“We wish Moto-Electra every success in this challenge,” said Ladislav Goc, IceWarp President. “As a company that has a decade-long innovations track record, we are honored to support a team of innovators that is rethinking the motorcycling sport technology.”
Racing technology enthusiasts can send e-mails directly to Moto-Electra team at motoelectra(at)icewarp(dot)com and get high resolution pictures signed by Thad Wolff.
About Moto-Electra
Moto-Electra Racing intends to re-invent the motorcycle as we know it. Started on a sheep farm in the Blue Grass Valley of Virginia, Moto-Electra Racing is developing some of the fastest electric motorcycles in the world. “You can silently accelerate to 130 mph or cruise along listening to the birds in the trees. This is an expansion of the sport of motorcycling. We invite you to visit our quiet Blue Grass Valley — To see for yourself the future of motorsport.” Brian Richardson
About IceWarp
IceWarp is an emerging provider of comprehensive messaging solutions for every business class, size and niche. Building upon a decade of enterprise e-mail platforms experience, IceWarp offers organizations an all-in-one highly secure solution that enables their mobile workforce to communicate through any platform, be it e-mail, mobile synchronization, chat, SMS, voice or video. The highly scalable product can easily be used by organizations of all sizes, from SMBs to large corporations, delivering ease of deployment, exceptional reliability and scalability. IceWarp’s solutions are available in over 40 countries through a comprehensive network of distributors.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/5/prweb10729441.htm 
Lots of News out of Zero for the Month of May
Posted: 20th May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Blah, blah, blah, ManufacturersThree whole press releases have been posted up on Zero’s website for the month of May. They have sold 59 bikes to the Hong Kong Police Department through their new dealership there, they won “European E-Motorbike of the Year 2013, and the have just release their Military version of their MX dirt bike. Not mention is that they are moving (or have moved) to a new, bigger facility in Santa Cruz, and Racer X Illustrated got their hands on a 2013 MX. Don’t read the comments on the Facebook post if don’t already know that young rednecks actually do have access to the internet.
First the news about the big 59 bike sale. It’s great for Zero, and at the 2013 release back in January the VP of PR did talk about how good fleet orders had been, and this is at least one of them. If Hong Kong sounds familiar it is because Brammo has had a relationship the police through Jackie Chan’s Brammo dealership there. Hong Kong is huge (been there, but in a Las Vegas kind of way) so it would seem there is plenty of room for both companies. The HKPD is getting 2012 Zero Ss which is still a step up on the Enertia+ in horse power but the Brammo fits in the middles between the two Zero models (ZF6 and ZF9). In the press release Zero says, “The Zero S has an approximate range of 89 miles on a single charge with a top speed of 88 miles per hour.” This makes me believe they have the ZF9. Funny enough real world Enertia+ owners and testers have found it fairly easy to get 80 miles of range in city commuting. So the bike are pretty comparable, if not the Zero having a fair amount more oomph. It will be interesting if we ever remember to keep an eye on these two fleets and see how the bikes compare in the long run.
As far as the European award, they didn’t win it against Brammo, much like Brammo didn’t win the Playboy award against the Zero. The Empulse is not available in Europe yet, however the Enertia is and according to this page it wasn’t compared to any Brammo, but a Mavizen. That bike is what 3 or 4 years old? MCN rode one and it seemed pretty good back then. So while Zero has every right to pat themselves on the back, just as Brammo did over the Playboy Best Electric Motorcycle award, I just can’t give either award a whole lot of weight. But fair is fair.
And lastly there is Zero’s MIL-Spec MX, the MMX. It is water submersible up to 1 meter. To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if the stock bikes are this water tight. It really doesn’t read to be much more than a stock MX with a fancy headlight, some quick disconnects, a switch box, and a nifty reserve and a kind of BMS override when low on power. It’s cool, and convenient even, but not OMG that’s freakin’ cool, cool.
Still, it is really cool to see so much news is coming out of Zero while Hollywood Electrics is taking it upon themselves to take on the racing effort, which has been dominating the headlines here at ESBK.co. As well it should.
Here are all three press releases. I recommend you read them: Read the rest of this entry »
Isle of Man TT folks give us an update on the TT Zero
Posted: 19th May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Events, Tracks
From http://www.iomtt.com/TT-2013/TT-Zero.aspx
Well it’s that time of year and the festival starts in just over a week. Fortunately we finally have official confirmation of the teams that are coming this year. This is the first year that we have not heard over 20 bikes were coming only for those numbers to steadily fall. And I, for one, am grateful. But other than building up the battle between MotoCzysz and Mugen, they let us know that University teams Kingston and Brunel are coming back but are going to have to face new comers Ohio State and Imperial College. So with the heavy weights and University teams accounted for who is coming back with serious efforts for 2013? Well, ManTTx, Vercamoto, Komatti-Mirai Racing, and Lightning Motors. I am actually a bit excited this year as my optimism has overcome my common sense and I really believe most, if not all, of these teams will finish the race. Scuttlebutt has it that more than a few teams were caught out last year by the constantly changing start times, caused by the same weather conditions that eventually lead to the Senior TT being canceled for the first time ever. Many of these teams don’t have more than one or two complete laps around the island, but again, I feel this year will be different. 10 teams, 11 bikes, and SES is back as the title sponsor. Now that sounds like a race.
Here’s the release the IOMTT put up:
Motoczysz and Mugen square up for TT Zero title fight
MotoCzysz, the dominant force in clean emissions racing, and Japanese powerhouse Mugen are gearing up for another battle in the 2013 SES TT Zero Race. Last year both teams shattered the 100mph lap mark – a feat it took internal combustion engine machines fifty years to achieve – with all three podium placed riders posting times in excess of the magic ton.
Michael Rutter won in 2011 for MotoCzysz and defended his title in 2012 but he was chased all the way by John McGuinness on the eye-catching Mugen Shinden. John, who was making his electric bike debut, finished just 23 seconds behind Rutter at an average speed for the lap of 102.2mph. Michael’s team mate and 2010 TT Zero Champion Mark Miller was only 15 seconds back on John to complete the remarkable “centurion” podium. As defending champion Michael Rutter starts the 2013 SES sponsored event from the pole position on the all-new 013 e1pc. The MotoCzysz team believe this year’s entry is capable of a sub 20:35 lap – putting them on target for an average lap speed in excess of 110mph. To put that ambition into perspective Michael’s lap record from the Lightweight TT on a 650cc Kawasaki stands at 115.554 mph. Michael will, once again, be joined by America’s Mark Miller on the startline where Mark’s bike will carry the number two plate. John McGuinness will again spearhead the Mugen effort, on the Shinden Ni, their 2013 machine. With an all new chassis and power train as well as completely new bodywork Mugen are confident it will be capable of adding at least ten miles an hour to the 2012 benchmark.
Six countries will be represented in the 2013 SES TT Zero with ManTTx and local rider Dave Moffitt representing the Isle of Man, Italian outfit Vercamoto and Chris McGahan and last year’s debutant competitors Komatti-Mirai Racing Team from Japan with Japanese national Yoshinari Matsushita. USA based Lighting also return after missing the 2011 meeting.
University outfit Kingston, which has competed in every event since the electric bike inception in 2009 and won the University prize in 2011 as well as finishing on the podium that year, will again campaign their ‘Ion Horse’ machine. The university outfit went close to the 100mph time in last year’s qualifying session but ultimately ran out of power just 800 metres short of the finish line. George Spence will again represent the University outfit.
A strong University entry also sees Brunel returning to the race in 2013 with Welsh rider Paul Owen. Other University outfits include ‘Buckeye Current’ from Ohio State University with 2009 Race winner Rob Barber and Imperial College who will be represented by Spain’s Antonio Maeso.
Mark Guthrie, MD of race sponsors SES Satellite Leasing Ltd, commented: “SES is delighted to once again support the SES TT Zero Race. As a company we pride ourselves on innovation and groundbreaking technology and it’s clear that there is going to be real competition at the front of the field again in 2013. Whatever the result, all the teams can be proud of their efforts as it’s a real achievement just to get a bike on the starting grid.”
ESBK Studios Special: Round 4 of the M1GP with Jeremiah Johnson
Posted: 16th May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Events, Manufacturers, Podcast, Riders, Series, Teams, Tracks
Photo by Julian Walter of julianwalter.com, permission to use given by BE-EV.com Racing
I catch up with “JJ” while he was driving back across the country on his way back home to Florida.
[audio http://ttxgpmatters.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/esbk-studios-special-round-4-of-the-m1gp-with-jerimiah-johnson.mp3]
RoadRacingWorld.com: “Cancer Treatments Will Force Michael Czysz To Miss TT Zero At The Isle Of Man TT”
Posted: 14th May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Blah, blah, blah, Manufacturers, Riders, TeamsHere’s RoadRacingWorld.com’s article.
Of all the teams that I disagree with and that give me the wtf’s the most, MotoCzysz, hell Micheal Czysz himself, is at the top of the list. But bench racing is one thing, and life threatening illness is something completely different. These day’s I am not sure if anyone reading this hasn’t had cancer touch their lives one way or another. I know I have had it touch my family. So to try to say something that communicates the seriousness of cancer would probably just end up sounding condescending. If you have even met Mr. Czysz then you know he is passionate and pretty darn fit. I am hopeful this will aid him in his fight, and is the way he will continue to be for a long time to come. From the bottom of my heart I wish you, Micheal Czysz, and your family the absolute best and look forward to seeing you folks come out the other side if this fight with a big Win.
Sincerly,
Richard Dort
Why the 2013 Battle Between MotoCzysz and Mugen Might Not Be Just About the Bikes
Posted: 14th May 2013 by ttxgpfan in Blah, blah, blah, Manufacturers, TeamsAs you may very well have seen in the moto blogoshpere MotoCzysz has not only done the expected and announced their 2013 TT Zero run against Mugen, but also announced their intentions of running this year’s FIM eRoadRacing series. Now the first report came from Asphalt and Rubber and they said, “The MotoCzysz press release does not commit to anything in the eRoadRacing series other than the Laguna Seca event. And of course we had to wait until Moto-USA or RoadRacing World put their stories up until we could actually read the press release. But confused yet? I certainly was until Susanna Schick of Gas2 went to their offices in Portland, OR and did an interview with the general manager were she says, “Last week they announced their 2013 rider lineup, making it clear that they would like to race the full US season of the eRoadRacing series but for now are targeting IOM TT Zero and the Laguna Seca round of eRoadRacing.” Ahh, OK, now we know the score.
He’s where the speculation comes in a bit. If you listened to my interview with Colin Whittamore of Mugen then you know Mugen is a racing company. They make parts to make your race car or motorcycle go faster. They see electric technologies as being very much a part of the future and are embarking on this venture now to get a head start on ev technologies and how they apply to racing. This is very similar to how the GM of MotoCzysz describes the direction they are going in with their company, in his interview with Susanna. So now the TT Zero is not just the battle ground for who has the best bike around the island, but a battle between two companies vying for business. One with deep roots in racing but new to ev tech, and the other a young American start-up who has demonstrated their engineering and design prowess by dominating the TT Zero for the past three years. Last year they may have just been battling for the trophy and bragging rights. This year it may very well be for business as well.
But why are they now making such an effort for the eRR? I believe the list of reasons is as long as your arm. Some of it maybe that they now see they have rivals worthy of comparing themselves too. And another I am certain is because of the FIM’s backing. Micheal Czysz (based on my conversation with him in 2011) has never been particularly supportive of the TTXGP. Never negative mind you, but not what I would call supportive. Is that wrong or right? I’ll leave that to you, as I don’t feels it’s my place. If you have watched the movie “Charge”, you will know the Czysz family has been involved in motorcycle racing at one level or another for a long time and they may very well have insights we are not privy too. I’m just calling it, “it is what it is.” Moving on, if they only race Laguna Seca then it really isn’t any more than the same ol’ same ol’ from the company, only with two bikes and two top racers on them. They show up and people ohh and ahh at their gorgeous bikes, they win or get second, get a some coverage in the press, and go home and back to work. Basically a press stunt based on some good racing. I am not convinced these folks are really satisfied with this, but they have budgets and work at the office to do. However, they have made it very clear they want to race the whole season, even if it turns out they can’t. Which brings me to another point. This year is different. This year MotoCzysz has hired two riders, and will have two bikes out there, and neither of the riders are Micheal Czysz. And they have announced they will be going. They never do that accept for the TT Zero. I always wondered why as it seemed to only ever pissed the few fans off who would have made the extra effort to make the trip had they had know MotoCzysz would be there. I know when I found out, it was the extra motivation I needed to pull the trigger on the plane ticket to get out to Miller in 2011. Also there has been more twitter traffic which I feel is good, but who am I? This year is different is all I can say for now.
But since we’ve dived head first into the rabbit hole, I think Brammo’s actions this year may prove to provide some insight. They feel confident they are within reach of Lightning and MotoCzysz but are not happy with being within reach. They want to beat them on the track. They have two Continental Championships and a World Final. They have proven they can and will show up and that their bikes are reliable enough to do the business regularly. Now they want to be faster than everyone else. And I suspect doing it with less power, as that is not what the riders have been asking for. They seem happy with the power, even if Parker (their motor supplier) isn’t. So in order to reach this goal they are racing with gas bikes in the oldest club racing series in the country, the AFM. While Shelina was busting all of her goals on the the Empulse TTX and Prototype Engage all to pieces, EBoz and Steve-O didn’t reach their lap time goals, but ticked every other box that weekend. This means they will have 2 full race weekends under their belts before the eRR season starts in July. I wonder if MotoCzysz isn’t looking to do the something similar by racing the eRR in addition to the TT Zero. In the UK, Bennett’s Bike Social blog has reported, “The new bike will be run by the Honda Racing team for Mugen out of Honda Racing’s UK headquarters in Louth, and then eventually make it to the Isle of Man TT for the TT Zero first practice on Friday May 31. Mugen has allegedly spent an alleged £3 million on the Shinden project, hoping that this could be the bike to help John McGuinness on to TT win number 20.” That’s a lot of money to throw around. Frankly it’s enough to make all of the other elmoto race programs very jealous. For a small company like MotoCzysz to compete with a well established company like Mugen, much less with them spending that much money, is a pretty darn big hurdle. I suspect if everyone has indeed brought the fight to MotoCzysz in the eRR it came at a good time. It will obviously be too late for the TT Zero, but learning about their opponent there and then going head to head with the best electric prototypes North America has to offer afterwards may just provide a competitive enough environment that will spur development at MotoCzysz to a high enough level to warrant spending the cash to go racing. In other words, hopefully the racing in the eRR provides enough bang for the small company’s buck, and proves necessary in order to develop their technology to keep up with and/or ahead of Mugen in this field.
MotoCzysz clearly isn’t standing still having developed what sounds like a very exciting “2D” suspension components, and they claimed on twitter that for 2013 they had 20% more energy on board than in 2012, while weighing the same. Mugen’s bike looks like they may very well have spent 3M pounds on the project as it looks much less like a refrigerator, and more like what we recognize as a motorcycle. Both teams have claimed they are aiming for 110mph laps.
We will find out how things shake out in 2 more weeks time.