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-full-interview-with-tyler-rowan-of-spsu.mp3]
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
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]
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.
So 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
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 
Three 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 »
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.”
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]
Here’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