With the dawn of electric motorcycle racing upon us, a David versus Goliath scenario has emerged in the power struggle over who will be the premier sanctioning body of electric motorcycle racing. Well, the little guy just pulled an ace out of his sleeve.
You may remember FIM's recent announcement about the launch of the e-Power International Series dealing a sobering blow to TTXGP and all they have worked toward. In a contractual slap to the face, Mission Motors has contractually committed to exclusively race with TTXGP.
TTXGP North America Director Jeremy Burne said, “With teams of this calibre, we can really look forward to a 2010 series which will not only test riders and machines to their utmost but also position TTXGP as a world leader in the promotion of electric motorsports.” The gloves are off.
Mission Motors, one of the original competitors of the Isle of Mann TTXGP last June, may have only finished fourth but has been the largest blip on our eMoto radar ever since. They offered the first production electric super bike –only 50 will be made-- of the Mission One. Based on the fourth place finisher of the TTXGP and holder of the electric land speed record, the Mission One’s jaw-dropping gas-powered like performance is rivaled only by its uber-exclusive price tag of $69,000.
Next up on the TTXGP calendar is at Infineon next May 14 to 16 during the AMA Motorcycle Sonoma Showdown weekend at Infineon Raceway near San Francisco. Mission Motors may be a returning force to be reckoned with, but there is also a new face in town. Zero Motorcycles have decided to clean up their dirty act and create their first street racing team to make its first TTXGP debut at Infineon.
No stranger to competition racing, Zero Motorcycles took first place in a sanctioned race in France against more than 200 450cc gas-powered motorcycles. Neal Saliki, Zero Motorcycles Founder and CTO said, “We've spent four years developing the Z-Force electric power train technology for high performance dirt and street riding. We're excited to take it to the track and compete.” And we are excited to see the field grow.
With nothing but respect for the FIM and what they have grown, I don’t want to see multiple race leagues each with their exclusive competitors. I want to see the Yamahas and Hondas of the racing world rubbing plastics with the Mission Motors and Zero Motorcycles.
