Regardless of power source, regardless of series, regardless of country, regardless of speed, the Team Icon Brammo Empulse RR sports the finest sponsor livery we’ve seen on a motorcycle in decades. To learn more, we spoke to Icon Design Director Kurt Walter, who penned it. :continue:
At the time of writing, it’s unclear if this new Brammo Empulse RR will be racing at the first TTXGP race of the season. Practicing at Infineon yesterday, rider Steve Atlas highsided the new 130bhp race bike, fracturing six vertebra and injuring a finger. While the team tries to patch things together and find a pinch hitter, enjoy these 13 photos.
Update: five great new pre-crash action photos from Charles Lee. :continue:
“Not only is Icon’s involvement important for Brammo, it’s also important for the sport of electric motorcycle racing,” states Brammo designer Brian Wismann. “Here is a brand that is known for being innovative and different, stepping up to support an entirely new genre in the motorcycle world – electrics. Last year was a huge milestone with Steve Atlas (pictured) bringing home our first TTXGP championship and we’re excited to have the opportunity to defend that championship with a great partner in Icon Motosports. With the bike’s distinctive design, you’ll be hard pressed to miss Team Icon Brammo on the track this year.” :continue:
Here’s a sneak preview of Lightning’s 2012 TTXGP race bike. They haven’t released details yet, but this thing looks fast, passing ICE 600s and 1,000s as it completes a lap of California’s Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. The TTXGP returns to North America on May 4th at Infineon Raceway, going to to a five-race season, including the World Championship, this year at Daytona Raceway on October 21. 2012 is going to be a huge year for electric motorcycle racing, with tons of development going on behind the scenes promising faster bikes and better racing than ever before, as well as one or two major manufacturers entering the fray. :continue:
Nope, not the land speed record for electric motorcycles. The land speed record for motorcycles (367mph), period. Don’t laugh, the team behind this effort has already built an electric bike that can do 0-60mph in less than 1 second and run a quarter mile with a 155mph exit speed. The best news though? The exact same powertrain that will power the land speed record attempt will be available through Mavizen to TTXGP competitors next season. That means we’re about to see some seriously fast electric race bikes. :continue:
Let it never be said that Michael Czysz doesn’t value HFL’s community. Yesterday, in our interview with Mission Motors racer Steve Rapp and marketing man David Salguero, T Diver asked Michael for a shot of one of his bikes pulling a wheelie. This morning, Michael sent over these exclusive images from the TTXGP race at Laguna Seca. “It is a pretty sorry wheelie,” Czysz explains. “But it is a pure power wheelie and not due to 200lbs of batteries behind the rear wheel.”
These images are more than wallpaper sized. In the gallery, click to expand and save to your computer if you want a new, pure electric power, desktop.
Two weekends ago, San Francisco-based startup Mission Motors made history when rider Steve Rapp lapped Laguna Seca in 1:31.3. That’s a new record for electric vehicles of any kind and would have put them 5th on that weekend’s AMA Supersport grid. Steve went on to win the race, utterly blowing away competition from MotoCzysz, Lightning and Brammo. Two days ago, we talked to Steve and our old buddy, Mission marketing guru David Salguero, about that achievement. :continue:
It’s about to get a lot easier to go electric motorcycle racing.
Electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo has signed a deal to provide race-ready rides for the TTXGP electric racing series for the 2013 season. The bike will be a souped-up version of the Empulse that Brammo says we’ll see within months. :continue:
In this previously unreleased footage from the 2009 TTXGP, a helicopter tracks Rob Barber as he rides the Agni X01 to victory across The Mountain section of the TT course. Consider it a zen-like meditation on the silent performance. :continue:
Azhar Hussain, creator of the TTXGP, has received one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious awards. On Saturday, the Queen included him on her Honor’s List, making Azhar a Member of the Order of the British Empire “for services to motorsport.” :continue:
