The ACU (governing body of motorcycle races in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, and Isle of Man) along with the Southern 100 Club (the organization behind the Southern 100 road race on the Isle of Man) have seen it fit to allow electric motorcycles to compete alongside petrol-powered machines at this year’s Southern 100 road race. Booyah!
Accordingly, Darvill Racing will be the first team to enter an electric bike alongside the current crop of internal combustion machines, and will campaign Brammo’s eSuperStock and TTXP2 machine at the other Manx road race.
This means that with 57 years of racing history to its name, Darvill Racing will be the first outfit to take an electric motorcycle head-to-head with gas bikes in a proper road racing event. Though, it isn’t the first time that we have seen the electric go head-to-head against the petrol contingency.
“We are extremely pleased to be given the opportunity to be the first team to compete with ICE machines in a pure road race event anywhere in the world,” said Alex Aitchison – Darvill Racing Team Principal. “We are looking forward to working with the ACU and Southern 100 club. Spending time with Gary (Thompson) and his team it is evident that the ACU are committed to being the leading light in the field.
“Since the first Southern 100 was run in 1955, the club has always been progressive in its thinking and this year is no exception as we will witness the very first motorcycle race which will see ‘conventional’ racing machines competing with and against electric powered machines at the 2014 Southern 100 International Road Races,” added Derek Nicholson, President of the Southern 100 Club. “A first for Billown and the Isle of Man, in fact for the world.”
With the Billown Circuit being 4.25 miles long, and fairly flat in elevation, the six to eight lap formats for the Southern 100 races should be conducive to the on-board battery restrictions found on modern electric motorcycles, which could make for some interesting racing results depending on the lineups.
We will be curious to see what classes Darvill races its Brammo motorcycles in for the Southern 100, and what criteria the ACU is using to level the playing field between gas and electric motorbikes.
Source: Darvill Racing
Comments