Energy Magazine July 2016 | Page 8

PROFILE
EVERY YEAR , AS spring gives way to summer , hundreds of motorcycles — and their riders — rumble onto the Isle of Man to compete in the most dangerous ( and prestigious ) race of its kind , The Isle of Man TT .
Some are racing to win , others simply want to complete a single 37.73-mile lap around the terrifying and exhilarating Snaefell Mountain Course . However , there is one thread which unites all of the TT competitors : they are here to build a legacy for their teams , and for themselves .
Since it was introduced in 2010 , the TT Zero race , which exclusively features electric motorbikes , has been especially eager to gain legitimacy among its fossil-fuelled counterparts . In the absence of a petrol bike ’ s deafening roar , electric motorcycles have had to prove that they are equally powerful and competitive .
“ When the electric bikes first started they were a bit of a joke to the ‘ petrolheads ’” said Adrian Moore , the Development Manager for Manufacturing and Inward Investment at the Isle of Man Government . “ They aren ’ t a joke anymore .”
This year , eight teams set out to race the Mountain Course on zero-emissions bikes . Four of them — Mugen , Saroléa , TMR and Victory — are independent motorsport teams looking to put their products to the test on the Isle ’ s challenging roads . The other five are university teams — Nottingham , Brunel , Bath and Kingston — out to find a high-octane application for their technical knowledge .
The test-run On 6 June , two days before the race , the teams were preparing to carry out their final qualifying lap . Though some were more confident than others , the camaraderie among the competitors was evident . Collectively , they weren ’ t seeking a trophy and bragging rights , but an expanded knowledge of how to best engineer an electric motorbike .
Japan ’ s Mugen Motorsports , which was co-founded by Hirotoshi Honda , son of Honda founder Soichiro , arrived on the Isle of Man this year as reigning champion . It shattered lap records in the two consecutive years prior , and was hoping to replicate its success a third time with a new bike custom-built for the occasion . “ In theory , we could have got last year ’ s bike , brought it here ,
8 July 2016