Brammo plans to contest entire TTXGP season, including world final

The other day we noted that TTXGP had posted their 2012 North American season schedule, of four races (one location TBD) and plans to hold the TTXGP World Final in Daytona FL.   Over on Facebook, Brammo commented on TTXGP's schedule posting saying this:

We plan to contest every North American Round of TTXGP and the World Final in Daytona. Plus the FIM race at Laguna Seca. More details and announcement of our new sponsor coming soon....

https://www.facebook.com/BrammoInc/posts/169647389816582 

Steve Atlas, riding for Brammo, in the Corckscrew @ Laguna Seca during the FIM e-Power / TTXGP race in July 2011

Brammo may have chosen to wait out the 2012 season and instead focus on the business of building and selling electric motorcycles.  For example, Mission Motors obviously has a top end bike but have repeatedly said that racing isn't their goal, selling motorcycles isn't their goal, instead whatever race participation they do has the goal of a bit of R&D and a bit of attention getting.  On the other hand Lightning Motors has a huge focus on racing, with a longer term goal of selling a line of electric motorcycles riding on the cachet of being the top electric motorcycle race team.  Brammo's goals seem to be somewhere in the middle in that they're committed to selling a line of electric motorcycles, and at the same time are interested in racing and the R&D that occurs on the track.

Over on the TTXGP Matters blog, Richard says someone told him Brammo would be back with a motor that's twice as powerful as last years.  (see http://ttxgpmatters.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/brammo-is-all-in-for-2012-ttxgp-lightning-has-a-dance-partner/)  They should also finally be coming to the track with a bike that has the 6-speed transmission built in (the 2011 bike did not have the transmission).   As Richard says, the 2011 Brammo bike had the range, had the rider, had the suspension and handling, but did not have the oomph to beat Lightning or MotoCzysz.

Stuntbusters: Electric Engine vs. Combustion Engine

The StuntBusters show on SPEEDTV did an attempt to show which is faster - gas or electric.  The event was staged and not terribly like real race conditions.  So we shouldn't read into this anything more than an attempt to entertain and inform people.  And, for sure, it put electric vehicles in front of a bunch of gearheads in a positive light.

In terms of helping to explode the myth that electric vehicles can only be slow boring ugly golf carts, this is pretty good.  In terms of being a rigorous test in real race conditions .. it's not that .. which I wrote about here:  Which is faster, gasoline or electric, and electric race action around the world

Mugen a.k.a. Honda is sending an electric motorcycle to the 2012 SES TT Zero

The Isle of Man TT website reports today that Mugen is sending an electric race motorcycle to this years TT Zero race.  Mugen is more-or-less a factory team for Honda, in that Mugen was formed by members of the Honda family, Mugen's role is to soup up Honda vehicles, but Mugen has never been formally owned by Honda Motors.

This means that Mugen's entry in the TT Zero represents the first foray by a major manufacturer into electric vehicle race competition.

There have been manufacturers participate in previous electric vehicle racing, but every example I can think of has been the small manufacturers.  Well, there is one counter example, and that was a souped up Nissan Leaf that drove in the 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb race.

Honda RC-E as unveiled in November 2011

Honda unveiled the RC-E Electric Superbike last fall, so it's worth reviewing that bit of news (see: Honda RC-E Electric Superbike First Look).  It's built on a 250cc class compact bike frame, and using an electric motor from Honda's hybrid cars.  The bike itself looks like the typical superbike, of which Honda is one of the leading manufacturers.  The motor is built as a key component of the frame, as has been done with the top end electric race bikes from Mission Motors, MotoCzysz and Lightning.  It's using Ohlins and Brembo and other typical race bike components.

This move is rich with history.  The TT race has been run for over 100 years, and has been the major proving ground for motorcycles.  Honda itself made its reputation by going to this race year after year, improving every year, until Honda's bikes began to win.  Perhaps Honda intends to do the same thing again?

What's likely is that Mugen is taking the RC-E, souping it up, or helping Honda develop it, and planning to take that bike to the TT Zero race.

What this really means is that MotoCzysz and Lightning will be seeing some deep-pocketed competition on the Snaefell Mountain Course this summer.  Should be exciting.


Honda’s Going Electric-Motorcycle Racing

Mugen confirms team for 2012 SES TT Zero challenge

World famous engine builder Mugen has confirmed that it will be participating in the 2012 SES TT Zero race, which takes place as part of the Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy.

The Japanese company, founded in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder Soichiro, will be campaigning with an all-new original electric motorcycle.

The Mugen outfit has a long history of involvement in motorsport including Formula 1, winning four Grand Prix races between 1992 and 2000 working with teams like Jordan, Prost, Lotus and Ligier.

They also manufactured engines that won the Formula 3000 championship in 1990 and 1991.

Currently Mugen competes in the Japanese GT and Formula Nippon Championships, and were also recently announced as the engine partner to Honda in their forthcoming World Touring Car Championship campaign.

The company has history in motorcycle racing, having previously competed in the Suzuka 8 hour endurance race with Joey Dunlop and Roger Marshall, and World Championship Motocross with Johnny O’Mara.

The SES TT Zero Race takes place over one lap in a time trial format and is restricted to entrants using motorcycles with zero-emission engines that emit no CO2. The Isle of Man Government has offered a £10,000 prize for the first team to break an average speed of 100mph around the 37¾ mile Mountain Course.

Mr Satoshi Katsumata of Team Mugen commented:

“We are keen to use this excellent event to educate and prepare the engineers of the next generation for the use of future technology.”

“We are very excited about adding to the long history of Japanese manufacturers on the Isle of Man.”

The company will shortly confirm the identity of their rider ahead of a planned programme of testing in Japan and the UK.

Lola-Drayson reveals details of the B12/69EV electric race car

The Lola-Drayson team have just revealed what is intended to be the fastest electric-powered racing car in the world.  The B12/69EV is built on a current Lola LMP1 chassis with Drayson's 4X2-640 drive train, that is claimed to propel the car at speeds up to 200 miles/hr and deliver more power than an equivalent gasoline powered car.

"Don't judge electric cars by what you are seeing on the street right now," says Lord Paul Drayson.  He is one of many around the world intent on proving that electric vehicles do not have to be slow boring ugly golf carts. Drayson says that the partnership's "main aim is to prove that an electric powered LMP car can lap as fast, if not faster than a conventionally powered car and to show how exciting an 850 horsepower, 200 mph plus electric car is on track."

The B12/69EV is built on a standard race car chassis but with a number of advanced technologies.

First, this is an electrically powered race car. The four axial flux Oxford YASA motors generate over 850 peak horse power to the rear wheels. Off the starting line, the electric racer is claimed to zoom from zero to 60 mph (96.56 km/h) in 3 seconds, or zero to 100 mph (160.93 km/h) in 5.1 seconds.

The main battery pack is a new generation of Lithium Nanophosphate battery cells made exclusively by A123 Systems and used for the first time by Drayson's car.  The battery pack will provide enough range for 15 minutes of racing.

Another trick up their sleeve is to improve range by freeing the car's main battery from ancillary tasks like headlights.  This technology comes from BAE Systems' closely guarded "structural battery" technology - which allows sections of carbon-fibre bodywork to supply power. "They are made out of honeycombs of carbon fibre filled with a solution that gives them the energy storage capacity of a battery," says Julian Sole, chief designer at Lola Cars.

They're also using technology from Multimatic of Rockingham, UK to harness the up-and-down motion of the car's suspension to generate electricity on the move.


They're also using Qualcomm's Halo Inductive Power Transfer technology to charge the race car as it drives around the track.  It uses two pads, one in the car and one embedded in the road surface, that together transfer power wirelessly to the car.  The idea is to install a number of these pads around the track and the car will be able to pick up electrical charge as it drives around.  Hopefully this means more than 15 minutes of race time.

Lola Drayson B12/69EV electric racing car launched

Charging up an all-electric 320 km/h racing car

TTXGP and UEM form partnership for electric motorcycle racing in Europe

The TTXGP and the UEM (the European Federation of the FIM) recently announced a partnership in which UEM sanctions the TTXGP activities in Europe.  TTXGP is the electric motorcycle racing series that launched in 2009 on the Isle of Man, and in 2010 and 2011 ran racing series in Europe, North America and Australia.

One issue hanging over the TTXGP has been the fight with the FIM, and the lack of sanctioning of TTXGP events.  The FIM is the sanctioning body that has positioned itself as the overlord of all motorcycle racing.  So far the TTXGP and FIM have been unable to cooperate on coordinating TTXGP's electric motorcycle racing into FIM's umbrella.  But what TTXGP has done instead is work with continent-level branches of the FIM.

TTXGP has a long-standing relationship with the AMA under which TTXGP can race at AMA events.  In the 2010 season this meant four AMA weekends also featured TTXGP racing, however in 2011 the North America schedule got all screwed up and only one of the races last year was held on an AMA weekend.  In 2012 the schedule announced yesterday only lists one AMA race weekend, and two race weekends in conjunction with a local racing club.

In Europe the TTXGP has had a long-standing relationship with the ACU, and now with the UEM.  

The AMA, the ACU and the UEM all operate under the FIM's umbrella, and oversee motorcycle racing in their country or continent.





From Press Release: http://www.egrandprix.com/news.php?id=266

UEM furthers its involvement with electric racing!
18th January 2012
TTXGP Press office

TTXGP are very please to announce a new partnership with UEM; the European Federation of the FIM, that will see the UEM have a greater stake in electric racing and nurture the next generation of motorsport throughout the European rounds of the championship.

The founder/principal of TTXGP, Mr. Azhar Hussain spoke of the partnership "we very enthusiastic to welcome such a fantastic partner in the UEM to sanction our European championship; working with such respected motorsport body as well as honoured professionals will aid TTXGP to grow and thrive and we are very much looking forward to an exciting year of racing. UEM will add stability to the calendar as well expertise and connections all of which will make TTXGP stronger."

The partnership agreement was formally approved at the Board meeting of the UEM this December. Upon signing Mr Mazzi, President of the the UEM said "We are very pleased of this agreement that pose the UEM in front of the technical innovation. Duty of the UEM is to grow our sport in Europe and this is a very important occasion to find new paths".

UEM in Europe join FIM North America union in the US as sanctioning bodies for TTXGP regional championships and grow our global family of partners. The new TTXGP Euro calendar sanctioned by the UEM will be announced shortly. All additional dates will join Assen which has agreed a historic three year deal with electric motorsport, the first venue to offer TTXGP a multiyear contract and partnership that signals the staying power of electric motorsport.

TTXGP releases North America 2012 schedule, and will run World Final in North America

It's the beginning of the new race season, and TTXGP is releasing the racing schedules for each of their series.  A couple weeks ago it was the Australian TTXGP/eFXC 2012 season, and now TTXGP has announced an exciting schedule for North America.

The 2012 North America season has four races, of which three are announced and one is labeled "TBD".  The three announced events are all in the western portion of the country, which is a nod to the fact that the majority of electric motorcycle development in America occurs on the West Coast.

What's most exciting beyond the four races of the season, is that the TTXGP World Final will be held in North America.  In the prior two years of the TTXGP the world final race was held in Europe (first, in Albacete Spain, second in Anglesey Wales) and the vast majority of TTXGP World Final participants were European teams.  This despite two full seasons in North America and one season in Australia.

I suspect that the main reason Meunch & CRP were the top teams in both TTXGP World Finals so far was because the top North America teams did not travel to Europe for the World Final.  

We should note there was only one American team traveling to the World Final, Werkstatt Racing, who attended the 2010 Final in Albacete.  Werkstatt's effort to both participate in the 2010 TTXGP season, and to attend the world final, is to be applauded, but this team was in the middle of the pack during the 2010 TTXGP North America season.  It meant the North America field was not well represented in the World Finals, and in 2011 not only did North America go unrepresented in the World Finals, so to was Australia unrepresented.

An outsider looking at this may question just how "World" the "TTXGP World Finals" are.  It seems that I'm going down a rathole here focusing on this issue, so let me say this:  What we want out of the TTXGP World Finals is for the result to truly represent the efforts of each of the three TTXGP continent-level series.

Ideally the top teams of each continent-level series goes to the TTXGP World Finals and duking it out for to win the trophy.  What we have instead is that the TTXGP World Finals is essentially the extension of the TTXGP Europe series.  By holding the 2012 TTXGP World Finals in North America we have the opportunity for the ideal World Finals only if the European and Australian teams are able to come up with the funds to make it to Daytona in October.

Now, let's turn back to the series which was announced.

In May it's the AMA Superbike weekend at Infineon again.  This will be the third year running for TTXGP to race at that venue.  It's a big event with high visibility with lots of motorcycle racing hanging out to watch the stinky noisy gas bikes race, and it's way cool that the powers that be allow time in what's a busy race weekend schedule for the electric bikes to race.

In June it's the OMRRA EV Festival at Portland International Raceway.  PIR was going to be the site of a TTXGP race in 2011, but that got canceled.  The Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association appears to be a club racing league, which may mean the weekend won't have the same high visibility as an AMA race weekend.  Looking over the OMRRA website it appears to be a rather active club series.  Their website does not mention an "EV Festival" but one supposes this will be rectified in time.

Portland, being the home town of MotoCzysz, may mean, one hopes, that MotoCzysz will participate in this TTXGP race.  Everyone, pray that this happens.  We really want to see another Lightning / MotoCzysz rematch.

The last announced race is at Miller Motorsports Park over Labor Day Weekend.  This is a club racing event featuring both AHRMA (Historical race bikes) as well as sidecar racing.

We of course do not know where the mysterious fourth event will be, there are a world of racing events occurring in July and August at which TTXGP could wangle a spot to hold races.  Of course the FIM e-Power series is expected to hold a race during the MotoGP event at Laguna Seca in late July.  It's clear that the FIM/TTXGP attempt to collaborate last year fizzled, and it's highly unlikely we'll see any joint FIM/TTXGP events this year, but it's interesting to see a schedule gap in July which opens the door for the Laguna Seca weekend to again be a joint event.

For the World Finals the Daytona International Speedway website doesn't list their events calendar this far out in the future, and we cannot tell what sort of event weekend will be hosting the TTXGP World Finals race.  This is of course a world famous racing venue, famous for some of the car races held there.


Press release from: http://www.egrandprix.com/news.php?id=268

TTXGP North America 2012 Schedule
14th February 2012
TTXGP press office

The TTXGP North America 2012 schedule has something for everyone, from major national motorcycle racing weekends to headlining an EV festival the calendar has been designed to offer a broad range appeal to multiple types of audiences in America.

TTXGP is pleased to confirm the following dates and venues for TTXGP North America 2012!

Round 1
MAY 4th - MAY 6th
Infineon Raceway

Infineon has been home to the opening round of TTXGP since inception so we are very pleased to be kicking of the season at one of the greenest tracks in the US. The West Coast Moto Jam weekend is the ultimate 2 wheel fiesta; As well as TTXGP fans will be treated to six AMA Pro Road Racing main events on the road course, Supermoto USA on the karting track and FREE Demo rides in the expanded Motorsports Midway.

Round 2
June 23rd - June 24th
Portland International Raceway
The award winning City of Portland; often been referred to as one of the most environmentally friendly or "green" cities in the world and this summer adds to these credentials when it plays host to the region's first zero carbon race series. The TTXGP race will be the highlight of an EV bonanza with displays, demos and making up the OMRRA EV Festival.

For over three decades, the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association has run safe, exciting, and competitive events for motorcycle road racers and their fans. Racers range from club level to professionals with national and international experience. The weekend will be actioned packed weekend and if you are in the Portland area it will be one not to be missed! Tickets will be available from the gate; more information to be published shortly - check back here in the next few weeks for a full line up.

Round 3
August 31st - September 2nd
Miller Motorsports Park

Returning to this prestigious track with AHRMA, TTXGP is excited to return the famous Miller Motorsports Park. Mixing the old with the new and showcasing the historic with the future; the TTXGP race will be hosted by one of the biggest associations in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, now with over 4,000 members; the Miller round represents represents one of its largest and busiest weekends.

Miller Motorsports Park is a state-of-the-art road racing facility for automobiles, motorcycles and karts located just 35 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City in Tooele, Utah. It is considered the finest race track of its type in North America

Round 4

TBC

TTXGP WORLD FINAL 2012: October 19th - October 21st
Daytona International Raceway
For the first time in TTXGP History, we bring our World Final to the USA. Daytona International Speedway is the home to nine major weekends of racing activity, featuring everything from NASCAR to the Rolex Sports Car Series to the American Motorcyclist Association and the World Karting Association, as well as the booked for more than two solid months each year for testing and development of various race vehicles. As such offers racers and fans a world class venue and the perfect choice for the TTXGP WORLD FINAL 2012.

"The Speedway is a venue that is known throughout the world as a top-line race track - a place where everyone in motorsports wants to claim a victory," said Speedway President Joie Chitwood III.

New electric car racing series envisioned with American Le Mans

Exciting news about a new electric car race series being mulled.  Quimera (and by extension TTXGP), the International Motor Sports Association and the American Le Mans are working together to launch what may be a global electric car race series.  Going by the press release below the stakeholders mentioned are at the beginning of the process.

They're looking at fielding three classes of electric race car, plus bringing in TTXGP electric motorcycle teams.  It's not typical at all to have two-wheelers and four-wheelers racing at the same venue on the same weekend, because typically two- and four-wheeler's have disjoint fan bases.  It'll be interesting to see how this works out, and if it does.

Quimera's development of the AEGT All Electric GT race car was done in part with support from Mavizen and TTXGP.  When looking at pictures of the AEGT look closely at the logos and you see both TTXGP and Mavizen logo's on the car.

I bring this up because while Quimera's name is listed as being in a joint venture with ALMS and IMSA, Mavizen/TTXGP is working closely with Quimera.

One wonders about how this relates to the electric car race series the FIA was discussing last year, as well as the EVCUP series that was supposed to launch last year.  I hope we don't get into a situation similar to the rancor between TTXGP and FIM's e-Power.

Final thought is to remind the readers that the TTXGP was never entirely about motorcycles.  In 2010 the TTXGP team had planned to hold one or more electric car races under the name EMXGP.  The site emxgp.com used to redirect to ttxgp.com, but today is an online handbag store.  Go figure.  Anyway, the EMXGP was an electric car race the TTXGP organization planned to hold in early June 2010 during a time period which coincided with the TT Week that year.  According to some that time conflict was part of the rationalization under which the Isle of Man government booted TTXGP from running an electric motorcycle race during TT Week, and instead launched their own series named TT Zero.  In any case the EMXGP race was quietly dropped and as we can see, the TTXGP organization didn't even maintain ownership of the domain name.

BRASELTON, GA – January 12, 2012 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Strategic sustainability project specialists Quimera, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón (ALMS) will form a joint venture combining their respective areas of expertise in 2012 launching a new global initiative to develop the next generation of sustainable motorsport.

Working strategically, both IMSA and Quimera have immediately begun to define their objective of organizing a global, non-fossil fuel based championship.

Initial steps will be taken to prepare investors, the general public, media, sponsors and other interested parties for motorsport’s impending embrace of clean technology. By 2013 this joint venture will be ready to launch its new international Electric Vehicle (EV) series. This Series will represent the first clean technology professional motorsport championship that will include various categories and also remain open to any OEMs eager to showcase and develop their own green credentials in a cost-controlled environment.

Initially, a version of the Quimera AEGT All-Electric GT car is expected to debut in demonstration runs at selected American Le Mans Series race events in 2012. While the championship is expected to begin in the USA at races run in conjunction with the ALMS, a clear international scope has already been outlined with the intention to invite any national governing body, promoter or country from around the world to join this ground-breaking motorsport project.

By embracing the “cleantech concept,” the championship is also looking to include motorcycles as part of its event roster. Indeed, Quimera can already count on the support of the TTXGP World Championship, currently the world’s leading international electric series. At the same time, evaluations continue into the possibility of hosting joint race weekends. For the first time ever this will ensure an event that features clean technology on two wheels as well as four, helping significant commercial and technical benefits to be realized for all stakeholders concerned.

IMSA and Quimera’s partnership is expected to develop further by empowering R&D activities in both new and existing technologies, thereby emphasizing motorsport’s essential role as a test bed for the automotive sector, for technology transfer as well as other key potential applications. A principal goal of this joint venture is to establish a series operating at the very forefront of motorsport’s clean technology development.

Some initial categories under consideration:

GT
AEGT (525 kW / 700bhp): The world’s first and most powerful all-electric GT racing car has already been designed, built and tested in extreme conditions by Quimera. Powertrain up to 600kW with carbon fiber chassis. Homologation requires no minimum cars to be manufactured while the category will also allow for inventive bodywork design. Complies with all sanctioned safety regulations.

Touring GT (300kW / 390bhp): Prototypes are currently being constructed by Quimera. This is an open category with all OEMs invited, although multiple single class OEM championships will be considered (discussions taking place). Powertrain up to 350kW with carbon or tubular chassis. Homologation requires no minimum cars to be manufactured. Complies with all sanctioned safety regulations.

Series organisers are currently negotiating an initiation series to be based on slightly modified road legal cars with a powertrain up to 150kW. This is intended as an OEM showcase for current EV consumer technology and provides a dynamic platform for the introduction to non-fossil fuel-based race series.

F3 type open wheel (300kW / 390bhp): Formulec has spent the past two years designing, developing and testing its EF01, the world’s first 100 percent electric single-seater racing car which will lay the foundation for an open category adhering to rules and regulations. Powertrain up to 350kW with carbon fiber chassis. Complies with all sanctioned safety regulations.

TTXGP motorcycle: The TTXGP World Championship will expand its format to include more classes and different race formats. With unrivalled experience in electric racing, the series already boasts technology, knowledge and an exciting team line-up to provide thrilling competition and an enthusiastic fan base.

QUOTES:

Javier de Rocafort, Quimera Chairman of the Board: “For Quimera, this project is not simply confined to developing environmentally friendly cars that will offer an insight into the future of motorsport. It also concerns encouraging the dramatic shift soon to occur in the way the industry has operated up until now. More important than the act of car racing is how we actively evolve and prepare the future for coming generations. In this regard, our partnership with IMSA and the American Le Mans Series allows us to investigate and better understand the potential applications of these new technologies in the toughest possible environment – and in one of the largest automotive consumer markets in the world, the USA.”

Scott Atherton, President & CEO Panoz Motor Sports Group – IMSA/ALMS: “We have often quoted the fact that the most important race in the world is the race among automobile manufacturers to develop new sustainable transportation solutions. Our alliance with Quimera is the embodiment of that race. It enables us to continue our leadership in green racing and truly takes us to the next level. We have been actively seeking a practical and viable opportunity to develop EV motorsport and we believe Quimera’s technologies and plans are absolutely on target. As the Global Leader of Green Racing, the opportunity to link these events to our American Le Mans Series weekends provides an ideal fit for all involved.”

About IMSA: Established in 1969, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is an American auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Ga.
www.imsaracing.net

About ALMS: Since 1999, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) has been North America’s premier sports car championship with 10 endurance and sprint races making up the 2012 schedule. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC Le Mans Prototypes, and GT and GTC Grand Touring cars while race lengths vary from two hours to 12 hours. The championship is also recognised as the Global Leader of Green Racing.
www.americanlemans.com
www.facebook.com/ALMS.Official
Twitter: @almsnotes

Contact:
Edward Triolo
VP – Integrated Marketing Communications
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón
+1 706 658 2027
etriolo@americanlemans.com

Lightning Motorcycles testing race bike at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway

Lightning Motorcycles sent around a press release that they'll be testing their race bike this weekend at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.  The riders will be Isle of Man racer John Burrows, and AMA racer Ted Rich.

Lightning worked with Ted Rich for one of the TTXGP races last summer.

John Burrows rode with Lightning for the TT Zero last summer on the Isle of Man.

Hence, it seems likely that Lightning plans to go back to the Isle of Man this summer.  Hopefully this time they'll finish the race rather than run out of juice a couple miles from the finish line.

It's unclear whether this means anything about Lightning's TTXGP rider for 2012.  Will they bring back Michael Barnes, or will they work with Ted Rich instead.

TTXGP/eFXC Australia is on again for 2012

Looks like the TTXGP is gearing to run on three continents again this season (unless Azhar has a big announcement up his sleeve) with the recent announcement between TTXGP and eFXC to run the series in Australia again in 2012.  Last year was the first TTXGP/eFXC season in Australia, and it had some modest success with a few teams showing up for the four races.  By all accounts we could find on the forums they had a good time, a few wrecks, blown up motors, and all the other things you expect from guys pushing the bleeding edge on a race track.

The managing director of Australian Road & Track Rider Promotions (ARTRP) Terry O’Neill commented “It’s great to continue our relationship with TTXGP, we had a good start last year in promoting what we believe will grow to become a very significant force in motor sports in this country. With TTXGP we see a partnership that can offer a great opportunity into the future of electric motorcycle racing here in Australia and worldwide.”


Rupal Patel, director TTXGP. “eFXC are a fantastic partner with which to grow electric racing in Australia and TTXGP is very happy to be working with once again their team to nurture the sport this year and into the future. Going into the second year of the TTXGP Australia eFXC series demonstrates our commitment to the partnership and most importantly to the teams and innovators in the region. We invite them to join in and strive to become Australia leading electric race team at the cutting edge of zero carbon technology and the next generation of motorsport.”


Dates and Locations for 2012 eFXC/TTXGP series:

AFXSBK Rnd 1 Eastern Creek Raceway (NSW) March 16th-18th

eFXC/TTXGP Testing under race conditions

AFXSBK Rnd 2 Wakefield Park Raceway (NSW) April 20th – 22nd

Rd1 eFXC/TTXGP

AFXSBK Rnd 3 Queensland Raceway (QLD) July 20th -22nd

Rd2 eFXC/TTXGP

AFXSBK Rnd 4 Wakefield Park Raceway (NSW) 31st August – 2nd September

Rd3 eFXC/TTXGP

AFXSBK Rnd 5 Winton Raceway (VIC) October 5th – 7th

Rd4 eFXC/TTXGP (TBC – Depends on TTXGP final being held Mid Nov)