It took only 25 minutes and 53.5 seconds, for the TTXGP to be decided. Find out the winner after the jump.

[Source: iom today / BBC]

As excited as we are about the upcoming TTXGP zero-emissions eGrandPrix, we're more than a bit bummed that we're not going to get the chance to see the bikes take to the track in person. With that in mind, we were quite pleased to hear that the organizers behind the electric motorcycle race are planning to showcase their contestants here in the United States at this year's American Motorcyclist Association Vintage Motorcycle Days festival at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

According to the official TTXGP blog, Mission Motors, Brammo and Electric Motorsport have all agreed to attend the event, which is scheduled to run from July 24 through July 26. We'd like to see more competitors decide to show up as well, especially the ones from the United States. We're still waiting for comment from the Motoczysz camp, hopefully the E1 will be in attendance as well.


[Source: TTXGP]

Curious what it might be like to pilot what's very likely one of the world's fastest electric motorcycles? While it's not quite the same as piloting the machine yourself, the next best thing has been pasted after the jump, where you'll see footage from a couple of small bullet-style cameras mounted to the fairing of the Brammo Enertia TTR race bike.

For what it's worth, which is unfortunately not a whole lot since we can't tell how hard either rider is pushing their particular machine, the trailing bike is a Ducati, and Brammo Chairman and CEO Craig Bramscher tells us the TTR "pulls away from the Italian bike out of the turns."

We do wish we could hear the two bikes in this video, particularly so we can try and compare the sound levels from the modern gas-powered sportbike and the electric race bike. Ah well, maybe next time.


[Source: Brammo]

Best Buy has hopped on as an official sponsor of the Brammo Enertia race team, which will be campaigning a pair of electric motorcycles at the world's first zero-emissions motorcycle race on June 12th at the Isle of Man. The news of Best Buy's involvement doesn't come as too much of a surprise since the Big Box retailer had earlier invested a large chunk of cash in Brammo and plans to begin selling the road-going Enertia in West Coast stores on a trial basis this summer. Plus, Best Buy already sponsors a race team that competes in NASCAR competition.

Brammo's TTR race bike is based on the chassis used in the standard Enertia, but everything has been appropriately beefed-up to handle the output of the enlarged electric motor and 100-volt, 8kWh lithium polymer battery pack. Top speed is listed at just 100 miles per hour, but Brammo believes it's low 360-pound weight and high-spec suspension bits will help the TTR maintain a consistently high average speed over the 37-mile TTXGP time trial. Click here to download a PDF containing a complete list of the TTR's specifications.

Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher tells Wired.com that his company doesn't have plans to sell the race-ready version of the Enertial electric motorcycle at the consumer level, but there's a good chance a sporty, fully-faired version of the bike will be launched within the next six months alongside a less-expensive, detuned version of the standard Enertia. Click past the break for the official press release and be sure to check out our gallery of the Enertia TTR race bike below.


[Source: Brammo]

Yesterday, Brammo CEO, Craig Bramscher tweeted that bike #1, meaning their TTXGP entry, the Enertia TTR, was ready for the shipping crate and then went on to mysteriously mention a #2. Any question as to what was meant by that has now been answered via press release, the company is sending a second bike and rider to the Isle of Man for the 12th of June race. Although an official photo of the bikes wasn't released (though an unofficial one may have occurred), they have published some specifications.

Being electric, the batteries are of utmost importance and the TTR duo will carry 8 kWh of lithium ion batteries cradled within the "distinctive flowing bodywork." Weighing in at 360 lbs, the bikes are said to be capable of exceeding 125 mph. They say that, where necessary, components were "overvolved," their term for a way of thinking that will be applied to future product.

Besides the official press release and specs, we also have a bonus video of Brammo rider Aaron Gobert talking about how the Enertia TTR feels like to ride. We won't spoil it for you but rest assured, he likes it. Now, hit the jump!

[Source: Brammo]

While we've already had a couple glimpses of the the Enertia TTR, Brammo's TTXGP entry, scootin' along the highway, a photo taken during a recent Road Racer X interview with the company's chief cook and bottle washer, Craig Bramscher, gives a hint at the racer's possible appearance with its warpaint in full effect. Looks pretty nice and we don't even mind the little shout-out to sponsor and distributor, Best Buy. Thankfully, the green stripe seems present to add balance to the blue and yellow and not to shout, "Hey, look at me! I'm green and I'm green, get it?"

Besides the sneak peek photo, the interview also reveals some of the backstory of how Bramo got mixed up in this whole electric motorcycle business. Apparently, we can thank Al Gore for this cool bit of battery-powered bike. Originally planning on building Ariel Atoms for the U.S. market as well as a V-12 supercar, the release of An Inconvenient Truth made the venture unpalatable. While Bramscher did mull an electric Ariel (please re-mull, sir), he settled on motorcycles and bippity-boppity-boo, Brammo stands today on the verge of retail sales and a participant in the first internationally-renowned electric motorcycle road race.

[Source: Road Racer X via Skadamo]

Update: Second video added after the break!

Thirty-six days from now, Brammo plans to send an electric motorcycle called the Enertia TTR across the Atlantic Ocean to the Isle of Man for the first running of the TTXGP zero-emissions time trial. Brammo's entry will face plenty of stiff competition, so it's not surprising to see the team out and about on the roads of Southern Oregon getting their race bike ready for the event. Fortunately, they brought their video camera with them.

We can clearly see that this isn't a completely stock Enertia. At the very least, there's a full fairing to improve high-speed aerodynamics and a reconfiguration of the rider compartment, putting the pilot in a much more streamlined and race-ready position. We're still unsure what mechanical changes have been made to the Enertia platform, but we're patient. Sort of. Click past the break to watch the video.

[Source: Brammo]

We already know that Best Buy plans to begin selling the Brammo Enertial electric motorcycle sometime very soon, but we now have reason to believe it won't be the only vehicle available from the Big Box retailer. The following is from a statement that we believe is attributed to Best Buy on BNET Auto Blog:

We can confirm that Best Buy will be piloting electric-powered personal transportation products at some of its stores on the west coast later this spring. This selection will include Brammo.

Note, there will be a range of electric-powered personal transportation products. We have no idea what those other machines may include, but our interest is most definitely piqued. The first possibility that entered our minds was the Segway, but Best Buy has had years to pick up that product line if it was interested. Of course, you'll know more just as soon as we do.


[Source: BNET Auto Blog]

Two more of the expected participants in the upcoming TTXGP zero-emission TT race have released a few interesting details on the electric motorcycles they'll be using at the event, and they are both from familiar names. First up is Electric Motorsport, which will be sending two separate machines to the race. Competing in the Open Class will be a lightly modified version of the production GPR-S, and taking part in the Pro Class will be a prototype called the R144, which is based on the chassis from a Yamaha R1.

Another competitor that we're familiar with is Barefoot Motors, a company backed in part by Jamie Hyneman of Muthbusters fame. Barefoot's competitor will be based on a chassis from Ely Schless, its in-house designer, and will be powered by lithium ion batteries and a proprietary drivetrain.

In a fun little bit of pre-race banter, Mary Jo Gresens, chairman of Barefoot Motors, says, "While we don't plan to manufacture electric motorcycles, we're proud to support Ely and sponsor his participation in this event. In the spirit of good competition, we wish our friends at Brammo Motorsports the best in coming in second." You gonna take that, Brammo?


[Source: TTXGP Blog]

Oregon based start-up EV maker Brammo is getting ready to launch its first electric motorcycle soon, so it had decided to bring on some experienced hands to help out with marketing, sales and engineering. John Farris is coming aboard to head up the marketing, communications and branding staff. Farris has past experience with similar roles on the Chevy Silverado team at GM and heading up motorsports marketing firm, Hardcard Holdings.

Adrian Stewart will lead the efforts to actually sell the Enertia and follow-on products to retail customers. That will include setting up distribution and service channels for the bikes.

However, none of that means much if the machines aren't properly engineered. For a battery-powered bike the electrical engineering is especialy important, so Roger Gerson will be joining from the recently bankrupt Vectrix to lead the EE staff. Brammo is also looking for bodies to fill other roles at the company so check out the site at brammo.com if you're an engineer or can count beans.



[Source: Brammo]