Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to watch live footage here in the United States of the world's first zero-emissions motorcycle race, which took place this morning on the famed Isle of Man. The good news is that the organizers of the TTXGP have finally gotten some footage of the event loaded up on the internet.

If you don't yet know who won and aren't ready to find out, don't watch the video or click here for our initial recap of the race. For the rest of us, there's plenty of cool footage to see after the break, including a couple of the bikes staging for the race, some nice on-bike footage from the race winner as he streaks past some slower-moving traffic and some interviews with the riders and a few of the men behind the electric machinery.

Here's hoping that 2010's running of the TTXGP proves even more successful in promoting high-performance, zero-emissions vehicles.

[Source: TTXGP]

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]

There's just a few more days until the running of the TTXGP at the Isle of Man. Being that this is the inaugural running of the world's first zero-emissions motorcycle race, it's really impossible to have a clear idea of which teams should be considered front-runners, but there's certainly lots of interest surrounding the machine from Mission Motors. We've seen video of the bike running through a makeshift street course here in the United States that's supposed to emulate the actual race, and we're expecting the team's race bike to be fast.

One thing's for certain: this race bike isn't quite the looker that Mission's upcoming street bike will be. The oversize (presumably to cover an absolutely massive battery pack) and aerodynamically-optimized fairing is surely meant to increase the bike's speed through the mountain course at the Isle of Man, but it doesn't really help the machine's looks any. Naturally, all of that will be forgiven if the team manages to win the race.

[Source: TTXGP]

The first ever TTXGP is now just a few days away and teams are still arriving to the Isle of Man for the event. One group that arrived earlier than most is XXL Racing from Germany, and as a result, their rider was the first to "stretch the legs" of a competing machine on the island. A resident of the Crown dependency, Frank Schuengel, happened to be on hand with a camera and recorded the moment on video. He also took a bunch of stills that are available in the gallery below. You can check out his website for lots more.

Unfortunately we don't know a lot about the bike aside that it uses a synchronous electric motor, likely a prototype from Siemens, to take it over 124 mph (200 km/h). It features regenerative braking and will be piloted by the TT-experienced rider Thomas Schönfelder. Go ahead and hit the jump to see it in action. As an added bonus, we've thrown in a clip from Mission Motors testing, tearing down and shipping off their entry. Enjoy.



[Source: Frank Schuengel / ManxTube / YouTube]
Photo: creative commons by Frank Schuengel

Finally, speculation on the appearance of the Motoczysz E1pc can end as the fledgling American motorcycle maker has released an official set of pictures of the machine that will be taking on the rest of the field at the upcoming TTXGP zero-emission eGrandPrix motorcycle race at the Isle of Man. Things are shaping up largely as we would have expected, with the E1pc sharing its basic layout and look – including the innovative front suspension design – with Michael Czysz's earlier race bike, the C1, which never actually made it to a MotoGP race.

Such a fate appears highly unlikely for the E1pc, and Czysz is understandably excited to see one of his two-wheelers hit the track in actual competition. In a post on the Motoczysz official blog, Czysz says, "In less than 24 hours I leave to go to the biggest race of my life, not because it is the largest, not because it is the fastest but because it will be the first time a MotoCzysz motorcycle will compete in an FIM sanctioned event."

As far as we're concerned, he has a right to be proud of his team's accomplishment. Looking over the pictures of the E1pc, we can see that there are three motors (one spins backwards) and 10 battery modules that appear to be swappable in relatively easy fashion. Perhaps the geekiest bit (in a good way, of course) is the iPhone directly in front of the rider acting as the electric bike's dash. Check out the photo gallery below for more, and be sure to click past the break for a short video of the bike in action.


[Source: Motoczysz]

According to a report on Visordown.com, the TTXGP will be taking place as scheduled in June 12, 2009, despite concerns that there wouldn't be enough riders or vehicles ready in time to make the starting grid. We weren't aware that the event was ever in doubt, but we're certainly glad to hear it hasn't been canceled. According to Isle of Man Tourism and Leisure Minister Martyn Quayle:

I can tell you that we are so excited about this and we have had very warm endorsement of it. It is still an incredible achievement and people around the world are holding the Isle of Man in awe for holding the event and for supporting technological advancement.

We share Quayle's anticipation, as a number of the competitors we've gotten to see look to be bringing some fast and exciting electric motorcycles to the event. Here's to some stiff zero-emission competition.


[Source: Visordown.com, Isle of Man Today]

We thought that we had pretty much seen the bike that Mission Motors is sending to the Isle of Man for the TTXGP when it was photographed testing at Infineon Raceway. It has since become apparent that the company won't leave well enough alone, and as the competition appears to be getting more and more capable, the electric motorcycle start-up has pulled out all the stops. The first, most easily noticed change is the drastic smoothing out of the fairing. The speeds on the Isle of Man circuit are expected to be high and to help increase its efficiency at this pace, modifications had to be made. The sharp creases in the angular bodywork have given way to a rounded super-aerodynamic shape as you can see in the photo above. Other adjustments the bike has received are a bit more subtle.

While the motorcycle had done a lot of its early testing on a track, the guys prepping the bike for the big race have realized that driving the 37.7 mile course will present somewhat different challenges and have attempted to optimize the performance profile to match. They found a stretch of road with similar characteristics, somehow wrangled their own black and white safety vehicle, and had Seth LaForge, their senior software engineer, drive 40 miles behind a truck loaded with cameras with a highway patrolman watching his back, acquiring data all the while. Seth reports the machine's performance like this,

The bike felt fantastic - perfectly smooth yet with an eerie turbine-like wail, it poured out gobs of torque with a turn of the wrist at any speed, no shifting required. Consistent corner entries were easy, using "engine braking" (actually regenerative braking - recharging the battery while slowing) to slow into a corner, then using easily controlled torque to power back out.

Whilst we wish we had access to the entirety of the footage shot that day, we have to be satisfied with the short video Mission Motors has put up on YouTube. Hit the jump for a short teaser of the trip.

[Source: Mission Motors]

There's just 45 days until the running of the world's first zero emissions motorcycle time trial, and a number of the teams that plan to compete in the Isle of Man's carbon-free Grand Prix are hard at work testing their creations. One such machine, the Mission One from Mission Motors, has recently been testing at Infineon Raceway in California, and here's a series of images to prove it. Good news: everything looks exactly as we'd expect from this potential front-runner.

Judging from these shots, the electric bike is obviously being ridden hard, and that bodes well for its chances at the upcoming event. The rider seen in these shots is Tom Montano, a man with 25 years of motorcycle racing experience who also happens to hold the title as the fastest American to ever lap the famed Isle of Man time trial.


[Source: TTXG Blog]

Organizers for the upcoming TTXGP zero-emissions motorcycle race have finally released the full list of confirmed participants, which includes 24 motorcycles from 16 individual teams. We had been expecting to see teams from the likes of Mission Motors, Brammo and EVOdesign, and we also see that early rumors of a bike from Motoczysz are now confirmed. Above is a rendering the new electric machine from Motoczysz.

Other interesting entrants include Barefoot Motors, Electric Motorsport and KillaCycle Racing, all from the United States. Teams from the United Kingdom, India, Austria, Germany, Italy and even the Isle of Man itself will also take part in the first-ever running of the event.

In case you couldn't tell, we're very excited to see electric vehicles highlighted in a positive light on the world stage, and interest is sure to build as June 12th draws closer. Click past the break for the full list of teams and riders, and check out the gallery below for a few images.


[Source: TTXGP]

The winning entry in the world's first carbon-free Grand Prix, the upcoming TTXGP on the Isle of Man, will have a special place in the history books and with the competition heating up, Mission Motors has pulled an ace from their sleeve. The company has announced that the rider aboard the 150 mph-capable Mission One monster will be none other than Tom Montano. He's a chap that's been racing for the past 25 years and has had strong finishes in many different Superbike and Supersport series.

Of course, the road course on the Isle of Man is like no other and Tom has some familiarity with it, having finished 10th there in Supersport and 13th in Senior TT, as well as many other top-20 finishes. Indeed, he holds the distinction of being one of the fastest American around the circuit. So, how does he feel about his chances? After spending some quality time with the bike, Tom himself is feeling quite confident. Says he, "We've put the Mission One through its paces in testing and I'm confident that we'll make history on June 12th." Full press release after the break.


[Source: Mission Motors]