The $40, 000 Question: Who Will Supply 50 Production Racebikes for the 2010 eGrandPrix Electric Road Racing Series?

Gizmag’s August 19th article announcing 2010 US, UK, and international electric motorcycle road racing championships, also announced that a “major American company” was creating a ready-to-race motorcycle based on the Pro Class TTXGP-winning Agni motorcycle.

The article is pretty specific about the race-only machine being a replica of the Agni bike, although there is no direct quote from Azhar Hussain (founder and organizer of the eGrandPrix concept) stating this. So, that leaves the EnvironMoto crew to conjecture a few different scenarios about who will be developing and building these $40k race bikes:

Option 1: Electric Motorsport
Electric Motorsport has recently introduced their second generation GPR-S production street-legal sportbike. The bike appears to be a far more modern evolution of the original GPR-S that has been in production since 2003, and was the basis of Electric Motorsport’s Open Class TTXGP-winning bike.

From the spec sheet and photos, it has the basic requirements for a decent, economical racer: 17 inch wheels, steel twin-spar frame, modern-looking single shock rear suspension, inverted forks, etc. The styling is reminds us of the older Aprilia RS50 and RS125 track bikes sold in the US.

If it is true to the original GPR-S intent, a variety of motors can be configured in this chassis. The spec sheet claims a 298 pound (135 kg) curb weight. Removing unnecessary road equipment would likely drop a few more pounds off the total. At the very least, it appears to be a platform that could easily be adapted to the UKP £10,000 (~USD $16,000) Agni powertrain.

Option 2: Mission Motors
Mission Motors has been up to something. We aren’t sure what, but they have certainly been doing a lot of secretive testing as alluded to by @MissionMotors (Jeremy Cleland) and @Backmarker (Mark Gardiner) in Tweets over the last few weeks.

That’s a lot of secret track testing. Are they close to introducing the production Mission One motorcycle, or are they developing an undisclosed track-only bike? We would sincerely doubt that Mission would replicate the Agni bike, but a design of their own would be a possibility. Hopefully they will reveal what they have been up to soon.



Option 3: MotoCzysz
MotoCzysz has been very quiet lately. Racing is their business. That is who they are and what they do. They are using Agni motors in their current race bike, so the connection is already there. Are they committing to 50 production race bikes to be sold for USD $40,000? This would certainly embed them in the international road racing scene and provide world wide marketing for the E1pc in race or street trim.

Just as with Mission, its doubtful MotoCzysz would replicate the Agni racer. But what a great challenge it would be for any company to come up with an economical, race-ready electric sportbike.

Option 4: ?
The designated “major American company” may not even be making a motorcycle already. It could be anyone. We would love to suggest Brammo as option number four, but their activity is pretty transparent. Besides, Brammofan would certainly have been all over it by now!

So, insert 'your name here'. The door is open and the $40,000 question has yet to be answered. Who do you think it will be?

Sources: As Hyperlinked

Photos: From Top - Agni at TTXGP, Electric Motorsport New GPR-S (Electric Motorsport), Mission at TTXGP, MotoCzysz at TTXGP

America’s Independence and America’s Independent Racing Motorcycle

This is a monster week in motorcycle roadracing for US fans... The Red Bull USGP is in Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway) this weekend. There will be boat loads of coverage on the web and on Speed Channel, so make sure you have your TiVo warmed up and ready to record MotoGP qualifying and all of the race coverage. If you caught the Casey Stoner versus Valentino Rossi battle last year, you will know why this race is not to be missed.

I am sad and embarrassed to say that we have not been back to Laguna Seca since the inaugural Red Bull USGP in 2005. The race did not disappoint. Particularly since we were based in Kentucky at the time and our man, the ‘Kentucky Kid’, Nicky Hayden won the race.

The entire MotoGP atmosphere is indescribable. If you haven’t been to a large international motorcycle roadrace before, you need to go. Do it. As we made our way west from Nashville, we started seeing more and more fans at our airport layovers. A Rossi hat here, a Respol jersey there… worn by people speaking languages you can’t quite place. You start to feel the excitement build before you even set foot in California.

You become part of a world wide pilgrimage to a holy shrine of moto-goodness.

As hardcore fans we held paddock passes for the weekend. Wanting to absorb every last drop of moto-ambiance and catch a glimpse of our favorite MotoGP rock stars. I have weeks worth of stories I could tell.

Most interesting to look back upon was a small display in the paddock. A gleaming silver racebike sitting on a stand with a half dozen or so people standing around it. The words MotoCzysz emblazoned on nearly everything in sight, and a massive mural on the side of the tent. On the table in front of the tent were stacks of posters with a beautiful side shot the same bike. It was the revolutionary MotoCzysz C1 990, and Laguna was its official public introduction. A world stage for a little known American motorcycle company.

I had read about the C1 and its creator, Michael Czysz beforehand. I had seen the solid models of the longitudinally placed, ultra-narrow V-4 and its counter-rotating crankshafts.

The C1 was, and still is, a mind-blowing and impressive piece of engineering.

In truth, I looked the bike over at the time and being the hardened mechanical engineer and roadracing fan I am, I dismissed it. Not from a technological standpoint, but from a feasibility of ever entering a race standpoint. I considered it a paper tiger.

Understand that John Britten is a hero of mine, and I could not imagine anyone else, not even Michael Czysz, accomplish what John had done in his short life with the Britten V1000, more than a decade before. That is: Design and build a world class, winning, racing motorcycle from scratch.

I would be happy to eat my words, but unfortunately the C1 never did make it to MotoGP. Politically and financially it is just a massive undertaking. Even the true insider that Kenny Roberts Sr. is, he and his KR race team couldn’t keep up with silly changes in technical rules, and sourcing the funds required to design and develop a machine, pay personnel, and move everything around the world on a near-weekly basis. MotoGP is a piranha.

However, MotoGP’s loss has turned out to be a gain for the rest of the world. Late last year, Michael Czysz and MotoCzysz made a decision to go in another direction. Through a cryptic blog post in March, 2009, Czysz effectively said if there is no interest in a dead-dinosaur powered machine, he’d go electric.

Development of the MotoCzysz E1pc D1g1tal Superbike began as 2008 came to a close. Sights were set on the inaugural TTXGP on the Isle of Man TT Circuit in June of 2009. The race to have the best electric racing motorcycle in the world, in the first zero-carbon motorcycle road race in the world, was on.

Mere months later, the bike was unveiled. Aesthetically, the E1pc did not disappoint. It looked every bit as incredible as the C1 990 did 4 years prior. A sexy racing machine with fit and finish rivaling the best of MotoGP, maybe even better.

Over the course of the TTXGP week, there were plenty of technical issues and teething pains. Not unexpected nor out of the question for a bike with ridiculously expedited development and construction. Even though it failed to finish the TTXGP, the E1pc and Team MotoCzysz made its presence felt. When it was running properly, it was incredible. No one was left questioning the future capabilities and potential of the E1pc.

If you are at Laguna Seca this weekend, and happen to see a silver and orange race bike with the name, MotoCzysz written on the side: Do not dismiss it as I had done 4 years ago. This machine, the man behind it, and the team who supports it are the real deal. Keep an eye on the MotoCzysz E1pc. You will be seeing more of it very soon.



First Photo: The MotoCzysz C1 990 MotoGP machine, via MotoCzysz
Second Photo: John Britten and the Britten V1000, via Britten
Third Photo: The Team KR, KR212V race bike, via TeamKR
Last Photo: The MotoCzysz E1pc, via MotoCzysz

EnvironMoto’s Friday Top Three! For 19-JUN-2009

Our Friday top 3 news items from the week in the world of green motorcycle racing and design:

Since we’ve thrown up a poll involving the three teams committed to the AMA eGrandPrix this morning, and the TTXGP has been in the books for a week, our Friday Top Three this week will feature Brammo, Mission Motors, and MotoCzysz explaining their TTXGP experience in their own words.

1 – Brammo
- For the best/latest info follow CEO, Craig Bramscher on Twitter @BrammoCraig, and you absolutely have to dial in Brammofan: http://brammofan.wordpress.com/

2 – Mission Motors
- Mission Motors Blog: Blogging the TTXGP: Final Results and Reflections

3 – MotoCzysz
- MotoCzysz Blog: Read Michael Czysz’s extremely detailed and EXCELLENT account of the TTXGP happenings as related to MotoCzysz: TTXgp V1.0

Photo: Mark Miller at the TTXGP via MotoCzysz

MotoCzysz TT bike in race trim

Had to post this photo from Matthew Miles (@CW1Miles on Twitter) of the race-ready MotoCzysz TTXGP entry.

The most striking impression is how well finished it looks. This is MotoGP level fit and finish for sure.

The styling is incredible, and the level of detail is amazing. MC needs to get a production version going ASAP! Good thing they are running the Pro Class, or we'd be buying it for $33,000!

Sound and Fury Update!

Michael Czysz updated the MotoCzysz blog on Wednesday with a sweet video of their electric racebike on the dyno. The incredible banshee scream the bike lets out is pretty amazing! Check it out: MotoCzysz Blog

Also, note that TTXGP Blog has removed the music from the TTX01 test run video mentioned in our last post, so now you can get a much better idea of what that machine sounds like on the track.

The future of motorcycle roadracing is bright indeed.