Clean-Emissions, Carbon-Free International Racing Competition - Rebooting Racing

West London's Brunel University mechanical engineering department fielded this electric-powered Triumph Daytona 675. It finished sixth in the Pro class, with an average speed of 40.092 mph.

West London's Brunel University mechanical engineering department fielded this electric-po

Then there was the 37.73-mile mountain course itself. Long, steep and with countless heavy braking and acceleration zones, this public-roads circuit seemed tailored to sap batteries with alarming quickness. "We studied a topographic map of the course beforehand," said competitor Michael Czysz. "Honestly, it was pretty scary. We knew we'd have to pack a lot of energy just to finish the lap."

It took Barber 25 minutes and 53 seconds to complete his winning lap-singular, though next year's race will run over two laps. His average speed was 87.434 mph, with a maximum velocity of 97.8 mph through the Sulby Straight speed trap. Second place went to Germany's Team XXL Racing, fielding a converted Laverda Formula piloted by rider Thomas Schoenfelder, with an average speed of 77.841 mph. Third place-the highest-ranking American effort-was the Brammo Enertia TTR ridden by Scotsman Mark Buckley, with an average speed of 75.350 mph. Another American effort, the Mission Motors machine ridden by American TT veteran Tom Montano, finished 31 seconds behind the Brammo bike at an average speed of 74.091 mph. The MotoCzysz E1pc suffered a motor meltdown at the bottom of Bray Hill, while a second Brammo bike suffered a similar fate.

Next after Montano was the winning Open-class machine, the California-based Electric Motorsport effort ridden by Chris Heath, with an average speed of 66.022 mph. Second place in the Open class went to the converted Ducati Supersport of U.S.-based Barefoot Motors with a speed of 62.219 mph, followed by underdog Team TORK (average speed 60.475 mph), a group of Indian college students who skipped their final exams to attend the event. Tragically, TORK rider John Crellin, a 55-year-old resident of the Isle of Man, was killed later that same day in the Senior TT, becoming the 226th victim of the world's most dangerous race circuit.

The podium revealed no clear formula for success. The top-two Pro-class entries were converted streetbikes, while the third-place Brammo TTR was a highly modified version of that company's production Enertia streetbike. The Mission Motors and MotoCzysz entries-both radical prototypes-didn't make the box. Given the speeds, chassis technology was not a limiting factor, nor was rider skill. The limiting factors at this point are available energy and electric motor technology, both of which leave plenty to be desired. The MotoCzysz, reportedly producing 150 lb.-ft. of torque, repeatedly melted its three Agni motors, which were no match for the energy the bike's 11 batteries delivered. Mission Motors, Brammo and others also suffered heat-related failures. Teams that chose a lower-power, lighter-weight strategy suffered different problems, running out of juice before the mountain summit.

Lack of practice-TTXGP competitors got just two laps before the race-made tuning an exercise in guesswork. Even seemingly well-prepared teams like Mission Motors were essentially guessing, since they had done most of their testing on predictable race circuits. In the end, there was no replacement for experience. Tuning the winning machine was none other than Cedric Lynch, the designer and manufacturer of the Agni motor with more than 20 years' experience with electric vehicle development and numerous world speed records to his credit.

The race also proved challenging for the riders, all of whom were accomplished motorcycle racers. Racing an internal-combustion bike is all about extracting as much power and speed as possible. With an electric bike, the focus shifts to efficiency-every extra mile per hour comes at a significant energy cost. "I spent an awful lot of time monitoring the 'gas gauge,' so to speak," Montano said. "I used up a little bit too much at first, so I had to save some for the second half." For racers trained to chase redline, the need to hypermile at hyperspeed is enormously challenging.