By Reigning Duke Road Race Rankings champion William Dunlop is confirmed to lead Victory Motorcycles challenge, in the 2016 TT zero race.
Although pretty much a newcomer to electric bike machinery, William has the talent, pace, proven roads craft, to propel the American machine, to at least in my opinion, a podium finish.
Victory Motorcycles new TT zero contender, titled the RR which produces in excess of 170 BHP, is amongst the most high profile machines, competing in the innovative electric race around the Mountain Course, which this year has attracted 15 entries.
Victory Motorcycles Racing, Team Manager, Brian Wismann, said of the teams TT 2016 expectations:
“Our electric Empulse RR race bike placed third on the podium in the TT Zero race last year, which we were thrilled with.
Using the data we gathered on our laps of the TT course has helped us to develop a new battery module as well as improving the power train.
We feel like we can return to the TT with more performance as well as being able to test this technology for our future products.
The newly developed battery leverages the lessons learned from our entry in last year’s TT Zero event.
The battery is a ground-up new design with the help of our technical partners at Brammo and necessitated a big change in the chassis design – from an extruded aluminium twin spar to a steel trellis frame.
The biggest difference in the battery itself is an improvement in both the overall energy / capacity we’re carrying on board the bike, as well as a marked improvement in the energy density of the battery itself.
As you know, lithium-ion battery technology is improving every year and with the Victory RR we are leading the way to batteries that will provide more performance, greater range and less cost in future vehicles.
Compared to the electric motor we used in the TT Zero event last year, this year’s version features an even further optimised winding configuration based on the data gathered from last year’s bikes.
Coupled with the increased energy on board in the battery, William Dunlop will have access to more of the power available from this motor than in 2015.”
Alex Hultgren, Victory Motorcycles Director of Marketing added:
“One way we continuously push ourselves in performance is through our Victory Racing® initiatives. The Isle of Man TT is one of the most challenging motorcycle races in the world, so of course we have to be there.
This year with a new machine and new technology behind us we continue to have high expectations.
We are working to develop the best platform for our racer, William Dunlop, who is familiar with the view from the podium.”
Words by Stevie Rial
