For the first time on U.S. soil, electric motorcycle racers will compete in the first round of the international TTXGP eGrand Prix on May 14-16, 2010 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
Don’t ask me what TTXGP stands for. Anybody know? It’s not apparent on the eGrand Prix website, but you can find a discount on admission to the event, which is nestled into a larger West Coast Moto Jam of gassers. The electric portion touches all three days, though. See a schedule on Jennifer Broom’s blog — she’s the only female rider in this round of the TTXGP, riding for Werkstatt Motorcycles. She and other teams will be competing against the Open Class winner in the inaugural TTXGP in 2009 — Oakland, Calif. powerhouse Electric Motorsport.
The North American competitors will race in Sonoma and then again in Wisconsin on June 3-6, in Canada on July 8-11, and in Virginia on August 13-15. The best 8 of 13 competitors advance to the second annual TTXGP eGrand Prix finals in Albacete, Spain to race against European teams on October 23-24.
Take a listen to Plug In America’s podcast interview with eGrand Prix organizer Jeremy Burne. He describes the electric motorcycles as “130-mile-an-hour laptops on wheels” that prove definitively that “being green doesn’t mean being slow.”
If you go to the event, stop by the Plug In America booth to say hello, and help us spread the word to motorcycle race fans that e-racing has arrived.
–Sherry Boschert
Photo of rider in first TTXGP eGrand Prix in 2009 on the Isle of Man courtesy of TTXGP.
