Vo Knows

It was just brought to my attention that there will be an electric/alternative-powered class at this year’s Isle of Man TT. No joke! It’s called the TTXGP. Take a look here: http://ttxgp.com/index.php.

To be honest, I’m not sure what I think of all this. I’ve been to the IOM and I’ve experienced the speeds one achieves on the 37-mile course. To say they are scary fast is like saying the Sears Tower is kind of tall. It’s utterly mind boggling. Did I mention they are doing these speeds on public roads, over mountains and through rural cities? And with this comes extreme danger. People are killed nearly every year – on proven and reliable motorcycles.

While I’m by no means against progressing this new technology through racing, is the IOM really the right place for it? With machines this unproven, if something goes wrong the result could be catastrophic.

I was there the year a Japanese rider’s bike failed while cresting one of the rolling hills, stalling on the other side. Close behind him was another competitor, full steam at 180mph, coming over the crest moments later. At that speed neither had time to react... Two great racers were lost to the Gods of Speed in the blink of an eye. Sad but true.

Not one to put a negative spin on this, as racing electric bikes is very cool from a technological standpoint. But at the IOM? Really?