Victory Motorcycles set for IOM TT Zero Race
The Victory Racing team is going in to the SES TT Zero race confident after posting some promising results in the practice rounds.
Lee Johnston, clearly buoyed from his first ever TT podium in the Superstock race, rode a 110.97mph lap. Johnston reached 157.9mph through Sulby on the Victory electric prototype that’s powered by Brammo battery modules and supported by Parker Racing (the makers of the electric motor).
Guy Martin rode a 108.674mph lap, just 1.3mph shy of also achieving a 110mph lap. His ride was made even more impressive as it was only his second time on the bike. Not to be without drama, Guy Martin only joined the Victory Racing team on the second practice round of the TT after Victory racer, William Dunlop withdrew injured.
Lee was thrilled to go beyond the 110mph mark lap for the first time and said: “It feels good yeah, I’m still just getting used to the bike, feeling a bit more flowing and trying to think about saving the power rather than rolling it on and off. Yeah it feels really good.”
Guy Martin was measured and contemplative after his second ever ride of an electric motorcycle. He said: “Interesting, interesting… yeah, it’s just…it’s just getting your head round what it’s doing. Just the momentum I think…just keeping the momentum up, don’t waste energy by braking late, or by braking at all, don’t even look at the brake lever, just roll off and let the regeneration do the work.”
Regeneration of the battery modules takes place when the riders roll the throttle off. In essence, more electricity is put back into cells that can be used by the bike later on in the lap. Both Lee and Guy have realized they can post faster laps by consciously using less brake and allowing the Parker GVM electric motor to ‘engine brake’ to slow themselves down. At the same time, energy is regenerated back in the Brammo battery modules.
Gary Gray, Director Motorcycle Product for Victory Motorcycles said: “We came to the Isle of Man TT to prove ‘American Performance’ and have done that already by posting some of the fastest qualifying laps. Lee Johnston rode the fastest lap time ever for an American electric bike at the TT of 110mph. We are extremely proud of American ingenuity and our Brammo Power and Parker Racing partners.”
Parker’s US based strategic account manager, Kevin Holloway is with the team on the Isle of Man and encouraged by the newfound performance of the Parker GVM electric motor installed in the bike. He said: “Parker is pleased with the progress of the Victory Racing Team and Lee Johnston’s lap speed of 110.97mph has achieved one of our goals. Both riders are improving each lap. The Victory team is very dedicated and professional and Parker is proud to be associated with such a fantastic group.”
For Brian Wismann, Team Manager, going beyond the 110mph mark was the huge boost for the team ahead of the race.
Brian said: “We set a goal and we achieved that goal.”
“Right now, the smart move would be to play it safe and finish the race given that we reached our goal of 110mph, but hey we’re racers, so we’ll probably take a look at the data and see if we can go even faster.”
Victory Racing Prototype
The Victory Racing prototype electric race bike features a dedicated electric racing motor and power cells as well as highly sophisticated electric controls to maximize top power, power delivery, and durability under racing conditions. Victory engineers have further refined the electronics and chassis for the upcoming race with private test sessions in North America.
