TT Zero 2012: MotoCzysz rewrites history
Michael Rutter has broken the 100mph barrier on an electric bike at the Isle of Man TT, making history and landing a handy 10,000 quid at the same timeThe motor sport history books have been rewritten as the first team to record a 100mph lap on an electric motorcycle at the Isle of Man TT has been achieved by US outfit MotoCzysz.
Rider Michael Rutter won the TT Zero race with an average lap speed of 104mph onboard the Segway MotoCzysz E1pc electric bike, and covered four laps or around 150 miles (240km) at full throttle.
And the icing on the cake? For the feat of becoming the first team to break the 100mph barrier on an electric bike, the MotoCzysz has snaffled the £10,000 bonus prize from the Isle of Man government.
John McGuinness was second in the TT Zero race aboard the Honda-built Mugen Shinden with an average lap speed of 102mph, which is impressive for its first official race, while the final podium spot was taken up by the second MotoCzysz E1pc bike ridden by Mark Miller.
Of the eight starters only four finished the full distance.
The conditions were not ideal with damp patches on the dangerous 60km Mountain course, but the record was finally broken.
It was back in 1957 that Scotsman Bob McIntyre broke the hallowed 100mph average lap speed at the Isle of Man TT on a conventional combustion engine bike, taking more than half a decade of development to get there.
The TT Zero race has been running for just four years and in that time we've seen huge leaps in lap times, which begs the question: Will the electric bikes be racing in the Superbike class in another 10 years?
Michael Czysz, the owner of the team that was first to make history at the Isle of Man TT Zero, was thrilled with the performance of the bike, of Rutter who was riding and whole team.
"The greatest drivers and manufacturers are synonymous with the history of the Isle of Man TT races, and for this reason we are very proud to add the Segway Racing MotoCzysz name to this list. What the team has done today is a real milestone in the history of motorcycling and is the culmination of years of hard work."
2012 TT Zero results
1 Michael Rutter - 2012 MotoCzysz Elpc 104 056mph
2 John McGuinness - MUGEN Shinden 102.215mph
3 Mark Miller - 2012 Motoczysz Elpc 101.065mph
4 Rob Barber - Zero Emission TGM 78.221mph
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