Werkstatt Racing Announces Fund Raising Party on 5/14/10 for TTXGP Effort

I’ll be there.  How about you?

Werkstatt Racing (www.werkstattsf.com) is pleased to announce a fundraiser party for their upcoming TTXGP effort. The fundraiser will be held at the historic 106 year old San Francisco Motorcycle Club at 2194 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 on Friday 5/14/2010 from 7:30PM to 10:00 PM. The public, the motorsports media, and other TTXGP participants are
invited. TTXGP racer Jennifer Bromme will be in attendance along with the
Werkstatt Mavizen electric superbike. Come and have a sneak peak at the future
of superbike racing in the historic setting of one of America’s oldest private
motorcycle organizations. Donations to the Werkstatt TTXGP racing effort will be accepted on site.

Background: Werkstatt Racing owner Jennifer Bromme has committed to race in the first ever TTXGP race in 2010 through a special arrangement on a Mavizen (www.mavizen.com) .

The premier TTXGP event runs in conjunction with the AMA Nationals at Infineon Raceway on May 14-16, 2010.

Werkstatt Racing is a woman owned motorcycle company in
San Francisco that is dedicated to blazing trails in electric motorcycle
racing.

More information on Werkstatt’s fundraiser for their TTXGP
entry can be found at:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Be-Part-of-History-and-the-Electric-Motorycle-TTXGP

and

http://www.werkstattsf.com

TTXGP Racing Schedule for Infineon

From the official race site at Infineon comes the schedule for the West Coast Moto Jam for the weekend of May 14-16.

For you TTXGP fans, here are the events for the electric motorcycles:

Friday, May 14
3 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. TTXGP Practice
5:40 p.m. – 6:10 p.m. TTXGP Practice

Saturday, May 15
11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. TTXGP Qualifying 1
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Fan Walk hot pit lane / Opening Ceremonies
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. TTXGP Qualifying 2

Sunday, May 16
9 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. TTXGP Warm-up
11 a.m.-11:30 a.m. TTXGP Race (11 laps)

Also, if you were one of the generous people who donated to the Werkstatt Racing team’s effort to get the Mavizen TTX02 to the race, then you should have received word that Jennifer Bromme is planning a party on Friday night to celebrate the success of that drive, and that she, the team, and the bike will be present.  If you didn’t donate to the cause, the word on the street is that there is still time to do so, and that your dollars are still welcome.  More information at http://www.werkstattsf.com/ and here, when it becomes available.

FIM e-Power at Le Mans: Should all but one bike have been disqualified?

Watching this video of the first FIM e-Power race at Le Mans, I noticed that only one of the bikes had a flashing red light on the rear of the bike.

According to the Road Racing FIM e-Power International Championship Regulations, Section 2.4.8:

Power Indicator

When the vehicle is in a powered on state, there must be two clearly visible indicators, one light on the instrument panel and one light on the rear of the vehicle.

The rear light must be red and visible from at least 10m away, from the side or rear, and must flash between 1 – 2 times /second on a 50% duty cycle.

Perhaps it is just a play of the lighting in the video, but at 1:18, the red flashing light of the black and silver bike is clearly visible.  I see no other bikes with lights.

The TTXGP rules contain this requirement, put in place because of one of the inherent differences between electric motorcycles and those powered by internal combustion engines: there is no sound associated with a “live” electric bike at rest.

Should all of the bikes but the one with the clearly visible light been disqualified from the e-Power Le Mans race?  I’ll leave that for the racing experts to debate.

On the Wiki: Transmitting Data from Bike to Team; Team to Bike; Bike to World

Another captivating discussion is occurring on the TTXGP Technical Rules Wiki today.   Morris Packer, owner of Morris Motorcycles and the chief of one of the teams racing in the UK series of the TTXGP, has changed a rule concerning the transmission of data (such as battery charge level) from the bike to the team.  Meanwhile, User:Payo, who is also behind the Open Moto X team, has added a provision to the rule banning all transmission from the team to the bike (a/k/a “PTW” for “powered two wheeler.”)

The current version of the rule, following these edits, (but which, by the time you read it, may have changed), is:

Electronic Transmission/Receiving

Transmission (data sent from PTW to the team)

Transmission is allowed at all times, including all available technical data and all data recorded of any device onboard vehicle and/or rider. Teams are required to log all transmissions and copy all transmitted content, and if requested by race officials hand over copies in digital format. The race officials may use the collected data to resolve protests and disputes. Each team may decide if their surrendered data should be held private or released as Creative Commons. Any teams that intend to transmit real time data publicly should pre-announce this at the riders meeting.

Receiving (data sent to the PTW from the team)

It is illegal for the PTW to receive data sent from the team. Teams suspected of infringing this rule will be fined 10,000 EUR (13,000 USD, 8,700 GBP) and disqualified from the subsequent TTXGP race.

Don’t forget to check out the Talk page of the rule, where the real debate is occurring, including the innovative idea of an open-sourced database of all information collected from each bike and each team:

Maybe we should extend it so that after each race team are encouraged (by yet another statement of principle!?) to submit their data to an open-access TTXGP database. The source of the data could be anonymised if teams are sensitive about it. This would give anyone wanting to investigate ways to improve the performance of PTWs and associated technology (including other race teams, commercial R+D departments and academics) access to a really big (and therefore hugely useful) data set.

If you’re a race fan, a team, a manufacturer, or a rider, why aren’t you registered on the wiki and joining in on the genesis of electric racing rules?

Warm-up Laps for Electric Motorcycles – Pro/Con

A discussion on the TTXGP Technical Rules Wiki is commencing on the issue of whether warm-up laps are necessary or advisable for races involving electric motorcycles.   Here is a clear example of something that would seem indispensable for an I.C.E. bike, but which could work to the disadvantage of an electrically-powered one.   If you have an opinion about this issue, please join the wiki and join the discussion.

Lord Drayson Likes the Wiki

. . . of course he does.  This is an excerpt from a speech last Saturday given by Lord Drayson, the UK Minister of Science in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. He’s also an avid amateur racing driver.  He spoke at the Motorsports Industry Association Conference at Long Beach, California:

There’s another idea that also appeals to me as an example of new-style innovation – and that’s the decision taken by TTXGP to create a Wiki where the entire racing community helps to shape the rules for zero-emission motorcycle racing through a Wikipedia style rule book.

Not only is crowd-sourcing itself progressive, but it fits with motorsport’s ability to stimulate change. Our image as technologically sophisticated and abidingly cool can change hearts and minds. It can persuade consumers that green cars on the road also have caché.

Thank you, Lord Drayson.  Given the recent upsurge in participation on the Wiki, it looks as if the invitation to the racing community to innovate is getting some attention.

“Let’s Get to Werk”

More information on the Werkstatt Team’s effort to raise sponsorship for their participation in the TTXGPNorth American Series.  First, an appeal by Azhar Hussain, the CEO of eGrandPrix.com and TTXGP, followed by a request by Jennifer Werkstatt, the leader of their team:

Dear Friends,

You will find below an email from Jennifer Werkstatt, a talented and accomplished female motorcycle racer and mechanic from San Francisco and leading an all American team into TTXGP North America 2010.

They are looking to raise money by reaching out to the wider community. Be wonderful if you can contribute and spread the word. This allows us as individuals to make a difference and push innovation not just on the track but also around it.

This team is a grass root effort and we have made a special effort to get them to the grid. But we can’t do it alone.  For a modest investment, this is a chance to be part of a larger, historic, moment not just in motorsport but also in the evolution of transportation. TTXGP is the first motorsport championship in US history not to use gasoline. This is your chance to claim a part of it.

All the details are below. I hope you will consider contributing and sharing it with your friends and colleagues. The race day is less than 4 weeks away so they need your support now.

In any event, I hope to see you all at Infineon on May 15 as we kick off the great adventure.

Kind regards,

Azhar…

_ _ _ _ _ _

Hi all,

Here is an exciting project I’m involved in, and I need your help! You might have heard about the TTXGP (http://www.egrandprix.com/ ), first ever electric motorcycle race series. It premiered at the Isle of Man TT last year, and now it’s coming to our home track, Infineon raceway, on May 16th, to run with the AMA Nationals!

We are entered, but now need to get the funds together to rent a Mavizen (http://www.mavizen.com ) and race it in this inaugural event. The team consists of me, Carolyn Coquilette at http://www.lusciousgarage.com , hybrid specialist in SF, Anton Bertaux, Jeremy LaTrasse, Ivan Thelin and a bunch of other great people.

We are really passionate about furthering alternative energies, and electric bikes are the future.  It would be great to put another local team on the grid and showcase that electric bikes are viable!

We need to raise about $20k for this first race, and about $95k to do the whole series and go to Spain to race against the UK and European teams. And we need to be able to come up with about $20k by Tuesday. I think we can do it, but we need your help!

If you want to be part of this grassroots effort and make history, please consider making a contribution here:http://www.indiegogo.com/Electric-Motorcycles-are-the-Future , we would super appreciate it!

And you can also read more about it here: https://emotorules.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/werkstatt-racing-needs-your-help

[Thanks for link love, Jennifer!]

Thanks for your time, please distribute this to anybody that might have an interest, keep you fingers crossed, deadline is next Tuesday, make a donation and hopefully see you on May 16th at Infineon on the grid!

Cheers, Jennifer

Jennifer Bromme

Werkstatt Racing and Repair

3248 17^th St

San Francisco, CA 94110

Phone 415-552-8115

Fax 415-552-8182

www.werkstattsf.com

Werkstatt Racing needs your help!

Time to dig deep.  Support your local racing team.  More info, below:

View this document on Scribd

More information as it becomes available.

Wiki Activity points out need for Eco-Friendly Statement

There has been a lot of activity on the TTXGP Technical Rules Wiki these past few weeks.  Thank you to the many active users who have taken the time to comment on and change the rules of electric motorcycle racing.  One issue that has come up several times prompted me to make a suggestion on the Community Portal Discussion page.  Feel free to read it here, but if you have an opinion or viewpoint you’d like to share, please log on to the Wiki and add your valuable contributions to the debate.

Provisions about use of Recycled Materials, Other “Eco-friendly” Ideas

An unvoiced debate of sorts is going on in several rules on the wiki. A user adds a provision requiring the use of, for example, tires containing a certain percentage of recycled material. Next, another user deletes or reverts that edit, stating that, while the idea of using recycled material has some benefit, requiring the same in the rules could have a detrimental effect on racing teams because the cost of such materials may be prohibitive, or the availability may be limited, etc.

The eGrandPrix certainly focuses on the “zero-emissions” aspect of racing and prides itself on this aspect of its entrants. Still, it wants to fill the grid and not erect any more barriers to entry than already exist by the very fact that teams must either build their own bikes from scratch (e.g. Motoczysz), convert an ICE bike into an electric bike, or purchase a bike from the — so far — limited number of companies manufacturing electric motorcycles (e.g. Mavizen).

Both viewpoints have merit. Can a compromise of sorts be reached? I would suggest the drafting of a new rule along the lines of a statement of principle, recognizing the importance of keeping the carbon footprint of the TTXGP as small as possible (with references to various materials that could be used in the construction of the bike, alternative lubricants/coolants, etc.). This rule would not require teams to use these “green” options, but would likely have the effect of encouraging the Team engineers to make environmentally conscious decisions in the construction and operation of their machines. EMotoRules 19:29, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Many new changes on the Wiki

A few dedicated and prolific users have added and/or modified several rules on the TTXGP Technical Rules Wiki.  If you haven’t visited in a while, it is probably time for you to return and check to see whether any of these changes might affect you, your team, or your race-viewing pleasure.  If you have never visited, or haven’t registered as a user, you’re invited to take the journey with us.

Don’t remember how to find out what’s happened with the wiki?  On the main page, in the left hand sidebar, just click the link titled “Recent Changes.”  You can change the number of displayed changes or the number of days of changes by clicking the appropriate link in the box on top of the page.

Thanks to recent users who have been contributing!