Inline Performance Magazine

Inline Performance Magazine

Swigz.com Racing Team at Infineon Raceway

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 09:00 PM PST


On a gorgeous, clear December 15, at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, Chip Yates practiced racing his electric Swigz.com super bike around the 54 degree track. The Swigz.com Racing Team were there at Infineon in anticipation of their WERA Pirelli Sportsman race debut against gasoline powered motorcycles in January.

Chip Yates first got familiar with the track’s conditions on his gas powered WSS motorcycle while waiting for the track to finish drying out from the previous day’s rainfall. Then it was time to bring out the main attraction, a fully electric 194 horsepower motorcycle making 295 foot pounds of torque originally designed for TTXGP before the series’ new 250 kg weight restriction excluded the Swigz.com Racing Team’s 265 kg race motorcycle. After successfully completing eight laps around the track, the Swigz.com Racing Team called it a day.

The electric motorcycle was run without the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) that recharges the motorcycle’s batteries from the front wheel. It is not planned to be used during the January 9 race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA were the motorcycle will compete against race teams on Ducati 1198, KTM RC8 R, and other super bikes.

The above video was released by Chip Yates on his YouTube channel showing the first of those eight laps, where you can hear the scream of the electric motor.

Check back for more updates. Keep a lookout for the 2011 print issue of Inline Performance Magazine coming out in January.

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