The GBP20,000 TTX01 - 86 BHP, Electric 2WD Motorcycle

"We're currently working with some of the overseas teams, 22 of the 60 are from outside the UK, to help them with getting riders who know the course well enough to be competitive, so it's fair to say that a lot of these teams are very serious about winning the first race - it's an historic event and the importance of winning the first of what we expect to become a very important event in history has not been lost on the competitors", said Hussain.

"We'll be having a closed track day in April and an open track day in May where all the competitors will get to see how competitive they are. Those days will be announced fully when we have decided on the race circuit to use, but it is certain to be one of the major racetracks in the UK", he said.

"So another aspect of what we're doing is to ensure that there are race bikes available if people want to compete, and the next step is to take advantage of the inherent strengths of the electric motorcycle. The GSX Suzuki frame and running gear are heavier and more robust than they need to be, and the size of the motorcycle, particularly its frontal area, can be reduced enormously - the GSX has a four cylinder motor which is much wider than an electric motor and hence we'll be able to make the next machine both lighter and faster, even if we don't get any more horsepower from the motors.

"The idea behind using a carbon fibre frame is to reduce weight as much as possible and to use the greater freedom of construction to enable battery swapping", said Hussain. "We're seeking suitable partners to work with in several aspects of the bike, so if there's anyone out there wishing to collaborate, we'd be more than pleased to hear from them."

Only one production motorcycle currently exists with a Carbon Fibre frame - the Bimota DB7 Oronero.

"The bike uses the Cedric Lewis-designed Agni electric motor which already holds the unlimited world electric water speed record of 68 mph set in 2005, and plans another record attempt with much higher goals.".

Cedric Lynch invented the Agni Motor in 1983. The Agni Motor achieves a remarkable 93% efficiency and it maintains high efficiency over a wide range of loads and speeds. It runs on D.C. up to 84 volts and the low shaft speed and high torque enable the use of a simple, cheap and efficient transmission in most applications.

One of the most significant aspects of the next prototype will be 2WD according to Hussain. At present, both engines power the rear wheel and Hussain says, "by adding an additional motor into the front wheel to create a 2WD motorcycle we can achieve significant improvements to handling and roadholding, particularly in wet conditions." Yamaha has been working on such a system for several years now.

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