Motorcycle.com Features Editor Troy Siahaan To Race 2013 Zero FX At Pikes Peak

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

Zero Motorcycles and Hollywood Electrics, the nation’s leading Zero dealer, are teaming up to tackle the 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday, June 30. The team will feature six riders, including yours truly, with half riding the 2013 Zero S and the others, including myself, riding 2013 Zero FX models. The other riders include Ted Rich, Jeremiah Johnson, Brandon Nozaki Miller, Jeff Clark and Nathan Barker.

This will be the first year electric motorcycles will compete in their own division, as Harlan Flagg, owner of Hollywood Electrics, found no other way to compete at the world famous event. “Originally, I had planned to enter one or two bikes, but Pikes Peak didn’t know where we could fit in,” Flagg says. “So they said ‘you can create your own class if you have at least six bikes’ so, that’s what I did. Zero stepped up big time in helping this massive project come together.”

Hollywood Electrics will be managing and organizing the efforts, while Zero will assist with technical support However, just because the Zeros have their own class, doesn’t mean they intend on just filling the grid. “I want to turn heads with our performance,” says Flagg. “I think we can be competitive with the 250cc supermoto [gas] bikes.”

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest motorsport event in the U.S., behind only the Indianapolis 500. It attracts big-name car and motorcycle race teams looking to conquer the nearly 13-mile course, which features 156 turns, gains nearly 5000 feet of elevation (starting at 9000 feet) and is nicknamed “The Race To The Clouds.”

I arrive in Colorado on Monday, as practice and qualifying will be carried out through the week. If you’re in the area, stop by the Zero tents to say hello, ask questions and offer support.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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