Miguel Duhamel can put another victory on his already-impressive resume after winning his first ever electric motorcycle race, taking the checkered flag in the FIM e-Power/TTXGP race at France’s Le Mans circuit.

Riding for Lightning-Barracuda, Duhamel took the checkered flag by edging Muench Racing’s Mattias Himmelmann in the eight-lap race by 1.929 seconds.

Duhamel started on the pole but it was Himmelmann who took the early lead. Duhamel was second followed by Zongshen Racing‘s Tang Yu. Himmelmann led the first two laps but Duhamel was not far behind, trailing by just 0.180 seconds on Lap One and 0.212 seconds on Lap Two. Continue Reading »

Miguel Duhamel is returning to action to race in the FIM e-Power International Championship for Lightning Motorcycles. The five-time Daytona 200 winner will ride the Lightning Barracuda electric motorcycle for the joint FIM and TTXGP race at Le Mans , and Motorcycle.com had a role in setting up the connection.

The topic of a rider for Le Mans came up during the preparations for Associate Editor Troy Siahaan‘s exclusive test of the Lightning race bike last month. Lightning normally competes in the TTXGP’s North American series but decided to enter the Sept. 7-8 round in France to take advantage of the high profile of sharing the stage with the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The problem was Lightning needed a rider and most North American riders, including Lightning regular Michael Barnes, were occupied with the AMA Pro Racing round at New Jersey Motorsports Park taking place the same weekend. Continue Reading »

Team Zongshen rider Yu Tang came through in a surprise win in Sunday’s FIM e-Power International Championship event at Oschersleben. After teammate Ho Chi Fung’s respectable third place in Saturday’s three-lap sprint, Tang found himself on the highest step of the podium after favorites, and Munch Racing teammates, Matthias Himmelmann and Katja Poensgen experienced mechanical trouble. The Zongshen rider took the chequered flag at the end of the ten-lap race ahead of Udo Reichmann (Reichmann Racing-Mavizen) and Christian Amendt (epo-Bike).  Continue Reading »

We expect to see many new electric motorcycles unveiled at next week’s EICMA show in Milan, Italy, but CRP’s electric superbike promises to be one of the standouts. The Italian company will unveil its new electric sportbike on November 8 when its name and official specifications will be revealed.

CRP Racing has campaigned its eCRP in European electric racing for the past two years, finishing in the runner-up title positions in the FIM e-Power & TTXGP championships in both 2010 and 2011 seasons.

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The FIM’s Superbike Commission announced new rules for the World Superbike Championship designed to reduce expenses.

Among the numerous rule updates, the most significant is a new single-bike rule. New to the Superbike class but already existing in the Supersport and Superstock 1000 classes, teams will only be allowed to enter one race bike per rider and will no longer be allowed to have a back-up machine prepared. The single-bike rule will make it easier for teams, especially privateer squads who often only have one machine, as they will no longer be at a disadvantage to larger teams which can afford a second bike.

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Mission Motors rider Steve Rapp led from start to finish to win the Laguna Seca round of the TTXGP and FIM e-Power championships. The race was significant both because it demonstrated the improvements made in electric motorcycle racing over the last year, but also because it was the first joint event held by the two rival electric racing series.

A veteran AMA racer, Rapp took the holeshot and held off 2010 Laguna Seca e-Power winner Michael Czysz and 2010 runner-up Michael Barnes for the win, completing the 8-lap race in 12:40.597, translating to lap times of about 1:35.1.

Rapp’s result showed the advances made in electric motorcycle racing over the last year. Czysz won last year’s 9-lap race in 16:02.596, which translates to an average lap time of about 1:47.0. Rapp’s fastest lap time in this year’s race was 1:33.194, obliterating Czysz record of 1:44.496 set last year.

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The International Motorcycling Federation has appointed Stéphane Desprez the successor to retiring Chief Executive Officer Guy Maitre.

Desprez will join the FIM in October as deputy CEO before becoming CEO after Maitre’s planned retirement in early January 2012.

The 54-year-old Desprez joins the FIM after nearly two years as secretary general of the FAI, the World Air Sports Federation. Before joining the FAI, Desprez was the the director of competition for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Born in Nancy, France, Desprez has a Master of Engineering degree from ENSAM Paris and an MBA Strategy & Finance from Purdue University.

“I am honored to have been appointed to succeed to Guy, and to have the opportunity to participate to the implementation of the 2020 FIM Vision and Strategic Framework,” says Desprez. “I ride my motorcycle every day since 1988, so I am really eager to join the FIM family and to contribute to its expansion and development, along with the FIM Board of Directors and the FIM Administration.”

[Source: FIM]

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KTM announced it will return to Grand Prix road racing in 2012 with a new racebike for the new 250cc four-stroke Moto3 class.

The Austrian manufacturer discontinued its Grand Prix road racing program in 2009, withdrawing from the 125cc class (pictured above is current Moto2 racer Marc Marquez racing for the KTM factory team in the 2009 125cc class). With the Moto3 class set to replace the 125cc class in 2012, KTM will return with a new racebike. KTM also announced an exclusive partnership to supply Moto3 engines to Kalex Engineering, which produces Moto2 racebikes.  Current Moto2 points leader Stefan Bradl rides a Kalex.

“We approach our entry into the Moto3 class with confidence,” says Pit Beirer, head of KTM Motorsports. “Our own plans are right on schedule for a racing bike completely developed in Mattighofen (Austria), while at the same time we have also found the best possible partner, who will present our engine at a very high and professional level. Kalex Engineering is well positioned for this in every way and just like KTM is highly motivated to develop a bike capable of winning in the new Moto3 category.”

Related Reading
KTM Quitting 125cc Grand Prix

Press release after the jump.

[Photo by Kim F.]

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The International Motorcycling Federation announced 11 teams have passed the latest round of applications for the 2012 MotoGP season.

MotoGP promoter Dorna and the International Road Racing Teams Association selected 11 new teams representing 16 riders to continue with the application process for the 2012 season. Applicants submitted detailed plans for participation to the IRTA by May 14. The FIM announced in April that 14 teams and 21 riders had passed the previous step but the list was whittled down to 13 teams after the May 13-15 Le Mans round.

The 11 remaining teams will have until June 3 to provide a security deposit with the IRTA. Dorna and the IRTA will then decide during the June 3-5 Catalunya Grand Prix which teams will be offered a contract to race in the 2012 season. Teams wishing to participate as Claiming Rule Teams will also have to receive approval from the Grand Prix Commission. While there’s no guarantee all 11 remaining teams will pass this final step, the MotoGP grid will be a lot larger than its current 17-rider lineup.

The FIM did not announce which teams had made it past the recent round of cuts, though it is believed that Norton had applied for a team with two riders. Following the Catalunya grand Prix, the FIM will release the names of the teams invited to join the existing teams for the 2012 MotoGP season.

Related Reading
14 Teams Accepted for 2012 MotoGP Season
MotoGP Accepting Applications for 2012