Electricity Vs. Gasoline Eric Bostrom riding a 2013 Brammo Empulse R with AFM racer Alan Cunningham (38)
and his 500cc, twin-cylinder, gasoline-fueled racebike at Thunderhill Raceway Park. Photo courtesy of Brammo.
American Federation of Motorcyclists Approves the Entry of Brammo Electric Motorcycles Starting with the 2013 Race Season.
Ashland, OR, and Modesto, CA, March 5th 2013–Brammo, Inc. a global leader in the electric vehicle industry and the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) the oldest racing organization in the United States dedicated solely to motorcycle road racing, today announced that the Brammo Empulse R, Empulse TTX, and Empulse RR will all be eligible to enter AFM races competing for points and championship positions starting with the 2013 season.
Brian Wismann, Director of Product Development for Brammo, said: “This announcement is a true milestone in the history of electric motorcycle racing as an opportunity for our bikes to compete amongst their gas powered counterparts on even terms rather than just as an exhibition or in a single race. It’s going to be a challenge to be competitive as the gas bikes have about 100 years of development time on us, but we’re excited about the chance to pit the Brammo Empulse against the best efforts from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha.”
Berto Wooldridge, President of AFM Racing said; “What caught AFM’s attention about Brammo’s approach was that they were not asking for a separate class, but were instead looking to have a chance for their bikes to compete within the existing class structure and go head to head with gas-powered bikes of similar performance and power-to-weight. We believe this to be a historic moment in motorcycle racing and are happy to have made it possible.”
Multiple world champions from historical MotoGP ranks have spent time training with AFM working their way up to International competition. Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Steve Rapp, Tony Meiring and Bobby Fong are just a few who’ve raced with AFM.
Brammo will be offering contingency prize money and full details will be published on the AFM website.
SOURCE; AFM Allowing Brammo Electric Motorcycles To Race Against Gas-Fueled Motorcycles In 2013