Over a six day period in late November the Voxan Wattman motorcycle with Max Biaggi onboard set a series of nineteen new FIM speed records for electric motorcycles. The most prestigious of those new records, setting the outright fastest flying kilometer for any electric two wheeler, was set with the bike in ‘partially streamlined electric motorcycle under 300 kg’ mode. By running the bike either with its fairings or without, and with its ballast and without, the team managed to run for records in four different classes. The trip, then, was a success.
Apparently there’s more in the bike, however, as the onboard GPS recorded an impressive 290 mph peak for the run. The two-way average for the bike to set a record, however, was a bit lower at 283.182 mph. If the weather is just right, or they managed to extract a little more power from the electric motors, this could be a three-hundred mile per hour motorcycle!
Perhaps the most amazing statistic to me is that the bike managed to run 228 miles per hour in the flying mile without the bike’s aerodynamic fairing. It’s pretty crazy that the fairing is only worth 60 miles per hour at V-max, but I simply cannot imagine riding a motorcycle at 228 miles per hour without any wind protection.
The Kennedy Space Center in Florida played host to the record attempts, so the bike had a decent runway to get up to speed, but things were still acceleration limited. Tacking on a few bricks of weight to push the bike over 300 kilograms (661 pounds) means it took a lot longer to get up to speed, and ran out of runway before hitting the same top speeds. The fastest 300 kg run with the streamliner bodywork was just 253 miles per hour.
Here’s the final record results tally:
Under 300 kg class
– 1 mile, flying start, partially streamlined : 454 km/h (282 mph)
– 1 mile, flying start, non-streamlined : 368 km/h (228 mph)
– ¼ mile, flying start, partially streamlined : 293 km/h (182 mph)
– ¼ mile, flying start, non-streamlined : 285 km/h (177 mph)
– 1 mile, standing start, partially streamlined : 273 km/h (169 mph)
– 1 mile, standing start, non-streamlined : 260 km/h (161 mph)
– 1 km, standing start, partially streamlined : 223 km/h (138 mph)
– 1 km, standing start, non-streamlined : 219 km/h (136 mph)
– ¼ mile, standing start, non-streamlined : 156 km/h (96 mph)
– ¼ mile, standing start, partially streamlined : 149 km/h (92 mph)
Over 300 kg class
– 1 km, flying start, partially streamlined : 408 km/h (253 mph)
– 1 mile, flying start, partially streamlined : 404 km/h (251 mph)
– 1 mile, flying start, non-streamlined : 367 km/h (228 mph)
– 1 km, flying start, non-streamlined : 364 km/h (226 mph)
– 1 mile, standing start, partially streamlined : 255 km/h (158 mph)
– 1 km, standing start, partially streamlined : 216 km/h (134 mph)
– 1 mile, standing start, non-streamlined : 216 km/h (134 mph)
– ¼ mile, standing start, non-streamlined : 153 km/h (95 mph)
– ¼ mile, standing start, partially streamlined : 142 km/h (88 mph)
“In less than a year, we have succeeded in lowering the motorcycle’s weight, while increasing its power and improving its stability. Following the records we set in November 2020 in the ‘over 300 kg’ class, these 21 new records are another magnificent reward for the Venturi Group, for Max Biaggi, and for our valued partners, Saft, Michelin, and Mercedes. I am pleased to think that the experience gained from this project will contribute to improving ecomobility. I share these records with my country, Monaco, which does so much to promote sustainable development.” – Gildo Pastor, President of the Venturi Group
I have been saying for a few years now that the future of electric hot rodding is here today, and this simply serves to reinforce that point. We’re living in the 1950s all over again, where people are figuring out how to go really freakin’ fast by shoving big motors into small things. It won’t be long before electric cars and motorcycles are fighting for top-speed honors against the best in the world.
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