The Symptoms:
- Event attendance at NASCAR, MotoGP and other series has plummeted during the recession.
- Formula One and MotoGP fans and racers alike complain that excessive use of electronics has ruined the sport by making it less competitive.
- The new Moto2 spec engine class is by far the most competitive and exciting, yet comparatively low-tech.
- Electric motorcycle racing series TTXGP has spawned more innovation halfway through its first season than quite possibly the entire ICE motorcycle industry has over the past decade.
Dinosaurs vs. LiIons
Just as the iPod and Napster gave music fans an easier way to enjoy their music, electric motorcycles are poised to revolutionize the motorcycle industry. While the major OEM’s have seen sales plummet in the recession and have little to offer in the way of real innovation, startup electric motorcycle companies are cropping up every month, with increasingly faster and better bikes.
Many of these brands compete in the TTXGP series, and have enjoyed tremendous development as the season has progressed, as mentioned here. While these bikes are still not head-to-head competitors for equally priced ICE bikes, they are rapidly closing in on that goal. Sure, many current motorcyclists say they can’t imagine riding without the deep rumble of their motor beneath them. After all, people still ride horses, even though it’s no longer necessary. But for every Harley rider there’s at least one sportbike rider who cares more about performance than sound, and expects the latest technology to make him at least feel capable of riding like Rossi.
As the owner of a series of Yamaha R1 motorcycles, the latest of which includes some amazing new crankshaft innovation derived from Rossi’s Yamaha M1, I will be the first to say it’s not working. At a certain point, what works in MotoGP just doesn’t translate well to canyon carving by mere mortals. It’s not that the bike is too fast, it’s more that the bike feels pointless and uninspired below 70mph. I’m looking forward to replacing it with an electric sportbike in 2011, one capable of speeds over 100mph with an average range of 100 miles. That’s plenty for everything I do except touring, which the 2009 R1 is (surprisingly) perfect for. And as a bonus, increased adoption of EV’s will help use some of that (clean?) energy excess Vinod Khosla predicts in an article mentioned here.
Valentino Rossi Doesn’t Want An Electronic Motorcycle
Yes, I said electronic. I have no idea how he feels about electric motorcycles, but he has joined the chorus of exceptionally gifted racers complaining about how excessive dependence on electronics has ruined the sport. MotoGP, the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, has long been the proving ground for the latest in high-performance innovations. Traction control, launch control, engine braking control, anti-wheelie, ride-by-wire, etc. were developed to set the bike apart from the competition.
The problem now is that this leaves little room for rider input, rewarding riders not so much on talent and ability to control a 200 HP beast as on simply being lightweight. Which is why the spec engine class, Moto2, where participants are given sealed motors, is so much more competitive than MotoGP, although the bikes are comparatively “low-tech”. It also helps that it’s much cheaper, so the grid is much more crowded. For an expert insider’s view of the electronics situation in MotoGP, I will soon be posting an interview with former MotoGP electrical engineer Francesco Di Goro.
Analog Vs. Digital
Rather than wasting the talent of their electrical engineers on finding ways to automate ICE motorcycles, manufacturers could give them a REAL challenge and develop electric motorcycles. History is littered with examples of successful incumbents being rendered irrelevant by startups with some disruptive innovation, a management strategy issue highlighted in this Economist article.
TTXGP and the Federation International de Motocyclisme (FIM) are a perfect example of this age-old conflict. Although FIM were originally planning to cooperate with TTXGP, much like they cooperate with Dorna and other series organizers, that didn’t last for long. The problem is that the FIM is an organizing body. Which means they write the rules. The rules are written in conjunction with organizers, racers and most of all, manufacturers. But ultimately, the FIM writes them, and always has.
What really caused the rupture was that TTXGP insisted on creating an open-source rulebook, particularly for the first season. With technology changing so rapidly in this field, and no historical baseline to reference, how could rules possibly be written? Like Sony vs. Apple 10 years ago, the FIM is accustomed to owning this content, and could not tolerate the idea of anyone less expert than them writing the rules. Although I suspect TTXGP competitors know a little more about electric motorcycles than the FIM. The rules wiki has been open to all since January 2010 and moderated by lawyer and electric motorcyclist Harry Mallin. Although they took a snapshot of the wiki on August 15, the wiki will continue to remain a vital, growing, and changing document according to this press release.
So the FIM decided to start their own series, ePower, to do it their way. The FIM does not seem to be taking this very seriously, as I reported when I saw their event in conjunction with the Laguna Seca MotoGP race. They did not even bother to employ Dorna’s camera crew stationed around the track, and do almost nothing to promote the series. This makes it far less attractive for sponsors, yet they are able to fill the grid by paying riders an unprecedented $1,000 ($5,000 for riders who traveled from Europe to California) just to start the race. Yet some riders who traveled halfway across the world were not even able to compete because of the FIM’s traditional style qualifying rule. When there are 30 or more bikes on the grid, they have to be within 120% of the leader, or else lap traffic will be treacherous. But with 10 or 15 bikes this sort of exclusion is unnecessary, and some suspect that the FIM did this to limit the amount they would have to spend on starting payments.
Because electric motorcycle racing is so new, many people believe that having two separate series dilutes each of them. What really makes things difficult for competitors and organizers alike is the current economic climate. Sponsorships are hard to come by, and many racers are self-funded and doing this for the love of creating and developing their own new electric motorcycle. Some will go on to become the Hondas and Ducatis of tomorrow, others will fall by the wayside. One day there will be enough interest in electric motorcycle racing to support two separate series, like we now have with World Superbike for production-based racing and MotoGP for completely new technology. But while the industry is so small, and some manufacturers are even reluctant to race, two separate series are not helping to strengthen the industry.
TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain will be happy to answer questions about the creation and future of TTXGP and Mavizen at two events in California next week. More about the events at Intel and at Hollywood Electrics here.
Image Credits: Dinosaur courtesy of Dystopos via Creative Commons, Valentino Rossi playing around on a Yamaha R1 courtesy Fiat Yamaha via Creative Commons, all others courtesy of the manufacturers.
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About Susanna Schick
I can see a lot of passion in what you’re writing about here, but racing isn’t a breeding ground for technical innovation (though it is marketed as such) – it is, instead, a breeding ground for technical innovation WITHIN THE RULES. The ICE racing series you mention have particularly restrictive rulebooks, and that – much more than any kind of limitation inherent in the ICE – is what is holding back innovations … I’ll grant that you don’t come out and say that in your article, but the implication is there, and it’s a pretty blatant oversight. I – along with many others – welcome clean/green tech for many reasons, but I don’t delude myself into believing that the ICE is dead or very near its development peak. Ecomotors, Aixro, Lotus, and others are making great strides in ICE tech that will NEVER appear in racing, because they would dominate, and that would ruin the show. Once a particular brand or tech shows up in EV races, you’ll see it universally adopted or (if that’s not feasible) banned altogether, and you’ll get off this “high horse” about innovation in racing.
Jo, you bring up a good point. Actually, it was my editor who added the word “innovation” to the title. My main point is that the most innovative forms of gas-powered racing have become dull because of an excessive reliance on electronic controls.
It’s not that the FIM rulebooks are too restrictive, it’s that they’re too static, not allowing for the fact that electric motorcycles are so new that there’s no real baseline for writing those rules. What if liquid cooling were against the rules because all the early electric bikes were air cooled? That would’ve kept people limited and many of the high-performance liquid cooled electric motorcycles we’re seeing now might not exist, or at least wouldn’t have a proper testing ground. For 2011, TTXGP will have clearer rules, and two separate classes, but for their first year I think it makes sense to get input from competitors and EV fans before chiseling it all in stone.
For electric vehicles, I think racing is critical to innovation, as it subjects them to harsher conditions than anything else. The work teams have done to fix overheating (the biggest issue after battery weight) has been huge, and would not have happened as quickly if they were alone at some test track not knowing what their competitors are up to.
Susanna, I think you’re falling into 2 “newbie” traps here, with the motorsport thing.
1. there are no innovative forms of motorsport – that died out with Can-Am in the 1970′s. Formula 1 was relevant in the turbo era and in the active suspension/traction control era that culminated in the Williams FW14B in 1992, but even that was a severely restricted design, compared to the Can-Am. GroupB rallying made some advances in AWD and torque-vectoring, but the cars themselves were so far removed from their production cousins (if you could call an S4 a cousin to a standard Delta) that the technology couldn’t be transferred.
SO … what I’m saying is: don’t judge the current “WWE” style motorsports on the basis of technical innovation. What they’re good at is safety innovation, and no one drives around in a HANS device, so even that is a sketchy connection.
2. racing for a few hours has very little to do with driving over 100,000 miles. Granted, companies like Porsche bank on successes at endurance races like LeMans to push the durability of their cars to prospective buyers, but the loads and stresses of a race are not the loads and stresses of everyday driving, and building a component (or system, or vehicle, etc.) that excels at racing does not ensure that said vehicle will excel on the street …
… even if it did, remember: race organizers (and racers, themselves!) only make money if there are butts in seats willing to watch them race. Racing is a show, not some kind of hyper-romanticized, Ayn-Rand-style triumph of individual achievement.
I promise you this: the first EV that truly runs away from the pack in one of those races will be heavily penalized, and its innovations will be sanctioned out of existence for the good of the $how.
It sucks, but there it is.
No. Racing innovation for ICE engines is still applicable; however, it is becoming painfully obvious that technological progress and racing entertainment cannot coexist in the same series. The research & development budgets of major teams as well as the electronic devices they equip to improve lap times are ruining the spectacle and the entertainment value of racing. The racing industry must develop a concept that eliminates rider/driver aids while still incorporating technological development or the racing entertainment industry needs to cut technological ties with consumer transportation industry. The latter offers more flexibility and fewer problems, imo.
ICE racing is culturally important b/c nothing else delivers so much utility-per-gallon. It is vital for keeping humanity happy, and the pollution consequences of simplifying race vehicles are negligible in the grand scheme. While simplification of the vehicle is best for mankind and the entertainment value of racing, I still believe that gas-powered racing can deliver important ICE technologies. However, I do not believe that high-technology racing series can be exploited by the organizers for their commercial value b/c absolute speed (achieved via electronic systems) is not compatible with the human aspects of piloting a race vehicle. High technology racing must be a true R&D laboratory and the closeness of the racing and the spectacle of the competition must be a secondary concern.
If gas-powered racing is not producing ICE innovation, it’s b/c the commercial rights organizations have realized that gas ICE innovation does not produce entertaining racing.
I don’t think it’s technology that’s ruining the fun, i think it’s variety. the same reason why NASCAR is boring…everything takes place under controlled conditions. really, if these guys are so good why can’t they race in the rain?
I think races that are the most fun to watch are the TT races for this reason. you can disagree if you want but watching slow motion vids of bike chassis twisting after flying over a bump at 130mph is just exhilarating! not to mention the INSANE wrecks that can take place. they should have more racing like that imo.
this is great! I know I am only one observer, so I’m really glad to see this article has inspired some of you to contribute to the discussion. I too agree that too much technology is what’s making series like F1 and MotoGP boring. NASCAR, however boring some of us might think it is, is clearly fascinating to millions of Americans.
Roads racing like the Isle of Man and all is absolutely the most exciting form of sport, aside from Moto2 right now. Although we’ve seen in Misano how those wrecks can go horribly wrong. It’s a fine line we walk between safety and excitement, particularly in motorcycle racing.