Press release:
Chip Yates Rides Electric Superbike to 2nd in Class and a New World Record at the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Colorado Springs, June 27, 2011-----American superbike rider and electric vehicle pioneer Chip Yates has delivered another stunning race result with his homebuilt 240 horsepower electric superbike at the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday, June 26th. Overcoming high winds, red flags, oil on the track, and 2.6 miles of bumpy dirt, Chip achieved two new world records with his surprising run of 12:50.094 while finishing 2nd in the Exhibition Powersport class behind Grand National Champion Joe Kopp.
With 240 horsepower and 400 ft/lbs of torque on tap from the UQM Technologies PowerPhase electric motor, the SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing Electric Superbike has become the most powerful motorcycle of any kind to ever finish the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in its 89-year history.
More importantly, Chip and his team have claimed a new course world record for electric motorcycles at Pikes Peak, beating the previous time of 16:55.849 set by John Scollon in 2010 on an HM ElectroCat by a convincing 4:05.755 margin.
In addition to the impressive results shown by the team this year, the real story to come out of the weekend is the potential the electric superbike showed for a top finish next year when all 12.4 miles of the iconic 156-corner public highway will be paved. This year Chip had to contend with tip-toeing a nearly 600 pound roadracing superbike through 2.6 miles of bumpy dirt road, where he lost significant time (over 1 minute) to the race leaders, highlighted by the split times of the race.
In the first section of the course, which is paved asphalt, Chip’s split time was an incredible 9th out of 112 motorcycles as he demonstrated knee-dragging superbike racing techniques to more than 5,000 fans that lined the lower section of the mountain road. However, in the dirt section, Chip predictably suffered badly, and was 97th out of the 112 racers. This huge time disparity hints at the potential for a great 2012 result once the course is completely paved.
“These split times show that once again, we have put the gas-powered bikes on notice that we can be a serious threat to the results of a premier race event,” said Yates. “Next year with the pavement on my side, I’ll be looking for a top 10 or better result in the overall standings.”
In this first paved section of the hill climb, Chip’s electric superbike was only beaten by eight top riders: Carlin Dunne (race winner), Greg Tracy, Gary Trachy, Mark Cernicky, Stuart Sinclair, Joe Kopp, Mike Ell, and Davey Durelle.
“I want to thank our new sponsor Eidos LLC and my incredible team, and none more than my key Race Engineer Robert Ussery, who is responsible for a massive amount of work and personal sacrifice to prepare our electric superbike for this epic adventure,” said Yates. “We are a team of 3 volunteer engineers with support from our wonderful sponsors but with no outside funding and yet we are taking on the established motorcycle manufacturers by pure determination, ingenuity, and the ability to accept personal hardship and extremely long hours as part of our normal course of business.”
Complete on-board race video: The SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing team has completed an incredible video of Chip’s historic run to the summit of Pikes Peak, which is being uploaded and will be available on www.youtube.com/chipyates in the coming days.
Race still photos: Still photos from the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb are available for download at this link: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0Bw4i_ga8XY0OM2JjZDhjNTItNmYwMy00MjYyLWEzZWMtMWM0YzEyYTg2Yzli&hl=en_US
KKTV Channel 11 interview with Chip Yates at this link: http://www.kktv.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5987458&flvUri=&partnerclipid=
Chip’s Pikes Peak Team: Robert Ussery, Ben Ingram, Jimmy Summers, Julie Yates, Larry Kleinschmidt (Pikes Peak Winner), Scott Podoll (Pikes Peak Winner), Song Jung, Vince Sedmak, Cathy Harper, Don Rhodes, Bobby Podoll, and Jason Podoll.
Chip’s Electric Superbike Sponsors: McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP // Eidos LLC // Yoyodyne // Ohlins USA // MoTeC Systems USA // Dainese // SolarReserve // Manzanita Micro // MicroStrain // UQM Technologies // Performance Machine // CPR Fabrication // Catalyst Racing Composites // Stompgrip // Scottoiler // Thermosman Suspension
For more information, please contact: Peter Haynes, Torque PR Ltd: Tel: +44 7738 883259 or peter@torquepr.co.uk.
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