Electric Racing News - FIM e-Power 2012 Round 1

The Münch Racing Team used in Magny-Cours the experience of their rider, Matthias Himmelmann, as well as their technology flair, since the creation of the FIM e-Power International Championship in 2010. He won the 1st round of the 2012 championship this morning for the opening of the Bol d’Or.

Riding his impressive Münch TTE 2.0, a machine weighing 220 kg powered by a battery pack of 350 V/40 Ah, Matthias Himmelmann put the “second” gear half way into the race to win with more than thirty seconds ahead of his team mate, Katja Poensgen. The ex rider of GP250, seemed seduced by these electric bikes and has joined the Münch Racing Team for this race in Magny-Cours but could well be racing for the rest of the season. She took the second place of this race with the evolved Münch TTE 2.0. Münch is using their experience in competition to announce that they will be commercializing electric powered motorcycles in 2014. Matthias said ‘We are quite happy with this result, after a winter of development and testing. Our aim was to obtain better performance through better control of our energy pack. Having two riders in the team provides us extra information for our development program.”

After her first e-Power race Katja Poensgen said: “I really enjoyed the race. The feeling on the bike is completely different to when I was riding in GP250. I have to use my brain (she smiled). It is very much a tactical race, where you have to observe your opponents and manage the battery life at the same time. I am not sure how long this Championship will take to develop but I am very happy to be a part of the adventure”

Christian Amendt of EPO Racing Team fought hard during the entire race with the two other Münch motorcycles before being left behind by his two opponents. His EPO Bike is a machine weighing 99 kg with a battery pack of 90 V/60Ah. Christian Amendt is developing his new motor which should be ready for the next race the 10th June on the Hungaroring track.

The first FIM e-Power round showed a clear improvement on motorcycle reliability and performance. Oriol Gallemi FIM e-Power technical director comments "We are proud to present such pieces of art to the public for the third year in a row. Spectators were shocked by the motorcycles whistle, and celebrated the podium ceremony with plenty of pictures of the heroes and their machines".

Electric powered motorcycles forge ahead

The German team Münch Racing has taken both first and second place on the starting grid at the first round of the FIM e-Power International Championship that will take place tomorrow morning as the curtain-raiser for the 76th Bol d’Or at Magny-Cours. Matthias Himmelmann confirmed his claim to pole position by lapping in 1’58.084 ahead of his popular team-mate, Katja Poensgen, whose best lap-time was 2’10.697.

This season, 2011 FIM e-Power International Championship victor Matthias Himmelmann is riding a motorcycle with a new battery pack that provides longer life to boost racing performances, while Katja Poensgen is testing the new electric engine developed by Münch.

Christian Amendt and his EPO Racing Team are back racing after a break. Fourth in the 2010 FIM e-Power International Championship, this German rider is also working on the development of his new electric powered motorcycle. Other rivals have chosen to sit out this opening round. We should see both the performances and the number of motorcycles forge ahead as we move through the events of this 2012 season.

Katja Poensgen takes centre stage at Magny-Cours

The FIM e-Power International Championship has a new high-profile ambassadress. Katja Poensgen will be onboard one of the bikes entered for the 2012 season’s curtain raiser at Nevers Magny-Cours. The German rider, who won her spurs in the 250 cc World Championship before bowing out in 2003, is making a popular comeback in this championship reserved for electrically powered machines.

“I stopped riding competitively 9 years ago, then I had my daughter and I wasn’t thinking about racing again, Katja explains, but last year I was invited to test an electric bike on a TV show and I was won over.

When Munch Racing invited me to ride at Magny-Cours, I said yes. The bike is fun to ride. Of course there is no noise or smell, but it is beautifully smooth and you have to use your brain much more to get a good performance than when you ride a classic bike.”

Riding Munch Racing # 65, Katja Poensgen signed the second-best lap time of the first e-Power qualifying session in 2’11.875 behind fellow German Matthias Himmelmann, winner of the 2011 FIM e-Power International Championship. Matthias Himmelmann clocked up his best lap in 1’59.435 on Munch Racing # 49, equipped with a new and more powerful battery pack. Another German, Chris Amendt of EPO Racing Team, took third position in the qualifications with a time of 2’30.294.

For economic reasons and because of delays in preparation at the start of the season, the starting grid of this first round of the 2012 FIM e-Power International Championship is still relatively sparse, but there are plenty of French, Italian, Belgian and Spanish teams waiting in the wings and eager to join the fray.

The second qualifying session of the FIM e-Power International Championship will take place at Magny-Cours in the early afternoon.