Once again, MUGEN (M-TEC Co., Ltd., Shin NAGAOSA, President) will, as “TEAM MUGEN”, participate in the TT Zero Challenge class※１ at the 2015 Isle of Man TT races, to be held from May, 30th (Sat.) through to June, 12th (Fri.), 2015 on the Isle of Man.
The challenge of participating in the Isle of Man TT electric motorcycle races, which is a new discipline to us and completely different from our core strengths as a manufacturer and developer of high-speed internal combustion engines, started in 2012 as our unique project to foster young engineers and conduct developments in a new area. We achieved our initial goal of 2014 which was to exceed an average speed of 115 mph (185 km/h), and in doing so captured the long-sought after victory, with a one-two finish for the team, in a time that beat the previous record lap record in the TT Zero Challenge class by more than one minute (00:19:17.3 lap).
For this year we will participate with a machine named “SHINDEN YON”, which has been newly developed to improve over last year’s model, “SHINDEN SAN”.
For this year, we will continue with John McGuinness and Bruce Anstey as our riders, and will strive to win our second championship in a row.
John has won the Isle of Man TT races 21 times in total, and took victory in the TT Zero Challenge class last year, while Bruce updated the outright course record for the mountain course with an average speed of 132.298 mph (00:17:06.682) during the TT races of 2014.
“SHINDEN YON” will be exhibited*2 at the 2015 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in March, 2015.
■ Team structure
|
Team name |
Rider |
Machine |
Representative / Director |
|
TEAM MUGEN |
John McGuinness |
SHINDEN YON |
Representative: Satoshi Katsumata Director: Akihiro Miyata |
|
Bruce Anstey |
[TT Zero Challenge 2014 class results]
John McGuinness
#1 Position: First Average speed: 117.366 mph (188.84 km/h) Time: 19’17”300
Bruce Anstey
#5 Position: Second Average speed: 115.048 mph (185.11 km/h) Time: 19’40”625
※1 The Isle of Man TT Race (The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Race) TT Zero Challenge
The Isle of Man TT race, which started in 1907, is the oldest high-speed motorcycle race that is still currently held. The isle, which is located in between the United Kingdom and Ireland, is about the same size as the Awaji-shima island of Japan.
The races are held in a time trial format on a 60 km public street course that includes urban zones, residential areas, and a mountain section. The event was resumed in 1947, after the end of World War II, as part of the Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship, and was soon an irresistible competitive challenge for the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers to demonstrate their technical abilities, and the riders with their courage. As a result of their successes in the Isle of Man TT it has served as a foundation for the Japanese motorcycle industry, from which it has made the leap to the pinnacle of world class motorcycle manufacture and competition.
The TT Zero Challenge class is a new category that was started in 2009 in anticipation of the future of the age of clean energy. In this category, machines are required to be equipped with a power plant emitting zero carbon dioxide. Though races for conventional internal-combustion engine classes can range from three to six laps, the race distance for the TT Zero Challenge class is currently one lap (approximately 60 km) in deference to current technology battery performance and capacity.
※2 Release of “SHINDEN YON”
Venue: Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Complex) West Exhibition Hall, Special stage in atrium
3-11-1, Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Date and time: March, 27, 2015(Friday) 14:35 – 15:05
RIDER PROFILE
John McGuinness
Date of birth: April, 16, 1972 (42 years old)
Location: Lancashire, England
Began competing in the Isle of Man TT races in 1996, and, with 21 victories to date, he holds the record for the most wins of currently active riders.
Since 2012, he has been racing in the TT Zero Challenge class as a rider for TEAM MUGEN.
In 2012 and 2013, he took consecutive second place finishes.
In 2014, he took a long-sought after first victory in the TT Zero Challenge class.
Is the current lap record holder for the TT Zero Challenge class, having substantially improved upon the existing lap record in 2014.
2014 TT Race Results
・TT Zero Challenge class 1st place
・Superbike class 7th place
・Supersport class, Race 1 15th place
・Superstock class 9th place
・Senior class 6th place
Bruce Anstey
Date of birth: August, 21, 1969 (45 years old)
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Made his Isle of Man TT debut in 1999 and currently has 9 TT victories to his name.
In 2014, he set an outright lap record for the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course with an average speed of 132.298 mph in the Superbike class.
In 2014, he made his debut in the TT Zero Challenge class with the machine “SHINDEN SAN”, earning a 2nd-place podium at his very first attempt on an electric motorcycle.
2014 TT Race Results
・TT Zero Challenge class 2nd place
・Superbike class 5th place
・Supersport class, Race 1 . 2nd place
・Supersport class, Race 2 . 2nd place
・Superstock class 3rd place
・Senior class 4th place