It was an extreme test of technical innovation, determination and racing commitment which divided the motorcycle community. Love it or hate it, Zero Emission racing had arrived and now, for the first time, you can go behind the scenes of the triumphs, tragedies, heartbreak and elation as the legendary Isle of Man TT makes history.
From Mark Neale (Faster/Fastest/The Doctor, The Tornado & The Kentucky Kid), comes an electrifying film about the world’s first Zero Emission Grand Prix. From drawing board to chequered flag, we share the highs and lows, success and setbacks, tension and delight as the future is shaped on one of the oldest racetracks on Earth.
From the high-tech workshop of USA-based MotoCzysz to ‘three blokes in a shed’, we travel with the dedicated teams of designers, engineers and riders as they bid to prepare battery-powered bikes from concept to reality in just four months. The technology may be alien, but petrol-heads will recognise the passion, grit and drive to win all the teams share, from tight-budget college outfits to Michael Czysz and his $350,000 investment.
Inspired by the Britten motorcycles and his engine-tuning grandfather, Czysz was driven by the dream of winning an international race with an American-designed and built bike, with an American rider. Eccentric British designer Cedric Lynch, from his garden shed, was seeking the recognition his groundbreaking Agni electrical motors deserved. A handful of Manxmen wanted to ensure the Isle of Man was in with a chance of home victory as a new era of racing dawned. Every team on the grid had a goal, and the iconic 37.73-miles of public roads which make up the Isle of Man TT Mountain course, home of racing for more than a century, would be the proving ground.
Come inside the pits and paddock for the first Zero Emission Grand Prix in 2009, as Team Agni rider Rob Barber goes head-to-head with MotoCzysz’s American star Mark Miller, and the rematch 12 months later as the teams battle for victory at the inaugural TT Zero, as electric bikes become part of the official TT programme.
There’s plenty of track action, unseen interviews, access to the teams and workshops, and as much tension as you’d find at any Grand Prix!
They look different, and don’t have the evocative sound of their petrol-driven counterparts, but they have speed – hitting 135mph and covering the course at an average speed approaching 100mph – and they have the blood, sweat and tears any racing fan will recognise.