Joerg Teuchert
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Max Biaggi, two-time Superbike World Champion and four-time 250cc Grand Prix World Champion, drove a Voxan Wattman to a series of ground speed records for an electric motorcycle, including a new average top speed record in both meaning 283,182 mph (455,737). km / h). The maximum one-way speed reached by Biaggi was 292.204 mph (470.257 km / h), according to Voxan.
Biaggi, 50, set records aboard the Voxan for a six-day period (November 18-23) on the runway of the 15,000-foot-long (4,600-meter) shuttle landing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
According to Voxan, Biaggi set the following FIM land speed records for electric motorcycles:
Less than 300 kg (660 lbs) class:
1 km, rolling start, partially streamlined – 283 mph (456 km / h)
1 mile, rolling start, partially streamlined – 282 mph (454 km / h)
1 km, rolling start, untrimmed – 230 mph (370 km / h)
1 mile, rolling start, non-streamlined – 228 mph (368 km / h)
¼-mile, rolling start, partially streamlined – 182 mph (293 km / h)
¼ mile, rolling start, untrimmed – 285 km / h (177 mph)
1 mile, standing start, partially streamlined – 169 mph (273 km / h)
1 mile, standing start, untrimmed – 161 mph (260 km / h)
1 km, standing start, partially streamlined – 138 mph (223 km / h)
1 km, standing start, untrimmed – 136 mph (219 km / h)
¼ mile, standing start, unshielded – 96 mph (156 km / h)
Standing start -mile, simplified – 92 mph (149 km / h)
Class over 300 kg (660 lbs):
1 km, rolling start, partially streamlined – 253 mph (408 km / h)
1 mile, rolling start, partially streamlined – 251 mph (404 km / h)
1 mile, rolling start, non-streamlined – 228 mph (367 km / h)
1 km, rolling start, non-streamlined – 226 mph (364 km / h)
1 mile, standing start, partially streamlined – 158 mph (255 km / h)
1 km, standing start, partially streamlined – 134 mph (216 km / h)
1 mile, standing start, unsheathed – 134 mph (216 km / h)
¼ mile, standing start, unguarded – 95 mph (153 km / h)
¼ mile, standing start, partially streamlined – 88 mph (142 km / h)
On his Facebook page, Biaggi recently posted the following (which appears to be an automatic translation from Italian to English):
Hi guys,
Last week I was in Florida at Cape Canaveral, to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, which is the launch structure for NASA’s spacecraft. Obviously entering such an emblematic place is an incredible emotion and it is all the more considering that, on the same tracks where the space shuttle landed, I would have reached unimaginable speeds until some time ago, on the handlebars of a word or futuristic, propelled by an electric propeller.
During these eight days, together with the whole Voxan Motors team, we prepared to break the records we set a little over a year ago and to make new ones. The weather didn’t always help us, but we finally managed to set 21 records!
It was a crazy adventure, which I experienced differently from the first time. I knew what to expect and focused on a few details, which I hadn’t assessed last time around.
What an adrenaline rush, guys! It’s something that takes you through !!! In those moments when you are sitting on the bike and waiting for the green light to kick in, a thousand thoughts quickly cross your mind. The gray ribbon of the track seems endless and merges with the sky! You check all the procedures and try not to think that you will be flying at half the speed of sound, with the wind trying to impose its will!
Then you start and then endless moments on the instrument you read 470 km / h! Crazy … At this speed the tracksuit vibrates on the arms and back. And to think that my maniac always leads me to take care of everything in the smallest details. My combinations are very tight at every point, but obviously everything is extremely relative to this speed. This minimal high frequency tracksuit rash generates heat on my almost burning skin. I almost feel like I’m dragging around in my Vespa in a t-shirt at 100mph. Incredible, she has never had so much adrenaline in her body!
Then it must be said that when you pass a certain speed, the classic sibilo of electric propulsion is transformed, becoming similar to the wreckage of an airplane. Wow.
Objective achieved and then it is not over, because “to come back to Earth” you have to stop! Here at this speed it is not easy at all, you have to take care of your rear tire and keep in mind that the temperature, which in MotoGP is an ally to perform, could become your worst enemy here! At that moment, you listen to the noise, your smells and senses come into play in the service of your instincts. Above all, you have to stop at a very specific place, to avoid ending up off-piste. That’s why we thought about putting cones in the braking lane, which indicated the exact point where to start braking. Well you won’t believe it, back when we were making various records, we had to gradually approach the cones towards the center of the track and increase the size! Unbelievable, I had such a hard time watching them. The brain is not used to traveling at this speed and because of the strong turbulence, often the environment of reality merges, biasing vision. Above all, you are crushed on the “tank” (give me the term) and the optical vision is already limited by itself. I mean guys, everything is extremely different because all of my speed, my braking, my sounds, matured in the years that I have ridden the most beautiful motorcycles on the planet are undone. We have to reset everything and write a new file, there is no other way!
At the end of these days, great emotions and the awareness of having done a good job with all the guys from Voxan Motors, since we have reached 21 world records.
In fact, in addition to reaching an instantaneous top speed of 470 km / h, we achieved the highest speed ever achieved from a naked motorcycle. An absolute record, if we consider not only electric motorcycles, but also those powered by an internal combustion engine.
Guys, I wanted to share this long story with you. At a time when everything goes quickly, I wanted to stop time and write these lines, to try to convey even part of the emotions that I experienced at that time.
I hope I succeeded! I especially want to know your opinion on this! I read and comment. A hug to all of you.
Stay tuned
Max
