ManTTx Racing Returns To Isle Of Man For The 2010 TT Zero

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Keith McKay (racing advisor), Phil Wall (engineer), David Craine (sponsor), James McBride (rider) and Andy Cowie (electronics expert) | Photo Credit: Isle Of Man Today

ManTTx will be back at the Isle Of Man for the 2010 TT Zero. In the 2009 TTXGP Dan Kneen and ManTTx bike entry showed very promising qualifying times, second only to Rob Barber and 2009 champions Team Agni. In the big race they were one of four DNF’s due to a failure in one of the motors.

This year James McBride will pilot the 2010 bike which is currently undergoing testing. The team is considering small changes such as a lighter chain and thinner tires for the 2010 machine. The bike will have regenerative braking as well.

Last year at the Mid Ohio TTXGP I talked to Todd Kollin of the 2009 Open Class winning team Electric Motorsport. As we looked over his electric R1 Pro Class entry I remember him saying ManTTx Racing, who was also in the Open Class, had a strong bike. Not bad considering the 2009 ManTTx X2 was built in 2 months.

I am looking forward to seeing what ManTTx can do in 2010 and wish the ManTTx Racing team the best of luck.

Have a look at the press release after the break for more information.

Team ManTTx Racing sign up for TT Zero 2010

Team ManTTx Racing have confirmed that they will be competing in the 2010 TT Zero clean emissions race, which is part of the 2010 Isle of Man TT Races.

The Manx team competed in 2009 and recorded a lap time of 70.677mph average speed around the 37 and 3/4 mile Mountain Course and were class leaders and second overall in the first qualifying session. Unfortunately rider Dan Kneen was subsequently injured and was replaced by experienced campaigner James McBride.

The team is based on the Isle of Man and is lead by Chartered Accountant David Craine. It also includes Keith McKay, an International and Manx Grand Prix racer. The crew includes Formula 3000 Engineer Phil Wall with Andrew Cowie, Joe O’Hanlon and Sean Mulvey making up the electrical engineering crew.

The team’s machine has incorporated a Ducati spaceframe chassis. It has dual motors with a keyed output shaft. The powertrain is a one to one belt with a primary drive and wire-eroded pulleys. The battery system has 2x40Amp/Hr and 2×31 Amp/Hr packs.

The team are currently engaged in driveability testing at their workshop at Ramsey shipyard and have been running dynamometer trials. This week end they tested at Jurby Circuit and were not only very satisfied with the bikes performance and handling but gathered much information for ongoing improvements.

During the 2009 race the team was going well to Sulby but then one of the motor brushes broke and damaged the remainder on the right hand side motor. The resulting short circuits overheated the motor and resulted in the bike’s retirement. However the team are confident that they have fixed the problem and are looking forward to competing again in 2010.

Team Manager David Craine commented: “We are really excited about flying the flag for the Isle of Man in this showcase event- everyone is determined to put together a really competitive bike. With James back on board this year we are confident that we can go well.”

Hon Martyn Quayle, MHK, Minister for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man Government commented:
“It is fantastic for us to have a competitive Isle of Man team in the TT Zero event as they very much help us to showcase what the Isle of Man can offer the world as a centre of technical, environmental and commercial development.”