There's some motor sport on ITV4 this evening at 7pm.  It's a new race series, taking place partly in the off season on (mainly) new pure roads tracks and culminating in a show piece finale somewhere in the British Isles.

Sounds a bit like the proposed TT World Series doesn't it but it isn't.  It's essentially an electric version of F1 and it's got me wondering...

While it's a car series, there's only so much commercial interest (sponsorship etc) to go around, so will the TT World Series be too late to the party and have to try and pick up the crumbs or will it go the other way and open up interest in something else?

Comparing it to the constantly stuttering TTxGP/TT Zero, which steadfastly refuses to grow, Formula E has a decent sized grid and has already been to the far east and South America.  There are two races in the states and then they go to Europe culminating in races in Monaco and London.  There are some big gun sponsors involved and it all looks very professional.  Contrast this with the chaotic birth of TTxGP and the ridiculous nonsense that was spouted by the organisation in question.  This is the difference between people who know how to organise motor sport and those that don't.

So, will Formula E step on the TT World Series or not and will it open up interest in electric bike racing or not? 

My honest opinion is that there is a lot more interest in electric cars than there will ever be electric bikes I just don't think electric bikes will ever engage a big enough audience

The TT World Series however I think is a complete different thing, I have to say though I'm intrigued as to where on the planet they are going to hold any races what with the health and safety jobsworths out there

And unless they get FIM aproval, they wont be able to call it a 'World' series

And its interesting that the car world is struggling to provide marshals for the London leg so are asking bike mashals that are not trained to deal with cars nevermind elecric ones to marshal the event , those that know me will not need two guesses as to what my answer to the invitation was ,

.

(14-03-2015, 08:03 PM)c iom tt Wrote: And unless they get FIM aproval, they wont be able to call it a 'World' series


Mike, they could call it  "The Planet Series"  ooh better get that name branded quick.

If left to the DED they'd probably get the wrong planet...

(14-03-2015, 09:33 PM)sticky Wrote: If left to the DED they'd probably get the wrong planet...


Lol,  hehe.

Ooooow Sticks that's being controversial telling things as it is , will get you in to trouble , but I like it ha ha ha ha ha


.

Auld eddy whingin bout trainin for marshalls again!

There used to be riders, racin in the TT that didnt know whether to turn left or right at quarterbridge for christs sake!

(Edited)


Malcolm

Does that go for spectators as well?

(14-03-2015, 09:33 PM)sticky Wrote: If left to the DED they'd probably get the wrong planet...

(14-03-2015, 09:19 PM)spannerman Wrote:

(14-03-2015, 08:03 PM)c iom tt Wrote: And unless they get FIM aproval, they wont be able to call it a 'World' series


Mike, they could call it  "The Planet Series"  ooh better get that name branded quick.

They are on their own planet anyway!

The Formula E series is a full FIA championship created and run by FIA. The teams that are in it are mostly well established and from some of the highest levels of world motorsport with some ex-F1 drivers, so it is a serious effort.
The races are mostly run on city centre street circuits, which is far easier to arrange because of the zero emissions and vastly reduced noise they make, and by bringing the races into the cities the aim is to attract a new generation of spectator who probably wouldn't travel 50 or 60 miles to an out-of-town circuit.
The season finale will be at Battersea in London on (I think) 27th June.
With the current F1 cars being close to 50% reliant on their electric motors at certain times it is a forward thinking initiative by the sports organisers.

Point taken Mugen,it,s racing at a high level and standard,but,                                                                                it,s boring to the old established fans. No atmosphere without the racket.

(15-03-2015, 05:45 PM)ian charlton Wrote: Point taken Mugen,it,s racing at a high level and standard,but,                                                                                it,s boring to the old established fans. No atmosphere without the racket.

Agreed it's a long way of being the final solution, but it's an acknowledgement of one way motorsport is looking at using the technology currently available.
"old established fans", and I count myself amongst them, can embrace these new eras and support both old and new with an open mind - but not all will.

Aye,that,s my problem,i can,t move with the times and embrace the new technology,my kids keep telling me that!! But good luck with what you are doing,i agree it,s amazing the strides taken over the last couple of years. Now this new technology is doing my head in,i,ve got 2 wagons off the road with failed ecu,s,or at least that,s what the technicians THINK is the problem,with all their computers etc,they are scratting their heads,and i can,t do much with me spanners any-more. One truck has been stood for 5 weeks,still not running. Hellish stuff this new technology!! And at 90 quid an hour for the boys to sort it out,well,that,s another story.

I sound like a broken record to myself
But...
The industry would get a lot more respect if they just admit that using batterys as the sole power source in vehicles is a stop gap to a final solution for automotive powerplants.
I could sit and watch and listen to the technical excellence that Mugen has produced all day long, but at the same time, am fed up and have Zero respect ( pun intended) with the 'clap trap' that ALL manufactures put out to a naive and gulible public where the green issues, and ' this is the future/ save the world brainwashing' of the same products.

To be fair I don't think you will have heard anybody from Mugen mention anything at all about "green" issues or saving the planet with Shinden. We are just a bunch of racers, and have been for over 40 years, and we are just keeping ourselves current and (maybe) trying to get a bit ahead of the game at the same time.

With respect Mugen, If someone have not spoon fed the 'Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil' Dept of the Isle Of Man Goverment on the green credentials of a Zero TT race, you would not have been allowed to roll a wheel on closed roads of the Mountain Circuit.

And no, I am not accusing Mugen of doing the spoon feeding.