The Victory RR electric motorcycle has been developed over the past year using data gathered during last year’s TT Zero and will be ridden by William Dunlop. It means Victory Racing is fielding entries in two of the world’s most gruelling road races – Pikes Peak in the USA and the Isle of Man TT in Europe.

Victory’s international R&D development program is well underway and the Victory RR bike, as well as the ones racing at Pikes Peak, are test beds for technology that will be used in the firm’s future products.

Victory Racing’s team manager, Brian Wismann said: “Our electric Empulse RR race bike placed third on the podium in the TT Zero race last year, which we were thrilled with. Using the data we gathered on our laps of the TT course has helped us to develop a new battery module as well as improving the powertrain. We feel like we can return to the TT with more performance as well as being able to test this technology for our future products.”

Brian Wismann gives a further insight in to what is new on the RR. “The newly developed battery leverages the lessons learned from our entry in last year’s TT Zero event,” he explains. “The battery is a ground-up new design with the help of our technical partners at Brammo and necessitated a big change in the chassis design – from an extruded aluminium twin spar to a steel trellis frame. The biggest difference in the battery itself is an improvement in both the overall energy / capacity we’re carrying on board the bike, as well as a marked improvement in the energy density of the battery itself. As you know, lithium-ion battery technology is improving every year and with the Victory RR we are leading the way to batteries that will provide more performance, greater range and less cost in future vehicles.”

Some enhancements have also been made to the electric motor too. Developed in partnership with Parker Hannifin, the motor is called the Parker GVM. It boasts world-class specific power, producing a peak of over 170hp from a package that is only eight inches in diameter and five inches long. With peak efficiencies topping 97 percent, it is clear to see why Victory gets excited about the potential of this powertrain for future products.