It’s taking some time, but gradually, electric motorcycles are making their way into motorsports. We’ve seen it in the rather successful FIM MotoE racing series, wherein Ducati is set to take the helm from Energica. In the world of off-road, too, electric dirt bikes are beginning to make their presence felt. They’ve been making their way to bigger, more prestigious racing series, too.
This time around, an electric motorcycle is set to participate in the grueling Scottish Six Days Trial. The bike comes from French company Electric Motion, and it’s the first time ever that an electric motorcycle will participate in the challenge. In charge of the company’s debut into the racing series, Matthew Alpe, the brand’s U.K. importer, as well as current e-trial world champion Gaël Chatagno, will try their luck with the electric trial bikes in the event slated for May, 2022.
Matthew Alpe from Inch Perfect Trials, Electric Motion’s distributor in the U.K., is a trials expert and a huge fan of the Scottish Six Days Trial challenge. He expressed his excitement about competing on an all-electric machine for the first time in an article published by The PACK stating, “I have previous competed in the Scottish Six Days Trial 7 times on a conventional trials bike and always enjoyed the event. Today, it is a privilege and a honour to be part of EM team, not to mention possibly the most exciting and challenging SSDT for me and the EM brand.”
It goes without saying that Alpe and Chatagno are in for quite a challenge, as the Electric Motion trials bike will have to conform to the regulations governing that of traditional internal-combustion-powered machines. “No doubt that our two representatives will be observed in the difficulties of the event. We have the same conditions as traditional motorcycles and the same strict regulations in terms of supplies. Our sporting objective is certainly important, but, first and foremost, our objective is to prove that our silent electric motorcycles will get some attention in the global motortrial scene,” Electric Motion stated in the article by The PACK.
The event, which takes place in the Scottish Highlands and is centered on Fort William, is the ultimate challenge of man and machine, with daily courses traversing more than 100 miles of some of the most harsh and difficult terrain. Add in the unpredictability of the weather, and the event becomes a real challenge for EM Epure Race machine. Due to the global pandemic, the Scottish Six Days Trial in 2021 was canceled. The Scottish Six Days Trial in 2022 has been approved, and it will take place from Monday, May 2 through Saturday, May 7, 2022.
