The Isle of Man motorcycle race will be sizzling hot again this year, as teams reveal who will be there and will ride.
Saroléa Racing, the three year old racing team involved with electric motorcycles at the Isle of Man has just announced Robert Wilson will race for them. Project Manager, Torsten Robbens announced today that Wilson will be riding the Saroléa SP7 electric superbike at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Zero ( IOM TT) starting with the number 7 for the challenge.
Wilson will ride the Saroléa SP7, which will be Saroléa’s first participation racing their bike at the Isle of Man TT Races for over half a decade. Qualifying is limited to 3 sessions of 1 lap only. The team will have to collect the maximum amount of data to determine the best strategy for the race on the 4th of June. The teams main event of the year is the famous 37.¾ mile IOM TT. This will be Robert’s fourth year competing at the IOM TT and for 2014, he has been given a top 20 seeded start number of which he is aiming for a top 10 finish. In 2013, he picked up his first silver replica and lapped the course at just under 123 MPH average.
Who is Robert Wilson and Saroléa Racing?
Saroléa Racing was founded when John Stoddart and his Stoddart Racing collaborated with Saroléa Racing with their mutual passion for the Isle of Man TT races. Stoddart Racing was formed three years ago when John Stoddart, a local motorcycle dealer based in Oban decided it was time to start his own racing team. John raced in track and road races from the age of 17, but at the age of 40, he retired to concentrate on running his family in Karts, British, European and World Championship level. After John saw Robert competing, he admired his dedication to the sport and felt he would be the best fit for the team.
Robert Wilson comes from a small town on the West Coast of Scotland called Oban. While spending some of his time as a Chartered Architect, he spends most of his time with his motorcycle racing. He has raced motorbikes since 7, competed in the Scottish Road Racing Championship and raced the International NW200, IOM TT and Ulster GP.
We are excited to see teams building up around electric motorcycles, and the Isle of Man is one of those few races where the electric drive has carved its teeth of the last few years. As we mentioned in yesterday’s article, the IOM TT is an extremely difficult event where electric motorcycles were not favored. In the Charged movie, you can even hear the first comments when no one believed in it. As the seasons progressed, many warmed up to it, feeling it is now another race with a promising future.
After all, why wouldn’t a motorcycle rider not be attracted to an electric motor’s 100% torque as soon as it spins? If gasoline engines have to continuously be boosted, the reverse is true for electric motorcycles. You have to tone down an electric motor’s wild torque curve to make use of it. What an interesting challenge it is.
