SONOMA COUNTY, California — Seasoned pro Shawn Higbee won North America’s first-ever electric motorcycle grand prix today in a race that was tighter than the finish would suggest.

Ten riders competed in the 25-mile race around Infineon Raceway, but all the action was at the front of the pack. The 11-lap race was a dogfight most of the way as polesitter Higbee (No. 22) and Michael Barnes (No. 80) repeatedly traded the lead. Higbee would take the lead in the turns, only to have Barnes pull away on the straights. Everyone knew the race would come down to battery management, and in the end Higbee did the better job.

“Michael snapped off the line a little quicker than I thought” to start the race, Higbee said. “It made me nervous. It became a strategy race, like an endurance race. I kept an eye on the volt meter to make sure I’d have the range to finish.”

It paid off when the power management safety override on Barnes’ bike tripped, bringing the bike to a stop on lap 9 until Barnes could reset it.

“I was just sitting there, waiting 45 seconds so I could reset the system,” Barnes said.

That gave Higbee enough time to carve out a big lead, and he finished the race in 25 minutes and 33.626 seconds. Barnes finished a lap behind at 25:51.784 on the Lightning Motorcycles machine. Mike Hannas brought the Electric Race Bikes machine home in 26:44.237.

“It looked from the git-go like Shawn and Mike would be out front and I’d be fighting for third with Thad,” Hannas said, referring to Thad Wolff of Team Electra. Wolff finished third — ahead of Hannas — in Saturday’ qualifying session but his gorgeous Norton Featherbed broke down on lap 3 today. Still, it wasn’t a cakewalk for Hannas, who had some battery management of his own to deal with.

“I had to do a little modulation and conservation to make sure I had the power to finish,” he said.

Jennifer Brome of Werkstatt Racing and Repair rode her Mavizen TTX02 to fourth place while Kenyon Kluge of K Squared Racing took fifth with his custom-built Zero Motorcycles racer.

Eight of the 10 bikes that started the race finished it. Higbee’s best time around the 2.28-mile course was 1:56.948, and his best average speed during Saturday’s qualifying was 77.312 mph. The best of the AMA superbikes running in the West Coast Moto Jam this weekend were peeling off laps in the 1:36s and averaging 87 mph or so.

“I think this could turn into something big,” Higbee said. “It’s going to introduce a whole new industry to motorcycling. The engineers are a whole new breed. I’m surprised at how close we are to gas bikes already.”

Race founder Azhar Hussain was equally enthusiastic, noting, “We’re about 18 seconds off the superbike pace. I hope we’ve changed some hearts and minds here this weekend.”

Lead photo: Mike Finnegan / Infineon Raceway.

Check out all our coverage of the TTXGP:

• Seasoned Pro Takes Pole At Electric Motorcycle Race
• This Should Be Zero Motorcycle’s Next Electric Bike
• Electra Racing Goes Old-School With an Electric Norton
• Look! An Electric Honda CBR 600
• Yes, the Mavizen Electric Superbike Is Hot
• Scrappy Team Headed to Electric Motorcycle Grand Prix
• Electric Motorcycle GP Calendar Shapes Up Nicely

Michael Barnes of Lightning Motorcycles leads Shawn Higbee of Zero Motorcycles through a turn at Infineon Raceway. The two riders traded the lead several times through the first nine laps, when Higbee pulled away. Photo: Mike Doran / D & W Images for Infineon Raceway

Mike Hannas aboard the Electric Racebikes machine, a converted Yamaha TZ 250 (look for a writeup on the bike soon). He placed third, finishing the 25 miles in 26:44.237. His best lap was 2:08.587. Photo: Mike Doran / D & W Images for Infineon Raceway

The first podium in North America’s first electric motorcycle grand prix. From left: Michael Barnes (second), Shawn Higbee (first) and Mike Hannas (third). Mike Finnegan / Infineon Raceway

Shawn Higbee’s crew leads his Zero Motorcycles racer — a Suzuki GSX-R600 with two Agni 95 motors and a massive battery — to the grid for the start of Sunday’s TTXGP at Infineon Raceway. Photo: Chuck Squatriglia / Wired.com

Jennifer Brome returns to the paddock after taking fourth in Sunday’s race aboard her Mavizen TTX02. Photo: Chuck Squatriglia / Wired.com

The Electric Motorsport crew prepares Jason Lauritzen’s converted Yamaha R6 for Sunday’ race. Photo: Chuck Squatriglia / Wired.com

Kenyon Kluge and Jason Lauritzen wait with the rest of the grid for their turn on the track Sunday. Photo: Chuck Squatriglia / Wired.com

Mike Hanna and Michael Barnes return to the paddock after taking third and second, respectively, in Sunday’s TTXGP at Infineon Raceway. Photo: Chuck Squatriglia / Wired.com

The TTXGP just keeps going from strength to strength and keeps getting cooler and cooler. The TTXGP were able to field 17 teams for their electrified version of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. And now for their ongoing electric motorcycle series they’ve just added another team: 666 Road Racing out of England.

Although it might sound like a deal with the devil, the only thing hellish about 666 Road Racing is how damn fast their bikes are.

“There are not many podiums we haven’t been on this year as suppliers and that has been consistent over the last few years. We produce components for all the biggest teams that run in Europe – no surprise when we turn out the lightest, strongest and sexiest race fairings, components and accessories on the planet!” said 666 Road Racing Co-Founder Nick Potts, looking to convert their success as engineers to the race track.

The Cheshire U.K. based 666 Road Racing Ltd. was founded several years ago by Potts and his partner Jonathan Shepherd, and can show off a client list featuring the likes of the Factory Yamaha outfit, Hydrex Honda, Relentless Suzuki, Raceways Yamaha and Parkalgar Honda to name just a few. And now they’re looking to make a mark in the burgeoning field of electric motorsports.

“We want to be part of this historic event. We are out to win and make a mark not just in our industry but also in racing. We are totally committed to making this thrilling and exciting championship,” said Jonathan Shepherd.

666 Road Racing is launching their bid to win the world’s first zero carbon championship, the TTXGP 2010, via an all new race prepped Mavizen TTX02 eSuperbike, and the rider will be Nick Potts himself. Potts is a former racer in Motorcycle Endurance Championships, and has a couple of titanium parts holding his body together as proof.

“Mavizen has joined a world class chassis from the RC8 with a championship winning drive train from the TTXGP winning team in 2009. Its proven, its real and it’s here. Delivery on the day is what motorsports is all about, and the TTX02 is it for us,” Nick commented.

So that brings the entry list for the TTXGP up to nearly a score of teams. Here at Autopia, we’re not ones to advocate alternate fuels, racing, violence or insanity to anyone, but they always worked for us!

If you’re interested, you can check out the TTXGP rules wiki for the series.

Photo: 666 Road Racing

This seizure-inducing shot shows one of the bike’s two Agni electric motors, which sit on either side of the bikes driveshaft (?!). You can also (barely) see the bike’s black box controller, and the pic gives you some idea of the bike’s styling. Looks to us like it’s going to have an aggressive demeanor. That aluminum swingarm also looks slick.

Hussain is the guy who organized the TTxGP motorcycle green grand prix on the Isle of Man. He’s rolling into the SEMA show with a production version of the electric superbike we told you about back in January. He teased us with a shot of the bike’s tail last week and said his machine is “the first factory supported product from one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers.”

He isn’t saying anything more at this point, but he’s promised to give us the inside line as soon as John Shimmin, the Isle of Man Minister for Local Government and Environment, pulls the sheet off the bike Nov. 3.

Hussain gave us another tidbit of news, saying, “the Mavizen TTX02 is also the first factory production vehicle to be delivered with a dedicated IP access and connectivity to the network. It will be available for delivery in Q1/2010 with a limited production of 50 units.”

With only 50 units planned, Hussain’s gotta have a second act in the works. Even Mission Motors is looking past its initial run of $69,000 limited edition Mission One electric superbikes to build, by 2012, something the rest of us can afford. So what’s he up to?

Stay tuned.

Photo: Benedict James

Watch out, Mission Motors. That’s a Mavizen coming up behind you.

Azhar Hussain, the guy who organized the TTxGP motorcycle green grand prix, is about to unveil a production version of the electric superbike we told you about back in January. No word yet on the specs, but Hussain is starting the drip drip drip of teaser photos ahead of the bike’s unveiling Nov. 3 at the SEMA show in Vegas. This one shows the bike’s tail.

Hussain co-founded Mavizen, a maker of iPod and gaming accessories, and he’s nuts for motorcycles. The prototype is said to have done pretty well during a shakedown ride at the infamous Zolder circuit in Belgium at the hands of pro riders Werner Daemen and Didier de Radigues. Both reportedly were impressed – no small feat, considering Daemen rides for Team BMW Motorrad and Radigues is a four time grand prix winner. Still, the bike faces stiff competition from Mission Motors and its Mission One electric bike. It recently hit 150.059 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Along with the pic, Hussain offered the following info:

- The motorbike has been designed specifically for motorsports.
- Completely reboots the experience with open source customisation and the ability to plug’n’play USB devices directly into the system bus.
- This is the first factory supported product from one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers.

That last bit caught our attention. Who’s he working with? Let the speculation begin.

More details as we get ‘em.

Photo: Benedict James