Electric superbike on pole position

A British electric motorbike is poised to take on the best of the rest in the first zero-emissions Grand Prix on the Isle of Man, home of the Manx TT superbike races.

Kingston University's 102 mph Firstest will be joined on the starting grid on June 12 by competitors from America, India, Italy, Germany and Austria.

Says Rider George Spence: "The first test was a nerve-wracking experience, but the bike performed well and we have a genuine chance of being on the top step of the podium.

"We have been ironing out minor problems during testing, which is all part of the process when you have such a short time to build a bike, but preparations are going well.

The team began building the bike last October. It will run on a custom-built 72-volt battery that wastes only 10% of the energy compared with the 70% of a petrol engine.

Apart from its speed, the overall CO2 used by the bike, including charging the batteries, is half that of a petrol or diesel-power bike of similar performance.

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