About the team

All electric motorcycles we built, were initiated by the diploma thesis of students of the TGM, department for mechanical engineering.
The TGM is an institute of technology, situated in Vienna's 20th district near the river Danube. The TGM is no university, but rather more a college type institution. Compared to other countries, it's rather unique, because it unites theoretical education as well as a profound workshop practice ranging from simple soldering wires, milling, up to welding frames, forging engine parts and casting gear cases . Further testing (e.g. all kinds of non destructive material testing) and improvement can be carried out in cooperation with experts of the TGM's accredited testing and research center.

Some of our team's members are rather well experienced in designing and crafting wheeled or winged prototypes. Some of us are idealistic newcomers, never the less inspired by the spirit of speed and the ability to fashion a machine for a purpose within given regulations and technologies.
While students enjoy the radical sense of the contents they chose to work on, some guidance and determination at last is necessary to get the wheels turning. Paper, words, blood, sweat and gears won't make it by themselves.

Of the most permanent personel within the team three persons shall namely be mentioned because of their vast, committing and finalising influence they have on any tiny detail and consequetly on the overall result.

Hermut Müller, an ingenious man with seemingly intuitive approaches and advices. He got to train and widen his skills as a race engineer during countless events, the most recognisable may be several seasons at the FIA Formula 1 and the American Championship Car Racing, better known as Indy Car. In his anecdotes he may mention famous teams and drivers like Jochen Rindt or Mario Andretti, his oily and smoky environment back then. For sure, these days are a couple of years ago, but who else would know how to prepare a machine and how to tackle its flaws, than somebody who has experienced that for decades. Never the less he still is a skilled race engineer, a real artist, especially on fibre-reinforced laminates, not in the urgent need of computers for design, and joining the IoM TT every year.

Emanuel Sonnleithner, an electrician with a well tempered patience on mechanical demands which also need to fit. Occasionally he gets angry about the misuse of iron in motors and the metallic conductor in general. He may tell that electricity does not flow thru a wire, but flows between a pair of wires and the magnetic part gets to dig into the wire as a result of friction, therefore resistance.... A mild smile is generally accepted as an excuse, and having overcome the freak outbursts one sees him cabling and bolting and soldering and switching and sparking and crimping and programming in a more conventional fashion as well. Besides that he is not particularly afraid of neither volts nor amps, which qualifies him as a waterproof chap.

Peter Herzog, executing chief of staff at the TGM research center, department for mechanical engineering, specialized in destroying things, never the less how huge they are. Besides that he is a lector at the TGM, who still gets emotional, when talking about the IOM TT.

Racing at the TT

Lots of people are wondering why we are investing so much time in developing those strange and noiseless Zero machines, just for a single race at the IOM TT. The answer is not that simple. The TT is challenging in every way for riders, the bikes and the whole rest of the team. Preparing, testing and maintaining a bike for racing at an average speed of 100 mph on so called 2nd order roads, which is stuffed up with a huge pile of heavy and sinfully expensive batteries is one thing. The other thing is, that the zero class is NEW! All teams are encountering the same problems, regarding range, weight distribution, the installed power, frame work, suspension, controllers, heat transfer, high voltages and tremendous currents, the reliability of all that stuff working together and of course the compliance with the reglementations of FIM and ACU.

But for us, the most challenging thing is, that we are not a university, never the less aiming for the university prize, competing with those honorable institutions like the MIT or Kingston.

Never forget!

During the IOM TT in 2010 our team encountered a catastrophic setback, which almost disbanded the whole team.
Paul "Dobsy" Dobbs was our team's rider in 2009. Despite the bike was not that perfect, he finished sensationally in 5th place.
Martin "Flocky" Loicht was one of the most experienced and successful road racers in eastern Europe. He was the team's rider in 2010.
Both riders crashed during the 2nd supersport race on 10th of June 2010.

Someone might say motorcycle racing is dangerous and I do agree in some way. But one should always keep in mind, that testing of vehicles means pushing them to their limits and sometimes violate those limits. And in my opinion, there is no difference in testing of a car, a truck, a bike, a train, a plane, a rocket or a space ship. Despite lots of modern options to simulate hazardous situations, finally stands the reality test revealing tiny flaws as well as risky faults. Testing is dangerous and believe it or not I know what I am talking about.

So, please when driving your car, riding a motorcycle or sitting in a comfortable bus or a plane- just for an eye blink - think of those, who gave their lifes, to make traveling safer.