ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => Electric Motorcycle News => Topic started by: JaimeC on September 15, 2025, 06:11:24 PM
-
Energica is no longer competing (and I sure hope they're back soon) but there will be a new electric contender next year:
https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motoamerica-orangecat-racing-will-compete-in-2026-rsd-super-hooligans/
-
Awesome! I bet they'll be competitive too.
-
I'm all in on the Lightfighter project ... I even have their hat! I wonder how they will squeeze it into the Super Hooligan rules - (From MotoAmerica rules)
c. Electric Motorcycles:
i. Electric street-legal production motorcycle with single motor. No MX or dual-sport type electric bikes are allowed. All electric motorcycles must be pre-approved for competition before the event or season.
d. Only production-based motorcycles with top-mounted handlebars “high bar bike”. No clip-ons permitted.
e. Maximum claimed OEM production horsepower of 128 HP or less.
f. Manufacturers seeking approval for bikes which do not meet specified requirements are required to obtain a pre-approval form from the MotoAmerica/AMA Permanent Bureau.
BTW - Lightfighter has bling we can buy to support their effort.
-
If I remember correctly, stefano mesa was in the super hooligan with the energica right? those were 170 hp out of the box, i wonder how they got around the 128 hp on that.
aaron
-
This is really cool news! There are, however, some major hurdles to overcome unless Brian and his team make some rather radical changes.
One of the main focuses of LightFighter development is that the bike is lightweight. To that end the LF race bikes I've seen had battery packs that were less than half the capacity of the Energica Corsa Cliente. Anyone who watched the Hooligan races with Stefano on the Energica know that, in an ideal world, the track is 8 laps with a warmup lap. The Energica bikes were able to do that. However, many times there things like crashes or things that prompted a mid-race pause, reset, and another warmup lap. This eats into critical prime battery power and makes the bike prone to be sluggish and run out of power at the end. Especially at places like Daytona that are long tracks with huge, high speed straights.
Whereas the rest of the gas bikes can just refuel if needed and be as good as new, even if there's enough time to dump some juice into the packs most tracks don't have the infrastructure to support that kind of high amperage need. If the LF team can engineer a quick swap pack that will level the field a lot. But in all likelihood they'll need to also increase the pack size.
I know Brian is keenly aware of this because he has an *extensive* history in the EV motorcycle world, being one of the driving forces behind Brammo and now Zero. I love reading updates on the Lightfighter blog and I wish Brian and his team the best of luck. Hope to see you at Seca next year!
-
if the bike is 150 lb lighter, that battery will take it longer. So it's probably about an even tradeoff. Where he might struggle a bit is when you need the absolute raw hp, so pumping a smaller battery that hard will have it's toll.
Another issue will be heat. Daytona can get warm, F that, it's friggin HOT. it can be 120 degrees on that pavement, with the sun just baking down on you, and you are slamming your battery at 4C - 5C or more energy bursts, back and forth. Things are going to heat up. Without some kind of active cooling, that battery is going to take some time to dissipate that heat out of it's core. sooner or later it's going to start heat limiting too. That is a killer in a race, unfortunately.
I really hope he does well there, id love to see in a year or two, he's got his bugs worked out, Energica is back on it's game and both of them are romping side by side. Now THAT would be a race for the ages.
Aaron
-
The LF team's regular testing grounds is Buttonwillow Raceway. It's a track in slightly inland SoCal, just outside Bakersfield, and it gets quite warm. Great testing grounds for this machine.
https://buttonwillowraceway.com/
See how it's all dead brown and flat? It's hot.
-
Looks like they've signed Josh Herrin to race one of their bikes!
https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motoamerica-superbike-orangecat-racing-to-field-uribe-sdk/
-
Is Lightfighter about to release a street legal bike? Because I can't see how they're going to get around the requirement of being based on a production model otherwise. Those things are purpose-built race bikes, not street bikes!
-
thats just a word smithing game there.
the difference between a street bike and a race bike is mirrors, working lights and a license plate holder with a light on it. oh and a horn of sorts.
i think they could make it qualify with little effort if need be
aaron
edit turn signal is optional in many states.
-
It could be a street legal bike with those bits removed to make it more suitable for the track, but you can't just take a track bike and be like "oh but it could be made street legal". For example while the Aston Martin AMB 001 is a production motorcycle, disregarding that it has too much power for the class, I doubt it would be allowed to compete even if someone was crazy enough to race a bike that expensive. You could maybe, with a lot of work, get one made street legal but that's not what it is.
-
I remember back in the day Harley Davidson was able to homolgate the VR1000 for Superbike racing by selling 50 of them in some country that didn't have any real safety requirements for street use. That loophole has been closed since then.
-
you bring up very valid points TheRan but was just saying, where there's a will there's a way, at the end of the day, it's all word games and im sure they could figure out a way or maybe get a waiver for the bike. since they let stefano race the energica that did set precedence, so there's that help too.
aaron
-
you bring up very valid points TheRan but was just saying, where there's a will there's a way, at the end of the day, it's all word games and im sure they could figure out a way or maybe get a waiver for the bike. since they let stefano race the energica that did set precedence, so there's that help too.
aaron
The Energica was a modified Ribelle... a production street bike. There was no precedence set in that regard. It's not like they ran the prototype MotoE bikes that they used in Europe.
-
but if there was a horse power limitation, they'd have to do it for that bike right?
you said modified, that's no longer a 'production' bike then, it's custom. you could just call it a modified ego, we just changed the handle bars a bit and added fairings, if you want to go that route.
if you listen to lightning's 'story' his bike's been in profucktion for several years, but thankfully, it's too powerful, it scares all the racers so you'll never see it in that event. so the whole 'production' thing is a bit wiggly if they need it to be.
aaron
-
but if there was a horse power limitation, they'd have to do it for that bike right?
you said modified, that's no longer a 'production' bike then, it's custom. you could just call it a modified ego, we just changed the handle bars a bit and added fairings, if you want to go that route.
if you listen to lightning's 'story' his bike's been in profucktion for several years, but thankfully, it's too powerful, it scares all the racers so you'll never see it in that event. so the whole 'production' thing is a bit wiggly if they need it to be.
Modifying power output is nothing new in a production racing series. In World Superbike, for example, they do it with intake restrictions or rpm limits. It's only in prototype racing (like MotoGP) where the only limit is engine displacement and number of cylinders. Everything else in the engine department is wide open.
Dialing back the power of an electric bike is just a couple of lines of code in the software by comparison.
-
Just a quick reminder of what I wrote earlier from the MotoAmerica rulebook:
f. Manufacturers seeking approval for bikes which do not meet specified requirements are required to obtain a pre-approval form from the MotoAmerica/AMA Permanent Bureau.
In other words - it doesn't have to be a production model, just be approved for competition.
-
Just a quick reminder of what I wrote earlier from the MotoAmerica rulebook:
f. Manufacturers seeking approval for bikes which do not meet specified requirements are required to obtain a pre-approval form from the MotoAmerica/AMA Permanent Bureau.
In other words - it doesn't have to be a production model, just be approved for competition.
And as a friend of mine pointed out: "Money Talks..."
-
... your theory is that Brian "Moneybags" Wissman and his independent race team bribed Roland Sands to subvert the rules to let him enter the illustrious and coveted Super Hooligans division with a bike that wouldn't normally qualify? Just want to confirm that's what you're saying before I react further.
-
To quell a potential firestorm ... MotoAmerica probably thinks adding an electric motorcycle will draw more attention to the class, hence more revenue. Who would have thought a bunch of Harley/Indian baggers would be so popular they are now competing in selected MotoGP races.
-
noooo i want a fight
-
Just a quick reminder of what I wrote earlier from the MotoAmerica rulebook:
f. Manufacturers seeking approval for bikes which do not meet specified requirements are required to obtain a pre-approval form from the MotoAmerica/AMA Permanent Bureau.
In other words - it doesn't have to be a production model, just be approved for competition.
Is there a protest period from when the results are posted and when the trophies are handed out? Like if the bike that got pre-approval wins or places high enough to get points toward the series banquet awards, should a protetst be lodged, some competition committee at a later date votes on the protest after hearing both sides?
-
noooo i want a fight
Yes, I've heard that about you.
-
Yes, I've heard that about you.
Please share!
-
Good question Fran.
in the event they did place podium I can see a whole bunch of potential drama unveil as the butthurt flows trying to make it up there from the lower down nestlings.
in all honesty, it shouldn't make any difference, if the bike was allowed to race, they should have bitched at the very beginning, not just after they lost, but putting up the 50 bucks to cry well..... why waste that if you were not close to begin with.
Aaron
-
The Hooligan class is regulated to keep the competition close. Part of that is they adjust things like horsepower and weight after most races. There wouldn't be a protest most likely. It's pretty common in the regulated classes for recently approved bikes to be performance tweaked.
-
I'm super excited to see what Josh Herrin can do piloting the Lightfighter SH bike. We (Energica) were granted special permission to race the EVA in the class regardless of the production bike HP output. The main argument was that the power to weight ratio of the EVA was in the same range of the ICE bikes racing in the class. In addition due to heat limitations of the battery the actual hp of the race bike was less than that of a production model.
Lightfighter takes a different approach vs Energica, using a smaller battery pack to reduce total bike weight should result in the bike requiring less energy needed for similar power output. It also looks like they are using a actively cooled battery pack to control cell temps.
MotoAmerica has done a great job adjusting the rules where needed to provide a even playing field for the SH class. For the 2026 season they have worked hard to curtail the "arms race" big budget factory teams were taking advantage of. They did this by introducing rule changes that limit the cost of components like suspension and brakes. In addition they have adjusted the minimum weights and in some cases require teams to run additional ballast weight. They are quick to tweak the rules to ensure the class stays competitive and keeps some spirit of what Roland Sands envisioned; an accessible race series.
Anyone who watched the Hooligan races with Stefano on the Energica know that, in an ideal world, the track is 8 laps with a warmup lap. The Energica bikes were able to do that. However, many times there things like crashes or things that prompted a mid-race pause, reset, and another warmup lap.
Red flags were a huge challenge for us. The EVA race bike was tuned to go the race distance at full power. In the event of a red flag the current lap was neutralized and all bikes returned to the pit till the track could be made safe, riders then had to exit the pits and reform on the starting grid after an additional sighting lap. This resulted in an additional 2 laps of energy used and heat created. Charging the bike in the pit was a balance between providing enough energy to go 2 extra laps but not generating too much heat in the battery resulting in thermal cutbacks.
Is there a protest period from when the results are posted and when the trophies are handed out?
After every qualifying session and race all bike go into parc ferme, which is a cordoned off area for a period of around 30 minutes. Each team can inspect competitors bikes (visually), if they see something they feel is in breach of the rules they can lodge (by paying a fee) an official protest. In that event MotoAmerica staff will inspect the bike and determine if a rule has been broken, an bike that is determined to be in breech of the rules is disqualified. We were disqualified from our 8th place finish in 2024 at The Ridge due to us having additional sensors fitted to the bike (to monitor suspension travel), we failed to remove them after testing. In addition both Indians were DQ in race 2 after finishing 1st and 2nd due to their handle bars being lower than their upper triple tree.
Some teams are granted exceptions to specific rules, for example the production hp of our bike. These exceptions are provided in writing by MotoAmerica.
It's not like they ran the prototype MotoE bikes that they used in Europe.
;)
-
Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. I wish they ran the SH class in New Jersey so I could watch. AHRMA used to have an "electric" class and it was fun watching the modified production bikes competing against the one-off University engineering projects. It's a real shame they don't do that any more.
-
"They are quick to tweak the rules to ensure the class stays competitive"
Who is the they and how does that fit into the AMA framework?
In Netra new England trail rider association there is a competition committee each club that promotes competitive events gets a couple of choices to be on it and then more are voted at large at the annual meeting or perhaps from the population attending the competition committee meeting. Any member can submit rule changes in writing once a year and the competition committee has a yearly meeting to decide yes or no and deal with any protests from the last year. Pretty sure it was this way when NETRA made their events AMA, not the case now.
AMA dues went from 29 to 39 quite a few years ago because they committed to a racetrack and never did the race and had to pay damages. Not everyone is really fond of the road racing arm so to speak.
-
Is that before or after AMA sold the rights to professional racing to DMG? Or are you talking about an amateur event (which is still controlled by the AMA)? DMG no longer owns road racing either; they just do flat track and motocross now. Road Racing was sold to the KRAVE Group (Wayne Rainey and folks) who runs MotoAmerica.
-
The AMA was sued by a group (NASB?) who had been contracted to run some of professional road racing classes. The AMA got into a legal tussle and lost the lawsuit, costing the AMA membership several million dollars. The AMA got out of professional road racing and sold the rights to DMG - who drove the series into the ground. KRAVE, Rainey's group, got the road racing rights and started running the races as MotoAmerica in 2015 after the AMA bought them back from DMG.
So yes, the AMA screwed up and cost the membership a lot of money.
-
Ahrma did dq the electric bikes.
many groups did.
I have been researching this whole 'electric racing' very extensively here and am getting a lot of inputs together with a package that I have presented at tracks i goto, trying to educate people about electric bikes and so on.
In a nut shell. they believed the bullshit they see on tv. your bike is a lithium bomb, it will burn up, blow up, and burn a 40 foot hole in your track, and are afraid of them basically.
I have a 2 million umbrella policy, and still catch shit at some tracks. The bottom line is, THEIR underwriters, many of whom won't do any research or homework, and just say no, because it's easier.
Some tracks have no problem with it, and although not many pro racers run at Jennings for races or sanctioned groups, they kind of made my electric bike a conversation piece and talk about letting it race very often, and are proud of it, which is GREAT. Ive been in contact with some of the other tracks, and must say, most of them are open to listen to me, many of them agree with me, but as they said, if our insurance says we won't cover it, then our hands are tied. It's the same big company in many of the instances, but each oh i guess you could call it 'zone' has their own guy or manager, and that person gets to call the shots. Most of those 'big guys' don't seem to give a flying fuck about electric bikes, they don't even want to talk to anyone, not even the track owners, they'll point up, when you ask up, they point down and say it's their choice.
To be honest, i think it is going to take a bit of serious lobbying from the E motorcycle manufacturers, to get them to really start paying attention, and I was actually beginning to work with Stefano at Energica, on making an, I guess you could call it, awareness package, as a start, but this was all right before the bankruptcy thing happened, and everything got put on hold at that point. Unfortunately, besides for Energica, who else was there who was really into the electric motorcycle racing scene? yah, that. I would / am more than happy to do whatever I can, but lets' be honest, Im not the CEO of a big company, and im not worth a bunch of millions of dollars, ie im pretty much a nobody, so don't have a hell a lot of clout when it comes to getting the attention of the insurance industry, and a few bikers talking, really does not go too far with them.
Aaron
-
Does KRAVE contract out changing the rules or entry qualifications to keep this class competitive and is the AMA involved?
-
Yeah... a couple of years ago I needed new tires on my Zero S. I had the tires, but the guy who used to help me change them got divorced and lost the house where his equipment was installed. A friend had recommended "his guy" so I gave him a call. When I told him it was a Zero his attitude changed completely: "I don't want no ****ing electric bike in my ****ing shop." The dealership I had purchased the bike from had closed so I was stuck until another friend recommended his guy. He was further away but he was all too happy to do the job for me.
Long story short, I found out later that after I had publicized my issue with the first guy (this IS the age of social media after all) his customer base dropped precipitously. The friend who recommended him said that he was only concerned about a battery fire. I said maybe next time he could find a more civil way of explaining his concern! Idiot...
Now the Cycle Gear right around the corner does tire replacements as long as you bring them just the wheels. That works out fine for me.
-
jaime the cycle gear also warranty's them for life too.
i asked, does this mean i can bring my tires back for new ones after i burnt them down to the cords on track weekend :D
they laughed and said no, but...yes, bring the rim in and the'll mount them for you.
i didn't ask about CF rims if they'll work on those or not
aaron
-
Does KRAVE contract out changing the rules or entry qualifications to keep this class competitive and is the AMA involved?
MotoAmerica is affiliated with the international organization (FIM) and works with them to try to keeps the rules CLOSE between various sanctioning bodies. Hooligans are not part of the international rules structure. They are a home-grown class created by Roland Sands who oversees performance adjustments to keep it competitive for many brands.
The AMA is not directly involved. The actual name for MotoAmerica is: The MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship
-
They did not start the first round at Daytona Fl. https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motoamerica-results-from-friday-super-hooligan-race-at-daytona/ If you go to the bottom you can see there are 2 riders that made less than 75% of the course and 3 that did not start.
-
Dang. Do we know any more details?
-
have an idea it might be the electric thing, but don't want to start rumors.
many tracks, the underwriters won't insure e bikes, even though it's the same parent company, the underwriters themselves in each zone / state / region etc have the say whether they'll cover them or not. Many are just ignorantly saying, no, no electric anything period, don't care what the data says, no.
ive been running into this a bit and even though i have a million dollar plus policy i carry with me for liability, it don't matter, if the track's underwriter says no electric vehicles, their hands are tied.
this is causing me grief as well getting my racing license, because i want to do electric bikes, and no groups will allow e bikes anymore it seems. Even pan am who historically were the most lenient, are balking now. ahrma used to, but canned it. it's rough.
they may have been told, no e bikes, so have to wait for a track that allows them. I'll ask Nate and see if he heard anything.
aaron
-
If you search 2026 super hooligan on Youtube it looks like they qualified 15th 4.05 seconds different from the fastest. The voice on the video says "unfortunately they did not make the grid today they had some technical problems. They will be back for the next round." Looks like the rider Josh Herrin won the main event for the fourth time.