Lightning Superbike, an electric motorcycle wins at Pikes Peak 2013

Did you think that one electric motorcycle couldn't beat normal combustion engine motorcycles? You were very wrong. In fact al Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, one of the most challenging races in the world, was a real triumph for the two wheels with zero emissions, as the Superbike built by Lightning Motorcycles managed to get the better of one Ducati Multistrada 1200S.

Pikes Peak is a race over a distance of 20 km with a total of 156 curves, but what is most impressive is the difference in altitude of which 1.500 meters between the start and the finish, with a finish at 4.300 meters altitude. It is a test of courage and resistance like few others and not by chance. He was riding the Lightning Superbike Carlin Dunne, which had already recorded results in the pre-race tests that foreshadowed something historic when the moment of reckoning arrived. His time of 10:00.694 was enough to defeat his Ducati opponent Bruno Langlois, who instead took 10:21.323 to complete the route. In the name of transparency, it must be said that Ducati's performance was not worthy of the best days, given that the Italian company's bikes have already proven to be largely capable of finishing the course well below the 10 minute barrier, but this This is how it went this year.

This is an absolute first time in which an electric motorbike beat, without any doubt or complaint, all its rivals with combustion engines and, above all, starting on equal terms without any advantages whatsoever. In fact, the motorcycle from the American manufacturer is a real gem. It features an IPM liquid-cooled engine with a power of 125 kW. The top speed is 348 km/h, while the battery pack supplied is 370 V and 12 kWh, which guarantees a maximum range of 160 km. As for the other equipment, it is worth mentioning the 310 mm Brembo disc brakes with four-piston radial calipers, 17-inch Marchesini magnesium wheels and a braking energy recovery system. The list price starts at $38.888, equal to approximately €29.800 at the current exchange rate.