Michelin sponsored racing star Daley Mathison and his University of Nottingham team have plenty of cause to celebrate this week, following their title winning performance at Portimao in the 2015 MotoE championship.
Riding the UoN-01 in this 5 round European race series, Daley and team blew the competition away with their electric superbike which eclipsed the competition and set new standards in electric motorcycle performance.
Constructors competing in this growing series come from a wide variety of backgrounds. They include technical colleges, commercial engineering specialists, a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer and privateers inventors.
The bike that Mathison rode to victory was designed and built by the highly-talented team within the University of Nottingham’s Power Electronics, Machine and Control Research Group, part of the university’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Daley Mathison was selected as the team’s rider after a number of recommendations from senior officials at the Isle of Man TT.
The UoN-01 boasts a top speed of 180mph and 265hp, and uses Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes, along with a purpose built frame which houses an electric motor and battery unit. During their campaign, the team have been using the latest in Michelin race tyre technology, including the Power Slick Evo, Power Cup Evo and Power Rain depending on both the circuit and the conditions. With sprint and endurance races, electric racing adds an interesting new slant as teams also have to conserve their batteries, finding the right balance of engine performance and power consumption to go the distance at a competitive pace.
Daley admits that the demands of racing an electric motorcycle are different to a petrol bike: “The electric bike performed fantastically for me throughout this championship. A lot of it is down to the fact there is not as much to do whilst you are on the bike. With a petrol machine you’re constantly thinking about gears and engine braking, while on the electric bike you’ve just got to brake and accelerate, which allows you to really concentrate on hitting the apex and getting the drive out of the corner.”
At the end of the 5 round season, Mathison finished 46 points ahead of his nearest rival Chun Kay Kwok of Zongshen Factory Racing.
Find out more about the Michelin Power Slick Evo, Power Cup Evo and Power Rain.
