We broke the story yesterday, but today the news is officially official: Alta Motors will race in the 2018 Ezerberg Rodeo, which is part of the Red Bull Hard Enduro series.
The most grueling and difficult single-day event in motorcycle racing, the Erzberg Rodeo sees 1,500 entires whittled down into what is usually a single-digit summation of race-finishers – and not every year sees a racer cross the finish line – that’s how tough this race is.
Racing for Alta Motors will be Ty Tremaine and Lyndon Poskitt, two riders with a lot of off-road experience.
For those who don’t recognize those names, Tremaine is currently racing with Alta in the 2018 AMA EnduroCross series, meanwhile Poskitt has previously competed in a number of enduro events, including the Ezberg Rodeo, and most notably just soloed the 2018 Dakar Rally to completion.
Alta’s entry into the 2018 Erzberg Rodeo is a first for an electric motorcycle OEM, and a notable feat for the San Francisco startup, as Alta has had a tough time convincing racing series to allow electric motorcycles on their grids.
“We built the Redshift to compete head-to-head with the best gas bikes in the most brutal environments in the world. The Erzberg extreme enduro is the place to demonstrate that,” said Alta Motors CTO and Co-Founder, Derek Dorresteyn.
“The race comes at a time when electric bikes are struggling for acceptance in international competition.”
“We are grateful that the Erzberg organizers share our belief that competition should be about advancing technology—not restricting it—and that they are providing a platform to demonstrate that electrics should have the right to compete.”
Alta’s breakthrough moment was the 2016 Red Bull Straight Rhythm event, where Josh Hill embarrassed more than a few gas bikes on his Alta Redshift MX.
Getting more love from the energy drink purveyor, it makes sense that Red Bull would see the value in promoting electric motorcycles like Alta’s in their events, especially with Alta’s new edition of bikes showing more performance, and better sales at the dealership level.
Entering a race where finishers are numbered in the single digits – if anyone even finishes the course at all – Alta’s entry comes with little risk to the motorcycle brand.
Finishing the race would be a huge coup for the startup, and surely the expectations are even lower, as a strong result on the course would be considered a win against the gas bikes and more experience Erzberg riders.
Of course, everyone will be curious to see how an electric off-road bike handles the “Iron Mountain” but we think many are going to be surprised, as the low-speed and technical course should play to Alta’s strengths.
Source: Alta Motors
