In case you missed it, former AMA Motocross and Supercross regular Josh Hill made a measure of history at the 2016 Red Bull Straight Rhythm by becoming the first rider to score a noteworthy win on an electric motorcycle.
Hill, who rode an Alta Redshift MX in the 250cc class at the Red Bull Straight Rhythm event, not only broke ground by bucking over a century of internal combustion engine-powered tradition, he was actually competitive aboard the Alta, demonstrating the potential of electric dirtbikes.
The Alta Redshift MX pushes the envelope of electric-powered dirtbike design. Alta claims that the current version of the machine is capable of putting more than 500 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheel from zero rpm upward. The Alta’s motor currently makes in the neighborhood of 40 peak horsepower. Hill appeared to have plenty of power as he battled with Suzuki-mounted Kyle Cunningham in the first round. Hill dominated the first in the best-of-three runs, but fell short of Cunningham in run number two, setting up the all-important third run. In the final run, Hill and the Alta got off to a good start, but Cunningham wasn’t about to bow out easily. In a close race, Hill was able to defeat Cunningham to move into the second round where he lost to eventual class runner-up Mitchell Oldenberg.
Still, it was a pretty impressive night for a small company with big dreams of producing electric-powered motorcycles capable of more than just basic transportation. Alta has clearly put some serious development into the Redshift MX, which is far more serious dirtbike than its gasoline competitors might want to believe.
For more information on the Alta Redshift MX, visit http://www.altamotors.co/
Your Privacy Choices