TTXGP Moves Electric Car Race

Originally scheduled for June 4-6 in Paris, France, the EMXGP will now take place Oct. 16-17 in Barcelona, Spain, to complement the Zero Carbon Transport Conference, Oct. 19-20. The event will feature electric cars racing on city roads. The originally scheduled event was also supposed to feature an exhibition on zero-emission motorcycles, and that is likely still on the agenda as the TTXGP Grand Final is set for Oct. 23-24 in nearby Albacete, Spain.

For motorcycle enthusiasts, the date and venue change prevents a scheduling conflict with the Road America round of TTXGPs North American Championship. The Elkhart Lake, Wis., track will host TTXGP June 3-6.

Even more significantly, Isle of Man TT organizers cited the EMXGPs original date as the primary reason for its split with TTXGP and the formation of its own event, TT Zero, set for June 9. The Isle of Mans Department of Tourism and Leisure (DTL) said in February the original EMXGP date conflicted with the 2010 Isle of Man TT. The DTL claimed

TTXGP were advised that if they could not reschedule their proposed Paris event, in order to attend TT 2010 for the scheduled date, the Department would develop and manage its own clean emissions race, read the official statement from the DTL. TTXGP Ltd. were invited to reconsider their position regarding the Paris event to enable their participation in TT 2010 on the scheduled date, but declined the opportunity to do so.

Azhar Hussain, founder of TTXGP, refuted the DTLs claims, saying the Paris event was not a factor behind the split. The EMXGP being rescheduled for October backs Hussains statement while casting doubt on the Isle of Mans position.