Alta Motors Redshift MX (Electric Supercross Bike) Wins On National Stage!
An electric Alta Motors Redshift MX, ridden by a just-returned-from-retirement Josh Hill (a former Factory Yamaha racer), managed to place 4th at the recent Red Bull Straight Rhythm event in Pomona, California, in the 250 class. Note that this was in competition with gas-powered models.
This 4th place finish marks the first time that an electric model has won a quarter-final heat on the national level of supercross — something that is a harbinger of things to come, considering the great potential of electric technologies in the sport.
Asphalt and Rubber provides more: “Amongst the star-studded lineup of riders who competed head-to-head in the straight-line supercross races, we were also treated to the return of Josh Hill, who pulled himself out of retirement to ride the electric-powered Alta Motors Redshift MX. Winning his quarter-final heat, Hill gave Alta Motors its first national-level supercross win, the first for an electric motorcycle. However, succumbing to Mitchell Oldenburg in the semi-finals, Hill finished the day fourth overall, meaning Alta Motors narrowly missed out on a podium debut.”
Still, as Jo Borrás notes, “Not bad for a bike starting at under $15K, right?”
Jo also hints that the bike is likely to show up on next year’s “Best Fuel-efficient Motorcycles List.”
Back to Asphalt and Rubber‘s coverage: “Still, the weekend must surely be counted as a success for Hill and Alta, putting electrics squarely on the map as machines that can best the best gas bikes in the industry. Alta has eyes on furthering its racing résumé, targeting the Redshift MX to compete in other lites class races. We could soon see the Alta Motors Redshift in various 250cc motocross, supercross, and supermoto events in the USA.”
Something that should be remembered here is that Alta Motors is a tiny company. It developed the Redshift MX on a shoestring budget. The bikes that it was competing against were developed mostly by very large companies with substantial monetary resources. In other words, as more and more money goes into the development of electric models, you can expect them to place higher and higher in races such as the recent event in Pomona, California.
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