Like seemingly everything and everyone else in 2020, Voxan had to scale back its plans to take its Wattman electric motorcycle to Bonneville in a bid to break the world’s fastest electric motorcycle record. Instead of the miles and miles of perfectly flat salt bed, Voxan had to settle for the 2.17-mile runway of Marcel Dassault Airport in Châteauroux, France. Despite the limitations, however, the Wattman team succeeded in beating the old record of 204 MPH set last year … by more than 50 MPH. (!?)
Voxan Wattman Streamliner by Venturi
So yeah, the Voxan team smashed the previous record, and did so with enough left in the bag that a trip to a COVID-free Bonneville in 2021 should yield even more impressive results. We will eagerly await those, of course, but it’s worth talking about the team that’s doing this and set the stage properly for what is bound to be an epic sequel to this week’s speed record news.
First, it’s worth talking about the Voxan Wattman itself. Voxan is owned by Venturi, a Monaco-based maker of electric supercars with deep enough pockets to be based in Monaco and build things like electric supercars. That’s more than enough scratch to put together the kind of streamlined, low-drag slice of 367 HP carbon fiber goodness you need to go chasing records and kind of everything you’d want in a parent company, right?
Right.
Next up, the rider. Most of the smaller-scale speed record classes quickly devolve into ridiculous minutia — to the point that “fastest stock turbo, stock ECU, stock new-car-smell” memes used to circulate among message boards and internet forums every now and then back when message boards and internet forums still kind of mattered. With those, you’ll usually find one of the cars’ builders — or their kids, just as likely — behind the wheel. Not so for the Voxan. For this overall fastest electric motorcycle record, nothing but the best would do, so they enlisted the help of 6-time championship rider and motorsports legend Max Biaggi to keep the Wattman rubber side down on its way to 250 and beyond.
And, for his part, Biaggi seems genuinely excited to be a part of the project. “When Gildo Pastor, the President of the Venturi Group, approached me about this project, I was curious, very motivated, and at the same time a little uncertain,” explains Biaggi. “Having said that, right after our first meeting, I quickly realized that, like Gildo, his teams were driven by an incredible belief and determination … I’m proud of the team and delighted to bring these titles back to Monaco!”
Image courtesy Venturi Voxan
For now, it seems like Venturi is doing this for genuine R&D purposes, as there are no current plans to offer a Wattman road bike. At least, not one that looks like this. Still, it’s not totally off the table. “The subject is under consideration for a limited series production,” a spokesperson for Venturi told Drive. “Even if it is not our priority at the moment.”
Read into that what you will, then. Know this, however: if Venturi ever does offer a Voxan Wattman for sale, it will certainly be bigger and faster than any Zero or Harley-Davidson out there. And probably two or three times the price, too!
Source | Images: Venturi, via the Drive.
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