The TT Zero has lined up its first official entrant for the electric motorcycle race on the Isle of Man, and it's a doozy – MotoCzysz.

Michael Czysz and his crew were the talk of last year's race, which was known as the TTXGP before the Isle of Man told race founder Azhar Hussain to take a hike. Czysz rolled up with a race-ready ride that looked like something ready for MotoGP.

Speaking of MotoGP, that's Valentino Rossi, a man who knows a thing or two about motorcycles, checking out the Czysz E1PC during last year's race. It was an impressive machine indeed, but not enough to take the title. Rider Mark Miller didn't finish the race around the 37.7-mile Mountain Course.

They're headed back this year with a bike much improved over last year's ride. It will feature the team's proprietary electric motor, which Czysz promises will offer "the highest torque/density electric motor in the industry." The team is the early favorite to take the £10,000 prize — about $16,024 — promised to the first rider to post a 100-mph lap.

“We are very excited to be returning to the Isle of Man to compete in the 2010 TT Zero," Czysz said in a statement. "The fact that electric motorcycle racing has been elevated to an official class within the TT shows the commitment of the Isle of Man government in providing the low emission pioneers with a world stage to demonstrate their solutions. This may end up being one of the purest prototype classes left in racing.”

Czysz knows how to design a motorcycle. The C1 990 is a sweet machine with a carbon fiber frame. The bike puts down 220 horsepower and weighs less than 350 pounds. It was designed for MotoGP until the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme changed the displacement from 1,000 cc's to 800. MotoCyysz plans to offer 50 replicas of the bike at $100K a pop.

The E1PC electric bike built upon the C1 and in many ways looks just like it. Czysz claimed the bike could do zero to 120 mph in 7 seconds, putting it firmly in literbike territory. It used three motors and 10 lithium-ion batteries in the pack. Motorcyclist called it "the most impressive machine entered in the event" and declared, "this is not the last you'll see of this bike."

Indeed.

Photo: TT Zero

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