Chip Yates Electric Superbike Pikes Peak Hill Climb Test [Video]

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Chip Yates and his SWIGZ.com electric superbike completed a two-day test this past weekend to prepare for the June 26 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

The June 4-5 test gave teams the chance to practice climbing the 14,110-ft mountain near Colorado Springs. Yates recorded onboard video of his first ever run up the mountain and the route’s 156 corners.

Yates says he has spent 12 hours a day for three months learning the course, saying he respects the mountain and the challenge it presents.

“I respect the mountain by bringing my ‘A’ game and doing my homework,” says Yates. “If I crash, it’s not out of cockiness or a lack of respect, it’s because I brought my ‘A’ game to the mountain and the mountain is showing me areas for future improvement.”

Yates describes one such crash, and the help he received from one Alexander Smith, son of racing legend Malcolm Smith and a fellow Pikes Peak competitor riding the Ducati Multistrada.

The SWIGZ.com team is continuing to prepare the superbike, which holds an unofficial land speed record for an electric motorcycle, for the event. Yates says the superbike produces 240hp at both sea level and on top of the peak, with 400 ft-lb. of torque available at a twist of the throttle.

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[Source: Torque PR via RoadRacingWorld]

By Dennis Chung