Mazda Laguna Seca track records

[protomech]

Mazda Laguna Seca is a popular racetrack sited in Monterey, California. It's a great benchmark to show EV progress over time, since electric bikes have been raced there since 2010.

Here's what I can find, partly including information from last time.


REFUEL SportElectric Time Trial

The REFUEL event is an annual EV-only track event. It's a somewhat less focused event than a traditional race, but it provides an opportunity for racers with a variety of experience to get out on track and do some practice laps. The signature event is the SportElectric TT, which allows each participant a single hot lap in the afternoon. Because of the single shot at a hot lap and the limited track time, REFUEL lap times will often be somewhat slower than a traditional qualifying practice.

Production and production-based bikes:
2'25.198 - 2011 Zero S, Ian Lebov
2'11.364 - 2011 Zero S prototype, Jamie Perugini (probable test for 2012 S AC motor)
2'08.889 - 2012 Zero S, Ian Lebov
2'04.607 - 2013 Brammo Empulse R, Aaron Bland
2'02.826 - 2013 Zero FX, Eland Eggers
2'01.569 - 2014 Brammo Empulse R, Brian Wismann
2'00.389 - 2012 Zero MX prototype, Jamie Perugini (probable test for 2013 100V motors)
1'59.234 - 2013 Brammo Empulse R (modified), Conan Dooley
1'58.351 - 2013 Zero DS, Ian Lebov
1'55.684 - 2013 Zero S prototype, Kenyon Kluge (probable test for 2014 660 amp controller)
1'53.047 - 2014 Zero SR, Brandon Nozaki-Miller
1'52.022 - 2015 Zero DS, Kenyon Kluge (probable test for 660 amp 2016 DS-R)
1'51.381 - 2013 Brammo Empulse TTX, Shelina Moreda
1'50.880 - 2015 Brammo Empulse HVR prototype, Brian Wismann
1'45.629 - 2014 Brammo Empulse TTX, Eric Bostrom

Full race prototypes:
1'43.728 - 2011 Mission R, Steve Rapp (compare to his later TTXGP 1'31 qualifying time)
1'40.269 - 2012 Brammo Empulse RR, Steve Atlas
1'38.502 - 2013 Brammo Empulse RR, Eric Bostrom
1'31.634 - 2014 Brammo Empulse RR, Shane Turpin

Special notes:
* Eric Bostrom on the production-based 2014 Empulse TTX racebike is very close to TTXGP lap times for full prototype race bikes from 2010-2011.
* Shane Turpin on the Empulse RR was only 3 tenths of a second from passing Steve Rapp's outright circuit record, on a 2011 Mission R. Considering the limited nature of the REFUEL event, in a full race Shane would have a very good chance to establish a new circuit record.


FIM ePower / TTXGP

The FIM and TTXGP race organizations joined forces at Laguna Seca from 2010 to 2013. The electric bikes were given their own category, practice and qualifying times as well as a short 8 or 9 lap race which allowed them to demonstrate their maximum potential.

FIM dropped Laguna Seca from the MotoGP race schedule in 2014, and the eRoadRacing (formerly TTXGP) organization is floundering. The next time electric bikes compete in a traditional race at Laguna Seca, it may be directly against gas bikes.

Best race laps:
2'02.118 - 2012 Zero S production, Kenyon Kluge
1'48.706 - 2013 Zero S prototype, Kenyon Kluge (probable test for 2014 660 amp controller)
1'44.496 - 2010 MotoCzysz E1PC, Michael Czysz
1'40.644 - 2011 Brammo Empulse RR, Steve Atlas
1'38.136 - 2011 MotoCzysz E1PC, Michael Czysz
1'37.417 - 2011 Lightning, Michael Barnes
1'35.625 - 2012 Brammo Empulse RR, Steve Atlas
1'35.319 - 2012 Lightning, Michael Barnes
1'33.194 - 2011 Mission R, Steve Rapp
1'32.581 - 2013 Brammo Empulse RR, Shane Turpin

Qualifying:
2'11.648 - 2010 Zero S prototype, Kenyon Kluge (significant modifications for race, including higher-voltage motor)
2'00.057 - 2012 Zero S, Ted Rich
1'59.778 - 2011 Zero S prototype, Kenyon Kluge (probable test for 2012 S AC motor)
1'51.019 - 2013 Brammo Empulse TTX, Shelina Moreda
1'48.068 - 2013 Zero S prototype, Kenyon Kluge (probable test for 2014 660 amp controller)
1'47.338 - 2010 MotoCzysz E1PC, Michael Czysz
1'45.769 - 2010 Lightning, Michael Barnes
1'42.127 - 2011 Brammo Empulse RR, Steve Atlas
1'39.272 - 2011 MotoCzysz E1PC, Michael Czysz
1'37.505 - 2011 Lightning, Michael Barnes
1'37.171 - 2012 Brammo Empulse RR, Eric Bostrom
1'33.860 - 2012 Lightning, Michael Barnes
1'32.516 - 2013 Brammo Empulse RR, Shane Turpin
1'31.376 - 2011 Mission R, Steve Rapp

Special notes:
* Steve Rapp turned in a dominating race performance in 2011. His fastest race lap was beaten last year by Shane Turpin, but his qualifying time still (barely) holds the outright EV course record.
* Kenyon Kluge on a production-based 2013 Zero S (660 amp controller) is racing at speeds competitive with the full prototype race bikes from 2010.


Other notable lap times

1'48.917 - 2013 Tesla Model S P85, Aaron Bailey (REFUEL SportElectric time trial)
1'33.620 - 2014 Dodge Viper SRT Time Attack, Randy Pobst (production car record on fastestlaps.com, time trial)
1'32.046 - 2012 Kleenspeed EV-X11, Kevin Mitz (REFUEL SportElectric time trial)
1'24.249 - 2013 Graves Yamaha R1, Josh Hayes (AMA Superbike qualifying)
1'21.811 - 2014 Kawasaki ZX-10R racebike, Tom Sykes (WSBK qualifying)
1'20.554 - 2012 Yamaha YZR-M1, Jorge Lorenzo (MotoGP qualifying)
1'05.786 - 2012 Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari F2003-GA, Marc Gené (F1 qualifying)


References

2010 FIM ePower / TTXGP Laguna Seca (sadly no details, but see QP)
2011 FIM ePower Laguna Seca
2012 FIM ePower Laguna Seca
2013 FIM ePower Laguna Seca
2014 REFUEL SportElectric TT

[BrammoBrian]

Protomech,

Awesome list and thanks for doing the research to pull that together!  So many awesome stories in there about the progress made over the last several years and shows the power of having multiple teams/individuals all working on independent solutions towards the same goal.  I would love to see this information represented as some kind of infographic, as I think it would make it all the more impactful. 

In my mind, the largest progress has been made in the production classes, even though the prototypes tend to get all the attention.  The TTX program has been particularly rewarding for me, having the opportunity to show that what we've learned on the prototype program translates to the production world as well.

Eric's ReFuel lap would've put him on pole for the Laguna FIM ePower race in 2010(!) in front of these guys...

[protomech]

Updated with the 2015 results. Conan Dooley set a new lap record for a production Empulse R - though it sounds like it's modified enough to be compared against the TTX bikes.

Brian was fastest on the track this year with the HVR prototype, which I went back and forth over whether that should count as a production-based bike or a full race prototype ..

And Kenyon Kluge showed up with some unusually strong performance on a Zero DS

[BrammoBrian]

Updated with the 2015 results. Conan Dooley set a new lap record for a production Empulse R - though it sounds like it's modified enough to be compared against the TTX bikes.

Brian was fastest on the track this year with the HVR prototype, which I went back and forth over whether that should count as a production-based bike or a full race prototype ..

And Kenyon Kluge showed up with some unusually strong performance on a Zero DS

Cool! Thanks for keeping this updated! Makes for an interesting story in the development of EV motorcycle technology - if you're into that kind of thing. 

That was my intention with the HVR - to blur the lines a bit further and show how the prototype technology could (and should) improve the performance of the production bikes.  That bike is so much fun to ride.

Good sleuthing on Kenyon's bike. Would be nice to confirm he was running a size 6 as he told me it was a DS with a size 4 straight from the showroom...   

[protomech]

If he outright claimed it was using a size 4 on that day - and not an indirection like "The bike is a stock production bike [that we added a size 6 controller to for testing]" - then I have no reason to doubt it.

Kenyon is a fast rider. He turned in 1:48 laps both in qualifying and best race lap in 2013 eGrandPrix on a 2013 S prototype, which I believe had a size 6 installed. Given a single hot lap, presumably stock Pirelli dualsport tires, and a size 4 controller, could he keep that within 4 seconds of his best lap on a race-prepped, faired, size 6 Zero S bike? And ahead of his 1:55 lap at Refuel 2013 on a Zero S prototype, which I suspect *did* have a Size 6 installed? (granted, he's had more practice at the track since Refuel 2013)

I don't know. If he said the bike did not have a size 6 as raced then I believe that more than I believe my bench-racing analysis above.