Slaw Dog
With all the talk about the Stark VARG recently, I almost forgot that this electric dirtibke existed.
Mugen debuted its Mugen E.Rex in 2019. The Japanese tuning house has had plenty of success at the Isle of Man TT, with the company’s Shinden electric superbike, and now it hopes to do the same in the newly formed FIM E-Xplorer World Cup series.
Last July, the FIM announced that beginning in 2022 they were launching a new all-electric off-road motorcycle series called E-Xplorer.
According to the release last year, the series will feature five events staged worldwide featuring a mix of time trials and head-to-head races.
The series will be comprised of 10 teams with 20 riders with mandatory male and female participants. All competitors will race on two-wheel off-road motorcycles propelled by a single 100% electric motor with a maximum weight of 130kg.
The E-Xplorer series hasn’t outlined a calendar nor announced a set of venues at this time but we know Mugen, racing under the M-TEC name in the new series, will be involved.
E-Xplorer S.A CEO Valentin Guyonnet says: “We’re delighted that a brand like M-TEC, steeped in motorsport history and success, has taken an option to race as a factory team in the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup. Since we established the series as a way of demonstrating and developing pioneering technology in the two-wheeled mobility sector, we’ve had a lot of interest from marques and manufacturers all over the world. True to form, M-TEC has been particularly fast-moving in declaring its interest in the series and, after its dominance in the Isle of Man TT, E-Xplorer would be a logical next step and a significant new challenge for the Japanese outfit. I look forward to having them alongside us as we work towards the inaugural World Cup.”
M-TEC Co., Ltd. Managing Director, S. Katsumata says: “We are very pleased to be registered as an Official Manufacturer of the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup. We are confident that this race will be the best place for us to apply the know-how we have gained through our participation in the Isle of Man TT-Zero class (EV-Bike class) and the ongoing development of the EV-MX E- REX bike, and to challenge ourselves further.
First of all, as an Official Manufacturer, we would like to collaborate on this advanced and wonderful event with the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup starting this year, so that our current know-how in terms of technical and sporting aspects will help lead to the success and development of the event. We are looking forward to working with you.”
Main image: Mugen
