The Voxan team making the number four for the 408 km / h ( 254 mph ) maximum speed reached .

Founded by Jacques Gardette in 1995 , French manufacturer Voxan achieved an international profile with its 1997 production prototype 72-degree 996 cc Roadster . A limited edition run of 50 production examples in 1999 were followed by a Café Racer and a Scrambler before a change in ownership in 2002 . The following years saw production restart in 2003 with further iterations such as the Street Scrambler and Black Magic , but although the bikes were popular and ' on point ' for the era ( indeed Voxan had 23 dealers in Europe by 2005 ), a 2007 IPO on the Euronext exchange failed to give the business a solid financial foundation , and by the end of the decade it was facing compulsory liquidation . In 2010 the Voxan brand was bought by Monaco based Venturi Automotive , a top-end auto maker who had been aiming at the GT market . In 2010 Venturi decided instead to start to build a position in the EV market - subsequent projects have included a Formula E team and an extreme condition Antarctica-capable electric vehicle . In 2013 Venturi showed a preproduction protype design of The Wattman , a 50kw / 203 bhp electric motorcycle that , at the time , was believed to be destined to become the most powerful all-electric motorcycle yet built . The bike didn ' t enter production , and since then the Voxan brand has been dormant , but hit the headlines in 2020 with an audacious electric motorcycle world land speed record attempt in the capable hands of former MotoGP racer and two-time World SuperBike Champion Max Biaggi ( Italy ). Instead of being able to claim the

Designed by Sacha Lakic and unveiled as a pre-production concept in 2013 , with 50 Kw , 203 bhp and 200 Nm torque up to 10,500 rpm , at the time the Voxan Wattman would have been the most powerful production electric motorcycle ever built .

honor of being the most powerful production electric motorcycle in the world , the latest version to carry the Voxan Wattman branding is an electric semi-streamliner that smashed the prior 329.085 km / h world speed record for electric motorcycles set by Ryuji Tsuruta on a Mobitec EV-02A ( in the category " one-wheel drive , partially streamlined electric motorcycles weighing less than 300 kg "). Biaggi ' s time was 366.94 km / h ( 228.05 mph ) - the requisite average of two opposite direction standing start runs set within the FIM mandated two hours , the record speed being the average of the two speeds recorded over the two runs . Powered by a 270 kW ( 367 CH ) motor , the on-board systems showed that the Wattman peaked at a top speed of 372 km / h ( 231 mph ). Given the relatively short track ( 3.5 km / 2.17 miles ), reaching such an impressive top speed has encouraged Voxan to set its sights even higher . When it makes its next attempts on a longer course , the team now has serious designs on an average speed in the region of 400 km / h ( 249 mph ). Voxan told AMD Magazine : " Today , focus is primarily on setting new speed records , so there are currently no plans to sell a production Voxan Wattman in the near future , but the subject is always under consideration . Maybe we ' ll make a limited series production model at a later date ."

As well as the absolute record , the team broke three other existing records : 1 km , flying start , partially streamlined : 386.35 km / h ( 240.07 mph ); previous record : 329.31 km / h ( 204.62 mph ) 1 / 4 mile , standing start , partially streamlined : 127.30 km / h ( 79.10 mph ); previous record : 87.16 km / h ( 54.16 mph ) 1 km , standing start , partially streamlined : 191.84 km / h ( 119.20 mph ); previous record : 122.48 km / h ( 76.11 mph )

Gildo Pastor , President of the Venturi Group : “ It is twenty years since I bought the Venturi Group , and ten years since I bought the Voxan brand . Thanks to the hard work and positive mental attitudes shown by Max and my teams , we proved ourselves up to the challenge . The Venturi Group can now claim to have created the fastest ever electric vehicles on two and four wheels ( Venturi VBB-3 , FIA record : 549 km / h - 341 mph ), but also in the four-wheel fuel cell category ( Venturi VBB-2 , FIA record : 487 km / h - 303 mph ). On each project , we have worked openly with major companies to share with them our expertise in the field of ground-breaking technologies , and in doing so contributed to improving ecomobility ."

In total the team set eleven new world speed records at Châteauroux airfield in France on 30 and 31 October and 1 November . The outright top speed achieved over the three days was a remarkable 408 km / h ( 254 mph ).

26 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JANUARY 2021 www . AMDchampionship . com