E-Mtb Enduro racing?

[The Flying Dutchman]

Is there a future where EMTB's are raced just like their analog ancestors at the local level?

I thought there would at least be an EMTB category for local Enduro events here in NZ, but no. Which makes make wonder why...is it that the 'Old boys" MTB club doesn't want them? Are not enough people looking to race them? Does the standard Enduro format just not jell with eebs?

 

[Gary]

Wouldn't have thought there would be ANY racing happening anywhere just now.
But when/if things ever get back to normal why not ask your local/regional race organiser?
To me there's very little point even pretending Emtb is a valid race category unless some sort of fairness/equality between bikes/motors is introduced. The EmtbEWS rulebook is a complete joke in that respect so I can't really see smaller regional organisers managing anything better.

an enduro format with genuinely downhill stages where pedalling assistance wouldn't actually make so much difference might work and be fairer but how many entrants are you honestly likely to get at regional level? 10? 20? 40? surely not enough to warrant a stand alone Ebike race

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Might be too hard to police. The temptation to cheat with modded motors, electronics, battery ratings is just too hard to resist.

The early adaptation for Formula E racing cars achieved parity by all teams being randomly allocated with identical motors and batteries from just ONE officially designated supplier. I doubt that something like that could ever happen with eMTB enduro bikes.

 

[Rusty]

Is there a future where EMTB's are raced just like their analog ancestors at the local level?

I thought there would at least be an EMTB category for local Enduro events here in NZ, but no. Which makes make wonder why...is it that the 'Old boys" MTB club doesn't want them? Are not enough people looking to race them? Does the standard Enduro format just not jell with eebs?

We had an eMTB class at the Hamilton MTB Club for our Summer Series - usually around 7 riders turned up. Winner was usually around 49 minutes for 2 laps of the 9km track with the tail-enders usually 5-6 minutes back. I rode some of the rounds Pre Xmas and found it challenging as everyone is in Turbo right from the get-go. My lap times were not too faster than on my human powered bike as on 2 stretches I was tapped out at 32km where I would be over 40 on the other bike, plus in the tight and twisties between the trees and in a couple other areas I found entry being too fast causing me to over brake.
The 3 lap 'Enduro' was huge fun and had me asking the committee to add an eMTB class to our annual 6hr race. Either a battery swap (would have been good for me when I had the Levo with the 700 & 504W/h batteries or having to use Eco to stretch the charge out. Some other riders just wanted a 3hr class so they could motor around in high power settings.

 

[Careyj1]

Utah had a XC race this weekend. Non-E. If they hold Sea Otter this fall they have a E-MTB XC race.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Just thinking out loud and brain storming:
If the terrain (percentage split between ascends and descends, technical difficulty, and with the right number of laps), there might be a way to artificially create an "auto leveller" to give the participants freedom to use whatever spec they want, and however hard they like to ride. Bigger batteries are heavier, higher output motors require bigger batteries, and turbo levels will drain battery charge much quicker. If no throttles and battery changes are permitted, then a rider would have to:
a) Go flat out and leave everyone behind, but will have to ride the last few laps with no power;
b) Conserve battery and play strategically, then blast at the end laps;
c) Go big with motors and batteries but suffer the handling consequences of a heavier bike through the tight or challenging obstacles, deep water crossings (yes you heard me right!), and technical sections. Rules require to use only bicycle drivetrains and chains (no repairs or replacements), so overpowered beasts would risk snapping them;
d) Go with a super light bike setup but will need to supplement where it's lacking, with human power.

It's a big ask I know, but parity without policing might be the only practical way forward with eMTB racing. Design tracks that reward standard eBike specs but penalises thousand watt monsters. So if the track was designed properly - it might just be doable.

What got me thinking about the possibility is a YouTube video I saw of Jeff Kendall-Weed going toe to toe with a KTM Enduro motorbike. Motor bike wins obviously but surprisingly, on admittedly only a few sections - his eMTB wasn't outclassed as much as I expected it to be.

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

@GrandPaBrogan climbing shouldn't be a timed segment when it comes to ebike racing, just the DH as per the Enduro format otherwise it's too hard to police.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

@GrandPaBrogan climbing shouldn't be a timed segment when it comes to ebike racing, just the DH as per the Enduro format otherwise it's too hard to police.

That’s the sad thing about it. It’s on the climbs where eBikes would shine. In the meantime, the motor is largely only being used for shuttle duty for DH runs. That may not be enough to attract fresh sponsorships, TV deals, or sympathetic new crowds to establish what should be a unique event. Pity an eMTB competition can only show half of its potential because you’re right, it’s currently too hard to police.

 

[R120]

The EMTB race seen is already flourishing - the Forum has its own team, and one of our members won the overall women's category last year over a seven race UK series.

Join the 2019 EMTB Forums Race team! - EMTB Forums

and more and more enduro racing series both local, national, and international tend to have EMTB categories now.

 

[Lee Dove]

A couple of our Scottish Enduros have a class for EBikes. You just race everything as normal. This then means "cheating" makes no difference unless a stage has a long sprint in it, which is they do not in the races concerned. The Ebike class just finishes quicker.

 

[Clarky860]

 

[papab]

I think an interesting race is one which would tap out the battery and the rider. 3 or 4 hrs long so you'd have to economise with the assist. As far as cheating, for most bikes you can tell by inspection what battery they have. You could also have a calibrated charge after the race if there is a question.