VICTORY has scored a podium place at its first ever appearance at the Isle of Man TT races, scoring a third place in the SES TT Zero race for electric motorcycles - Lee Johnston recording 111.620mph lap on the iconic mountain road circuit.
The second Victory electric motorcycle took fourth place with UK racer Guy Martin recording a lap time of 109.717mph, after stepping in to replace the injured William Dunlop.
Victory Racing Team Manager, Brian Wismann, said: “It was a good day for Victory Racing at our first ever time at the TT. We accomplished what we set out to achieve. We got on to the podium, but we also got a 111mph average in our first ever TT Zero race.
"The speeds were good, the bikes were good and reliable; they looked great out there. I’m just very, very pleased with all the hard work the team’s put in and the work that the riders have done to get the bikes round so quickly.”
The company’s entry in the SES TT Zero race has followed on from Polaris’ acquisition of Brammo, the electric motorcycle manufacturer, at the beginning of this year.
The success of the Victory team on the Isle of Man will strengthen rumors that Polaris is looking to repurpose the Victory brand as a performance marque, while it develops Indian Motorcycle as its cruiser range of motorcycles.
These rumors have been increasing since Victory announced plans to compete at the annual Pikes Pike Hill Climb with a prototype naked sports bike bearing the Victory name. Built in collaboration with Roland Sands Design, the bike will use a modified Indian Scout engine, under the "Project 156" banner.
First held in 1916, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest motorsports event in the United States. Polaris' choice of "Project 156" recognizes the 156 turns involved in climbing the 12.42 miles and 4,620ft/1,440m of the famed Colorado course.
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