With Voxan, Ohio State University sets 4 new motorcycle world speed records
The Ohio State University (Columbus, USA) and the Monegasque Venturi Group have been collaborating on the design and manufacture of speed record vehicles since 2009. The fifteenth anniversary of their partnership was marked by a new wave of achievements between 25 and 29 August 2024 on the Bonneville Salt Flats (Utah, USA).
The university will soon be able to enrich four certificates, awarded by the FIM (Fédération Internationale Motocycliste), to its hall of fame for world records set in the electric motorcycle category under 150 kilograms:
Without fairing: >> Flying start, 1 km: 168.712 mph – 271.515 km/h >> Flying start, 1 mile: 168.593 mph – 271.323 km/h
With fairing: >> Flying start, 1 km: 180.065 mph – 289.787 km/h >> Flying start, 1 mile: 180.035 mph – 289.738 km/h
(These four records are pending FIM validation)
To achieve these world-class performances, the Ohio State University College of Engineering and its Buckeye Current Team designed an exceptional electric motorcycle: the Ohio State RW-5 Voxan. The Venturi Group’s engineering department, owner of the Voxan brand, provided expertise in various areas: design, suspension, battery, transmission, and optimization of settings and stability.
In 2020-2021, the Monegasque Team, led by Gildo Pastor, designed, manufactured, and developed the Voxan Wattman. On the Kennedy Space Center track (Florida, USA), this high-performance machine set 24 records in its category. Two riders shared the controls: 500cc vice-world champion Max Biaggi and Venturi’s Head of engineering Louis-Marie Blondel. Already the designer of the Wattman, the Frenchman went on to set six records aboard it.
Building on this dual experience, he naturally supported the students during the design phase alongside Technical Director Franck Baldet. He then took the controls of the machine to set each record with the support of Voxan’s mechanical teams, who came to assist.
Ohio State RW-5 Voxan – Technical Specifications:
Name: Ohio State RW-5 Voxan
Motor: Permanent magnet axial flux
Battery: Lithium-Ion
Power: 80kW
Torque: 180Nm
Motor cooling: Liquid
Weight: <150kg
Wheelbase: 1.68m
Overall length: 2.57m (with fairing)
“Four new world speed records is a fantastic gift to mark the 15th anniversary of our collaboration! Ohio State University and Venturi Group already held five records (*), and we are now at nine. See you soon for the tenth!” – Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi Group
(*) Hydrogen category: 2009 – Venturi VBB-2: 487.631 km/h (303.025 mph)
(*) Electric category: 2010 – Venturi VBB 2.5: 494.069 km/h (307.905 mph) / 2014 – Venturi VBB-3: 341.180 km/h (212.615 mph) / 2015 – VBB-3: 386.243 km/h (240.320 mph) / 2016 – Venturi VBB-3: 549.211 km/h (341.133 mph)