James Hillier's Zytek Bournemouth Kawasaki TT Zero team have been forced to withdraw from this year's race on the Isle of Man, citing lack of testing time as the reason.
Hillier, who was a favourite for the race win alongside Michael Rutter and John McGuinness, would have competed on a ZX-10R chassis powered by an engine that boasted more power and torque than a 600. But a lack of time to properly evaluate the package as a whole has seen the team pull out.
"Due to the boundary stretching nature of the technology involved it naturally takes time to test all the systems fully to prove their reliability and effectiveness for powering an electric racing motorcycle. When you add the normal demands of TT racing, such as suspension and chassis refinement to suit the rider’s specific requirements, it is possible to perhaps understand what huge time pressure we were under," said spokesman Des Hill.
"Unfortunately we have not completed our planned test programme in time to be able to commit to racing in the 2012 SES TT Zero. Zytek would like to thank the TT organisers for all their help and encouragement along with our partners, Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing and the many other sponsors who have helped push this ambitious project forward.
"For James, it will be frustrating, but he can rest safe in the knowledge that once our test programme is finally complete, we will have a formidable racing motorcycle displaying some of the most advanced technology yet featured in the class."
