An electric motorcycle to circumnavigate the world in 80 Day Race 02.10.2014: • A new sustainable race around the world starts in 2016 • STORM Eindhoven to participate with a battery electric

•    A new sustainable race around the world starts in 2016

•    STORM Eindhoven to participate with a battery electric motorcycle

•    Jeroen, Sebastiaan and Michael Bleekemolen new ambassadors



 photo caption:  Gijs Mom (Eindhoven University of Technology), Michael Bleekemolen, Frank Manders (Co-founder 80 Day Race), Texas van Leeuwenstein and Maurice Poot (STORM Eindhoven)



80 Day Race proudly announces the first team that aims to complete a 40,000 kilometre competition in 80 days. STORM Eindhoven from the Netherlands takes up the challenge to race around the globe with a battery electric motorcycle. Michael Bleekemolen, representing one of the most successful Dutch racing families, announced that he and his sons Jeroen and Sebastiaan became 80 Day Race ambassadors.
 

80 Day Race is based on the novel of Jules Verne. It is a race around the world where any means of transport is allowed, as long as it does not run on fossil fuels or containing a combustion engine. The race starts in Europe in 2016 and consists of 8 legs. Stopovers will be organised in major cities where a public programme including a qualifying race as well as a tradeshow will take place.
 

STORM Eindhoven is driven by highly motivated students from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. They are designing and building their own motorcycle that will circle the globe and convince the world of e-mobility with its classy design, practical modularity and improved safety.


The dedicated members are students from nearly all disciplines of the university. They are eager to show everyone that electric powered vehicles can be fun and powerful enough to take on the world.
 

Michael Bleekemolen was honoured to sign the 80 Day Race manifest on behalf of his family and has now pledged to share his passion for adventure, competitiveness and sustainable mobility, to strive for attractive and affordable mobility for future generations and to push technological boundaries as fast as possible.
 

Bleekemolen said: "Every race car driver shares a passion for technology: from go-karts, various racing series to Formula 1. But not only your equipment determines if you can battle for the win. You will also need to think ahead and trying to be smarter than anyone else, in order to achieve the best possible result.


Motorsport is meant to innovate and to pioneer and that is what I as an entrepreneur do. With Race Planet, for example, I introduced indoor go-karting in Europe. For this reason I support 80 Day Race; it is a great initiative in which they look ahead to the future of mobility."
 

Frank Manders, co-founder of 80 Day Race, said: "On October 2nd 1873 Phileas Fogg set off on his epic journey around the world. He saw opportunities based on new technology, made possible by the engineers of his time. So now, it is a true privilege to see young engineers looking at sustainable mobility with a fresh mind.


They see opportunities and embrace the challenge. So we at 80 Day Race are very glad to be able to work with STORM Eindhoven, we want to have an impact on future mobility and we think this future generation of engineers is perfectly equipped to contribute to this cause."
 




Other ambassadors that have committed to 80 Day Race are: Hubert Auriol (Three time  Dakar Rally winner and former race director), Tim Coronel (Dutch racing driver with electric aspirations), Jan Lammers (former F1 driver and Le Mans 24 hours winner), Robert Llewellyn (British actor and e-mobility specialist), Louis Palmer (sustainability specialist), Claudio von Planta (award winning film director) en Maarten Steinbuch (Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology). 



 
Tim Biesbrouck, Maartje Verhoek, also photos