The Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes a step towards a greener future in 2023 taking delivery of a fleet of brand new, fully electric Yamaha NEO’s scooters for use as paddock bikes.
Yamaha has been developing and producing electric vehicles for over three decades, but the NEO’s is their first high-volume electric scooter equivalent to a 50cc. The new generation NEO’s is powered by a removable lithium-ion battery and driven by a hub-mounted offering strong and controllable acceleration, but with zero emissions and a super quiet ride.
Bennetts British Superbike series promoter and rights holder MotorSport Vision has long been using Yamaha scooters and motorcycles as paddock transport and recovery vehicles, but for 2023 they will ‘Switch ON’ as the Paddock Team switch to the electric NEO’s scooters.
Comfortable, agile and easy to ride, the NEO’s makes for perfect paddock transport with its smooth, quiet and efficient electric power. The removable battery also means finding somewhere to charge is less of an issue, as the team can simply pull up, remove the battery from under the seat and place it on charge indoors.
The NEO’s simple, compact and universal styling fits in well among the buzz of the Bennetts BSB paddock and the Smart Key keyless system means the busy paddock team can simply hop on and ride.
The Bennetts BSB team have also taken delivery of a fleet of Ténéré 700 recovery bikes for marshals to use to transport stranded riders back to the pits.
And it’s not just the Bennetts BSB paddock team switching on for 2023 with the Official Yamaha British Superbike Team – McAMS Yamaha – also taking delivery of two NEO’s scooters for riders Jason O’Halloran and Tim Neave to use around the paddock.
Jeff Turner, Marketing Manager Yamaha Motor UK, said: “It’s really exciting to be able to continue our relationship with Bennetts BSB in 2023. The Herock RaceSafe Marshals and paddock team are the silent heroes of Bennetts BSB and without them the show would not run so it's great to be able to supply them with some of the equipment they need to carry out their work. We're thrilled that they have chosen to take on the all-new electric NEO's as the official paddock scooter - it's the perfect tool for the job! We look forward to seeing them flying around the paddock!"
Stuart Higgs, Bennetts British Superbike Series Director, concluded: “We have a long association with Yamaha and I am pleased that we can extend that further into 2023. The Yamaha paddock scooters and taxi bikes are pivotal to the operational side of the event, so we look forward to utilising them during the season. Switching to the new, electric NEO’s for the paddock team made complete sense – they can fulfil the needs of our paddock team and with zero emissions!”