The development of the STRiX Electric motorcycle is taking place at the Portuguese round of the World Championship.
Pedro Bianchi Prata takes his place on the starting line of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal at the controls of the STRiX Eletric, a brand-new electric motorbike developed by Stark Future. The Portuguese rider aims to compete in the 2027 Dakar Rally with an upgraded version of this bike, in a future that will be electric.
With an Enduro chassis, weighing 140 kilograms, and being more stable and easier to handle, the Stark Eletric is an evolution of the earlier versions, which were more suited to use on motocross tracks. With a motor capable of delivering 105 horsepower and a maximum range of 50 kilometres on 7 kWh batteries – which are easy to swap thanks to their cassette-style design – the STRiX will be tested for the first time in a competitive setting in Portugal.
For Bianchi Prata, the development work has been ongoing:
“When I first tested the bike, I could only manage 20 kilometres on a single battery and told the brand’s Slovenian engineers that it wasn’t enough. They quickly made several changes to the bike’s software and now we’ve achieved a range of 50 kilometres,” he added.
At this year’s bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, Bianchi Prata will have pre-determined battery-swap points set by the organisers, which will be used to complete the various special stages. The aim is to gather information about the bike and work alongside the engineers on developing the STRiX Electric ahead of the 2027 Dakar Rally.