During Atlas’ two years of competitive racing, it competed in five AHRMA Formula Lightning races. Rode by David McPherson (594) of McNology Racing, Atlas achieved four podium finishes and a first place medal against production electric motorcycles at Gingerman Raceway.

Spark fielded Atlas in the AHRMA Formula Lightning class. This class is designed to let both production and prototype electric motorcycles compete next to gas powered race bikes. One of the Formula lightning races held each year is the Varsity Challenge – an invitational for University electric motorcycle teams to compete with their prototype electric machines. 

We are excited to share that Atlas is now being refurbished for future display at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Atlas is set to be displayed alongside some of the rarest and most significant bikes in history, and will surely inspire future engineers interested in motorsports.

Stats

Curb WeightPeak Power OutputLap SpeedTop Speed
280 lbs124 kW100 mph average at New Jersey Motorsports Park120 mph

Specs

Chassis & Dynamics
  • Chassis
    • Steel Trellis chassis and swingarm
    • Welded in-house
  • Front Suspension
    • KYB inverted front forks with 43mm tubes
    • Ktech SSRK Fork Piston Kit
    • Cast aluminum triple tree
    • 24 deg rake
  • Rear Suspension
    •  Ohlins STX 46 rear shock
    • Adjustable spring preload & rebound
  • Front Brakes
    • Dual 4 piston calipers, Galfer racing brake pads
    • Dual 298mm Galfer fully floating wave rotors
  • Rear Brakes
    • Single 2 piston caliper, EBC HH sintered brake pads
    • 220mm cross drilled rotor
    • Brembo master cylinder
  • Aerodynamics
    • Custom naked style carbon fiber fairings
  • Wheels & Tires
    • Front: Bridgestone Battlax V02 120/600R17 slick w/ 17×3.5″ cast aluminum 3 spoke wheel
    • Rear: Bridgestone Battlax V02 200/655R17 slick w/ 17×6″ cast aluminum 3 spoke wheel
Powertrain
  • Drive
    • Emdrive eM500 inverter
    • Emrax 228 LV PMSM axial flux motor
  • Battery
    • 118V pack architecture
    • Modular design
    • 8.5 kW/hr energy capacity
Electronics
  • Battery Management System
    • 48 Cell OrionBMS module
  • Display
    • MRS MConn 7 Touchscreen TFT Display
  • HV Controls
    • Custom HV junction box w/ manual inverter precharge / discharge

History

  • Winter 2020

    • Development of Atlas begins
    • Progress postponed by COVID-19

  • Fall 2021

    • In-person development resumes
    • Manufacturing begins

  • Winter 2022

    • Bike manufacturing continued…
    • Bike Launched!

  • Race 1: New Jersey Motorsports Park – June 2022

    The New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) round of the 2022 AHRMA Road Race season hosted the Varsity Challenge. The team at Spark worked tirelessly to get Atlas completed and ready to race for this event. As it was the first race with an entirely new bike and team, there were many bugs to figure out. By the end of the weekend the team managed to get Atlas to complete an entire race and secure a second place finish, the first AHRMA podium in the teams history.

  • Race 2: Gingerman Raceway – September 2022

    Building on the lessons learned at NJMP, the team went on to field Atlas in our home race at Gingerman Raceway. The Friday practice session showed that Atlas was having difficulty staying cool in the early September heat. After many attempts to solve the problem, the cooling system was not up to the task and the motor controller overheated and failed. This cut our race weekend short, but the team came away from this with an ambition to improve Atlas and prepare it for the next race.

  • Race 3: Carolina Motorsports Park – March 2023

    The winter between 2022 and 2023 saw many days of troubleshooting, rebuilding, and dyno testing. With race experience under our belt, there were many upgrades to make in the off season. Spark came down to South Carolina to compete in the 2023 Season as early as possible. The improvements to Atlas proved to be worthwhile. After some minor hiccups during practice, Atlas completed the first race that weekend with no reliability issues and won its first race. The second race of the event ended short due to a lowside crash. Fortunately both our rider and Atlas were able to walk away from the incident with minimal damage.

  • Race 4: Gingerman Raceway – July 2023

    A full inspection of the crash damage obtained at Carolina Motorsports Park revealed only minor damage to the handlebars and footpegs. With that knowledge, the team set its sights on competing again at Gingerman in July. This round is where the team was fully able to demonstrate its strength and experience. Racing against a competitive field of race prepped production Zero Motorcycles, Atlas took third place in Race 1. The following day, Atlas emerged victorious, winning on merit with an overtake on the last lap to secure first place.

  • Race 5: Barber Motorsports Park – October 2023

    With two race finishes at two separate events, Atlas was able to qualify to race at Barber for the first time. Attending the AHRMA season finale at Barber has always been a goal for the team and we were not going to pass the opportunity up. Now feeling like a well oiled racing team, we packed up and hit the road for Alabama. Our weekend at Barber could not have gone better, with zero reliability issues and the bike in its highest state of tune ever, Atlas went on to win both races of the weekend. Team Alumni flew in to witness the event, and the success was the perfect way to wrap up two seasons of racing with Atlas. 

  • 2024-Present

    • Atlas retires from competition, succeeded by Zephyrus
    • Refurbishment in progress for future display at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, the world’s largest motorcycle museum