The Victory electric race bike that Irishman Lee Johnston rode to the podium in the Isle of Man / SES TT Zero race event has been returned to Brammo Headquarters in Talent, Oregon, after police tracked the machine down to a local individual. The bike was recovered with damaged bodywork and rear wheel removed, but largely complete, at a residence Sunday night. The main suspect, who has a long history of run-ins with law enforcement, told police he intended to disassemble the bike and sell the parts, though nobody has admitted actually breaking into the Brammo headquarters where the race bike was on display. No current or former Brammo Inc. employees have been implicated in this case.
The fastest American motorcycle in the class, Johnston took the No. 3 all-electric racer to a top speed of over 145 mph and an average lap speed of 111.062 miles per hour in the SES TT Zero class finishing in third place in the class.
"Everyone at Brammo are relieved to have bike No. 3 back in the stable and are extremely grateful to the City of Talent Police Department for working diligently to solve this case. We'll need some time to fully assess any damage done, but from initial inspection it appears mostly cosmetic and repairable. What a bizarre event this has been. Thank you to everyone that shared the story and participated indirectly in the recovery."—Brian Wismann, Director of Product Development, Brammo Inc.
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