There's a new record holder in town. Not only has Erica Lauren set a new 1/8 mile record for the Zero SR/F, but she also did it in style by beating a Ducati 959 in the process.

"World record holder pic," posted Lauren on the Zero Motorcycle Owners Group on Facebook. "Fastest 1/8 mile on a Zero SR/F. 95% SOC cold battery at 7.5 seconds. Won’t last long but was the first to my knowledge."

Not one to simply make bold claims, Lauren also posted pictures of two timeslips from the drag strip. One of them shows her completing the 1/8 mile in 7.590 seconds at 98.71 mph. The Ducati completed the run in 8.101 seconds but hit 104.71 mph at the end. A video of this run shows that the Ducati didn't have a great start, yet despite that, it was gaining on Lauren's Zero before the end.

The second timeslip is an even faster run of 7.551 seconds at 99.48 mph, but the Ducati launched better and beat her, running 6.954 seconds at 112.27 mph. She may not have beaten the Ducati the second time, but she improved on her first run, showing that 7.5-second 1/8 mile runs are possible and repeatable on the SR/F.

The main advantages of an electric bike for drag racing are instant torque off the line, as well as no clutch to slip, revs to match, or gears to shift. It's not just whacking open the throttle and going, though. It takes skill to avoid turning all that torque into tire smoke or lifting the front wheel off the ground. Lauren seems to have mastered this skill, however, with her consistently quick runs.

The 1/8 mile track masks the advantages of the gasoline-powered bike: top-end power and top speed. While the Zero would likely have broken 100 mph in a 1/4 mile run, once the Ducati got into its powerband it would've passed the Zero and never looked back, causing a very different result for this race. Yet as the great philosopher, Dominic Toretto said, "Winning's winning." Aside from the Ducati, Lauren's time is, in itself, quite impressive.

Sabrina, our Managing Editor, just got her hands on a 2020 Zero SR/F for a little while. We're soliciting ideas for what we should do with it. I think she should try to beat Lauren's record. She said herself she doesn't expect it to last, and it would be pretty cool if another woman was the one to beat her. What do you say, Sabrina?

Sources: Zero Motorcycle Owners Group, YouTube

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