Introducing the eSkooter racing series involving ex-MotoGP rider Bradley Smith
Ex-MotoGP rider Bradley Smith signs up to promote, develop and rider talent scout for the new quirky new eSkooter Championship
While the notion of electric motorcycles - coming soon to a plug socket near you - hasn’t quite resonated with the community, by contrast electric scooters are becoming an increasingly popular part of the urban scenery.
Whether you own one outright or pick one from the many rider-share schemes popping up across cities, electric scooters are becoming big business… so it’s only natural this has been turned into an FIM-endorsed racing championship.
OK, so maybe racing on wheels while standing up isn’t a natural segue, but with the governing body eager to show a greener conscience (before legislation forces it to anyway) it seems the MotoE World Cup isn’t enough to fulfil that quota.
As such, the new eSkooter Championship has been launched with - what we think is - a more tongue-in-cheek approach to eco-friendly motorsport on two wheels, albeit one that doesn’t diminish the fierce competition it is likely to promote.
At its heart is the control supply SX-1 scooter, developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, and looking a little like a Formula E car distilled into a lithe, upright scooter package.
This isn’t your average ‘pick up off the street’ scooter though. With a carbon fibre frame, natural-fibre bodywork, bespoke and adjustable front and rear suspension elements CNC-machined from aluminium, the SX-1 will achieve race speeds in excess of 100km/h (60mph) and cornering angles of 50 degrees.
Quite obviously we won’t see these machines joining the MotoGP support package any time soon, even if we enjoyed letting our mind wander to imagine how they’d look getting up the hills on the Sachsenring or slipstreaming for an age on the Mugello straight. Instead, they will race on circuits specially designed between 400m and 1000m long.
The ESC has been ramping up its promotional efforts recently and has attracted a diverse entry list by the looks of it, not least ex-MotoGP rider Bradley Smith, who has been leading development and is acting as a talent scout for good measure.
We’ll reserve judgement for when the series gets underway, but we’re certainly curious to see how the action unfolds when riders will be clashing elbows, knees and pelvis’...
