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They say the first car race occurred shortly after the second car was built. Speed junkies have long created races around just about every form of transportation out there, so it comes as no surprise that electric scooter racing would eventually pop up.

What is surprising though is just how freaking fast these racing scooters actually are, capable of exceeding 60 mph (100 km/h) on what looks like an overgrown kid’s toy.

But these are far from any children’s toy I’ve seen. Weighing in at 77 lb (35 kg), the YCOM S1-X electric scooters were custom-built for the eSkootr Championship (eSC).

The eSC is the first and only high-speed standing electric scooter racing league, and it’s as bonkers as it sounds. We first covered the league over a year ago when it announced its intentions and began looking for teams.

Fortunately for everyone who has ever wanted to see dudes on small-wheeled scooters take turns at highway speeds, enough teams signed up that the league was able to get off the ground and rolling.

Earlier this year eSC unveiled its S1-X electric scooter, and now we’re getting our closest look yet at the new scooters, along with an inside scoop on how they were tested ahead of next year’s racing commencement.

Racing will start in 2022 on specially-designed circuits ranging in length from 400 to 800 meters (1,300 to 2,600 feet).

To minimize costs for racing teams and lower the barriers to entry, the eSC decided to standardize around a single scooter design. Motorsport engineering company YCOM was chosen as the designer, ultimately producing the high-power S1-X electric scooter for the league.

The 12 kW (16 hp) electric scooters split their power between two in-wheel hub motors, and a special boost button will be available to dump an extra 20% power on straightaways. Stored energy comes from a 1.5 kWh battery under the deck of the scooter.

We’ve seen other electric scooters achieve ranges of over 60 miles (100 km) with a battery of that size, but at much more reasonable speeds of around 25 mph (40 km/h). At the speeds and power levels that the eSC will see, don’t expect anywhere near that range. A dozen or so laps of a less-than-half-mile track could be all she wrote for such small batteries.

The scooter’s carbon fiber chassis is described by YCOM as being clad in bodywork that is “aerodynamic and environmentally-friendly,” though it’s not clear how they earned the latter part of that designator. Between the carbon fiber chassis and machined aluminum components, the scooter is actually fairly lightweight for such a high-power ride.

We’ve tested other electric scooters that achieved speeds nearly this fast yet weighed around 25% more.

So far, YCOM has delivered 10 electric scooters and has another 20 more in the works to be delivered before racing begins.

The first 10 units began trials with a group of 16 riders, but the first tests were run with the scooters limited to 40% power.

As testing progressed, the power was incrementally increased up to 70%. By that point, riders reported feeling “fatigued by the physical demands of such speeds and lean angles of up to 55 degrees.”

YCOM explained that “with improved physical conditioning and additional practice in October testing, it is hoped that the riders will be able to use 100% power as well as the additional 20% temporary boost function in the first race.”

Electrek’s Take

People are always going to ride fast, powerful, and sometimes crazy-looking contraptions as long as they exist. At least this way it can be done in a somewhat regulated, presumably supervised fashion and with paramedics standing by.

And at least we can all watch.

While this does sound extreme (and it is), I will say I’m glad to see that the riders are outfitted with full motorcycle racing suits and helmets, and it looks like they are serious about safety. Creating custom-designed race tracks is also a good step in the right direction. Some of the worst automotive racing disasters in history have come about from vehicles racing on tracks that weren’t designed for them (the 1955 Le Mans disaster springs to mind).

So, if people are going to take small-wheeled, overpowered, and unstable vehicles up to breakneck speeds, at least they’re going to do it in a controlled and entertaining fashion. What more can you ask for?

You better believe we’ll be following up to see how these daredevils fare when the power is cranked to the max. Stick around for more coverage in the future, and let us know your thoughts on the eSC’s racing plans in the comment section below.


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Ochuko Ojiri: Bargain Hunt expert charged as part of police investigation into terrorist financing

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Ochuko Ojiri: Bargain Hunt expert charged as part of police investigation into terrorist financing

An antiques expert from the TV show Bargain Hunt has been charged by police following an investigation into terrorist financing.

Oghenochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri, 53, is accused of eight counts of “failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector”, the Met Police said.

The force said he was the first person to be charged with that specific offence under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Mr Ojiri, from west London, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

It comes “following an investigation into terrorist financing” and relates to the period from October 2020 to December 2021, a police spokesperson said.

They added that the probe had been carried out in partnership with Treasury officials, HMRC and the Met’s Arts & Antiques Unit.

Mr Ojiri, who police described as an “art dealer”, has been on Bargain Hunt since 2019.

He has also appeared on the BBC‘s Antiques Road Trip programme.

In a statement, the BBC said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”

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Man accused of harassing Jennifer Aniston for two years before crashing car through gates of her home

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Man accused of harassing Jennifer Aniston for two years before crashing car through gates of her home

A man has been charged after allegedly harassing Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston for two years before crashing his car through the front gate of her home, prosecutors have said.

Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, of New Albany, Mississippi, is accused of having repeatedly sent the Friends star unwanted voicemail, email and social media messages since 2023.

The 48-year-old is then alleged to have crashed his grey Chrysler PT Cruiser through the front gate of Aniston’s home in the wealthy Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles early on Monday afternoon.

Prosecutors said the collision caused major damage.

Police have said Aniston was at home at the time.

A security guard stopped Carwyle on her driveway before police arrived and arrested him.

There were no reports of anyone being injured.

More from Ents & Arts

Carwyle has been charged with felony stalking and vandalism, prosecutors said on Thursday.

He also faces an aggravating circumstance of the threat of great bodily harm, Los Angeles County district attorney Nathan Hochman said.

Carwyle, who has been held in jail since his arrest on Monday, is set to appear in court on Thursday.

His bail has been set at $150,000 dollars (£112,742).

He is facing up to three years in prison if he is convicted as charged.

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Ex-police officers cleared of murdering motorist
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Motown legend accused of sexually assaulting housekeepers

“My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who stalk and terrorise others, ensuring they are held accountable,” Mr Hochman said in a statement.

Aniston bought her mid-century mansion in Bel Air on a 3.4-acre site for about 21 million dollars (£15.78m) in 2012, according to reporting by Architectural Digest.

She became one of the biggest stars on television in her 10 years on NBC’s Friends.

Aniston won an Emmy Award for best lead actress in a comedy for the role, and she has been nominated for nine more.

She has appeared in several Hollywood films and currently stars in The Morning Show on Apple TV+.

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Giles Martin on AI plans: ‘It’s like saying you can burgle my house unless I ask you not to’

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Giles Martin on AI plans: 'It's like saying you can burgle my house unless I ask you not to'

Producer Giles Martin has said plans to allow AI firms to use artists’ work without permission, unless creators opt out, is like criminals being given free rein to burgle houses unless they are specifically told not to.

Martin, who is the son of Beatles producer George Martin and worked with Sir Paul McCartney on the Get Back documentary series and the 2023 Beatles track Now And Then, spoke to Sky News at a UK Music protest at Westminster coinciding with a parliamentary debate on the issue.

Under the plans, an exemption to copyright would be created for training artificial intelligence (AI), so tech firms would not need a licence to use copyrighted material – rather, creators would need to opt out to prevent their work from being used.

Creatives say if anything it should be opt-in rather than out, and are calling on the government to scrap the proposals and stop AI developers “stealing” their work “without payment or permission”.

Giles Martin at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Pic: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Image:
Giles Martin at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Pic: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

“If you create something unique it should be unique to you,” says Martin. “It shouldn’t be able to be harvested and then used by other people. Or if it is, it should be with your permission… it shouldn’t be up to governments or big tech.”

Sir Elton John and Simon Cowell are among the celebrities who have backed a campaign opposing the proposals, and Sir Paul has also spoken out against them.

“This is about young artists,” says Martin. “If a young Paul McCartney at the age of 20 or 22 wrote Yesterday, now… big tech would almost be able to harvest that song and use it for their own means. It doesn’t make any sense, this ruling of opting out – where essentially it’s like saying, ‘you can burgle my house unless I ask you not to’.”

More on Artificial Intelligence

‘I’m not anti-AI – it’s a question of permission’

The Beatles’ track Now And Then was written and recorded by John Lennon in New York in the late 1970s, and AI was used to extract his vocals for the 2023 release. The Get Back documentary also used audio restoration technology, allowing music and vocals to be isolated.

The Beatles have released a music video to accompany the last “new” Beatles song.
Image:
AI was used to release The Beatles’ track Now And Then in 2023. Pic: Apple Corps Ltd

“I’m not anti [AI], I’m not saying we should go back to writing on scribes,” Martin said. “But I do think that it’s a question of artist’s permission.”

Using AI to “excavate” Lennon’s voice was with the permission of the late singer’s estate, he said, and is “different from me getting a 3D printer to make a John Lennon”.

He added: “The idea of, for example, whoever your favourite artist is – the future is, you get home from work and they’ll sing you a song, especially designed for you, by that artist, by that voice. And it’ll make you feel better because AI will know how you’re feeling at that time. That’s maybe a reality. Whoever that artist is, they should probably have a say in that voice.”

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Authors ‘absolutely sick’ to discover books in ‘shadow library’
AI tool could be game-changer in battle against Alzheimer’s

Crispin Hunt, of 1990s band The Longpigs, who also attended the protest, said “all technology needs some kind of oversight”.

“If you remove the ability for the world to make a living out of creativity, or if you devalue creativity to such an extent that that it becomes a hobby and worthless to do, then humanity in life will be far less rich because it’s art and culture that makes life richer,” he said. “And that’s why the companies want it for free.”

The Data (Use and Access) Bill primarily covers data-sharing agreements, but transparency safeguards were removed at committee stage.

Critics say changes need to be made to ensure that companies training generative AI models disclose whether work by a human creator has been used and protect creatives under existing copyright rules.

In February, more than 1,000 artists and musicians including Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Sam Fender and Annie Lennox released a silent album in protest at the proposed changes.

At that time, a government spokesperson said the UK’s current rules were “holding back the creative industries, media and AI sector from realising their full potential – and that cannot continue”.

The spokesperson said they were consulting on proposals that better protect the “interests of both AI developers and right holders” and to deliver a solution “which allows both to thrive”.

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