Biker Boy: Going offroad racing... on e-scooters
Biker Boy
These hardy two-wheelers will slide hard into turns and go airborne over jump surfaces.
They can also zip from 0 to 60kmh in about two seconds.
When some Singaporeans and Malaysians went offroad on their e-scooters this year, it attracted overseas attention.
Oddly, nobody had thought of racing them on a dirt track. But some members from DSX Cross Club - a Singapore club that promotes special e-scooters strictly meant for offroad use - did.
They had posted their exploits on social media and YouTube after participating in two events in Malaysia in May and November.
One of DSX Cross Club's founders, Mr Salimi Salleh, told The New Paper: "We received many questions from friends in Russia and France, among other countries. They've never seen offroad e-scooter racing. It has never been done. So that's why they're asking about how we organised our races."
The e-scooter races - Scoot Cross - were organised in conjunction with the Motorcycle Safety and Sports Club (MSSC) during its dirtbike races.
MSSC spokesman Ken Lim told TNP that the Scoot Cross races followed strict safety guidelines.
Next year, there are plans to coincide more Scoot Cross races with offroad dirtbike racing organised by Malaysian and Singaporean sporting bodies.
Last month, there were 15 racers in the Scoot Cross category at the Mutiara Rini MX track in Johor - all of whom wore full-faced helmets, elbow and knee pads, gloves and long pants.
It may look easy, but offroad e-scooters, which cost between $2,000 and $6,000, is no child's play, said Singaporean motocross racer Muhammad Amin, 39.
He told TNP: "It is a pocket rocket capable of reaching 100kmh. When you twist the throttle, the acceleration and torque goes direct to the rear wheel. It's exciting yet surreal because it's quiet."
Mr Salimi said: "At first, the riders were afraid that their scooters would break or get very dirty. But in the end, they forgot because of the fun they had."
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