We got the inside scoop on the world’s first electric scooter racing series, its development, where in the world it will be, and what it’s like to ride the eSkootr S1-X from rider ambassador, Dakota Schuetz 

ESG’s own resident roadracing champion, Paul, got an exclusive interview with Electric Skootr Championship rider ambassador, Dakota “Kota” Schuetz, on his role in this exciting new motorsport.

Kota also gave insider details on the S1-X racing scooter that he says “looks like a spaceship.”

The Electric Skootr Championship (eSC), which will be a series of electric scooter races over the course of a season, was designed to “accelerate micromobility culture and technology in forward-thinking global cities, [matching] 30 world-class riders” against one another on 60 mph electric scooters designed by Williams Advanced Technology (known for the Williams F1 racing team). 

Using the racing series as a platform, the eSC commission has the same goal that we do: promoting micromobility as an environmentally friendly and realistic form of everyday transportation.

Beyond the racetrack, eSC plans to host their series in partnership with conventions and other micromobility-related events. 

Kota hopes the championship will help everyone see how electric scooters can be used, and make them more comfortable to welcome scooter sharing companies and private use around the world. 

The plan is for eSC to take place in micromobility-friendly locales around the world, but exact locations have not yet been determined. 

Kota explained that there will be a “zero season” or test season consisting of two to three demo events this summer, and that zero season will likely take place in North America or Europe, where they have quite a few venue options. 

Although we don’t know yet exactly where the series will be, Paul noticed some coordinates screened onto the prototype S1-X scooter, and we had to take a look at these cryptic locations. 

The first set of coordinates are for Williams Racing F1 in the UK, which is run by Williams Advanced Engineering. Williams is designing and developing the S1-X racing scooter, focusing mostly on the battery technology and front-end development, and YCOM will be creating the structural components and producing the final models. 

The next two sets of coordinates are for Daytona Outdoor Go-Karting (above) and Whilton Mill Karting & Outdoor Activities in the UK. We think they included the development locations’ coordinates as ‘”easter eggs” on the scooters, showing where Kota and the eSC team likely tested and developed the S1-X. 

With a background as a champion freestyle scooter rider, Kota is both rider ambassador and development rider for eSC.

As the development rider, Kota is physically testing the racing scooter on the track, reporting what he needs, what could be better, and overall making suggestions for how to tailor the S1-X for racing competition. 

One of the most innovative features that Kota helped develop on the S1-X is the boost button. 

They implemented a solution to Kota’s repeated complaints that the frontend of the scooter delivered too much power, and he wanted to be able to control that at will. Williams developed a button that controls the amount of power sent to the front wheel, allowing Kota to limit frontend power on turns and boost it up on straightaways. 

Kota said, “That button makes the biggest difference for, basically, confidence accelerating out of a corner and then full straight-line speed. That’s one of the cooler things that was developed that could be implemented in private scooters eventually.”

The eSkootr S1-X doesn’t look like any other scooter you’ll see on the road or in the market. All of its components, down to the rims, are custom designed and manufactured for this model.

The first thing you’ll probably notice aside from the aerospace-worthy design is the low height of the handlebars. When we asked Kota about this, he said that when he’s standing on the deck the handlebars are wrist height, or approximately 30 in from the deck. Since racers will likely want to tuck down behind the handlebars to reduce drag, it makes sense that the handlebars aren’t very tall.

Along with the unique frontend boost button, the S1-X also has a unique killswitch, which is connected to a tether that the rider wears around their wrist. If they fall off, they’ll pull the tether with them and the killswitch cuts the power. 

Here’s what Kota said it’s like to ride the S1-X:

The S1-X looks out of this world, but it’s base specs aren’t that unfamiliar. It’s twin motor power is comparable to a Rion, the only hyperscooter out there, and is about double the power of a Weped or Kaabo Wolf King. When it comes to battery capacity and weight, it’s equivalent to an Apollo Pro or Dualtron Eagle Pro, nothing too crazy.  

Here are the specifications we can share with you so far, as the S1-X is still in ongoing development. 

If you want to hear more about the development process and what to expect from the racing series, don’t miss the full interview in Liveshow #82. To learn more about eSC and where they’ll be holding the racing series, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. 

If you’re ready to hit the track, check out our introduction to electric scooter racing.