The Weirdest Forms Of Motorsports - From Trucks To Lawn Mowers

Published: Thursday, June 15, 2023, 14:53 [IST]

Racing is a way of life. It enhances our love of speed and competition, no matter what type fits our style - whether it's liking the day-to-day categories of racing or the more wacky, yet amusing ones. These are the weirdest forms of motorsports that we've come across, and I'm pretty sure you'll be as surprised as we were with some of these!

ESkootr Championship

The ESkootr Championship is a relatively new series to see the world of motorsports, but it means serious business. It was introduced with a bang, with Lucas Di Grassi (former F1 Driver and Formula E Champion) being an ambassador. Nico Hulkenberg (current F1 Driver) and Carlin Racing, both, run their own teams on this grid.

The scooters are quite the thing! It is powered by two 6kW motors, with a 1.33kWh battery developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, that can reach speeds of more than 100km/h. Also, it can achieve up to 55 degrees of lean angle, 9 degrees less than that of a MotoGP bike.

Piaggio Ape Racing

We see a lot of the Piaggio Ape drivers in the city channel their inner Schumacher while manoeuvring their vehicles in and out of traffic. Well, in this series, they get a chance to showcase their true potential by racing on a track, mainly go-kart tracks.

Some of these three-wheelers are modified, such as the Lightning McQueen-themed Ape, with a sports bike engine, producing around 100bhp! The Piaggio Ape races have become a tradition in Italy, as a beginner-level form of motorsports. An advocate for this type of racing is the Italian Icon, Valentino Rossi.

Stadium Super Trucks

Stadium Super Trucks is nothing short of a maniacal motorsporting event. It features proper rally-raid vehicles that are used inside stadiums, on track, with 3-foot high ramps, for some jumping around. Robby Gordon, an ex-NASCAR and Indycar Driver, was the brain behind this smart idea.

The Stadium Super Trucks are powered by an LS V8 engine, that produces well over 600bhp that is mated to a 3-speed automatic gearbox. They are built using a steel-tube frame and a fibreglass body, resulting in them only weighing about 1300kgs. These trucks can achieve speeds of close to 230km/h.

Lawn Mower Racing

Lawn Mower racing sounds as crazy as it is read. Who would think lawnmowers and motorsports can go hand-in-hand? Definitely not us, but we aren't complaining! 'Professional' lawn-mower racing incorporates the use of some heavily modified kits to achieve maximum speeds and performance. The clubs that host these events are primarily based in UK and Australia.

Honda, with their 'Mean Mower V2', holds the record for the fastest lawn-mower ever built. It can get up to speeds of over 240km/h, and is powered by a 999cc four-cylinder engine, with more than 200bhp. This engine is taken straight out of a CBR1000RR!

24 Hours Of LeMons

24 Hours Of LeMons is a 24-hour endurance race that takes place on a tarmac track, with sub $500 cars (Rs. 41,000). Apart from the race length, there are little to no similarities to the format of a legitimate endurance championship. Instead, winners of the event are chosen based on style points, not who finishes first.

Any car can compete in this series providing it costs under $500, excluding the safety equipment, tyres and brakes. If the officials feel that an amount greater than $500 has been spent then they will allow the competitor to race, but award them with negative laps. They may start the race a few hundred laps down compared to the others.

Thoughts On The Weirdest Forms Of Racing

These are only some of the weirdest and wackiest forms of motorsports - but seem just as fun as it does different. The 24-Hours Of LeMons seems like a super interesting event, with the beaten-up cars and funky designs. Also, the ESkootr Championship is going on quite strongly and also keeps us on our feet while watching it.

Racing, as we now know, can come in various forms - and each one is more interesting than the other. With three-wheelers, trucks, cheap cars, and scooters, it spans across almost all forms of transport and can be a great joy to witness it!