New footage shows the manager of a Japanese baseball team entering his home stadium on a bizarre £500,000 flying motorbike-drone hybrid.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the new manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, flew into the Sapporo Dome, Hokkaidō, Japan on Tuesday aboard the futuristic XTurismo.
The vehicle, described as a cross between a motorcycle, a drone and a vertical take-off aircraft, can travel at speeds of 60 miles per hour for up to 40 minutes.
XTurismo looks like a scaled-up drone, except for its motorbike-style seat designed to carry a single passenger.
Shinjo, a flamboyant 50-year-old who calls himself Big Boss, appeared for his team the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters’ first home game of the season.
With the spotlight on him, Shinjo was wheeled into the stadium along the ground, took off and soared high above the field before landing about a minute later.
He then whipped off his helmet and tossed his red jacket to the ground with wild abandon before striding off.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo, manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and former Major League Baseball (MLB) player in the US, enters the Sapporo Dome by flying through the air on XTurismo before the start of their game against the Seibu Lions, March 29, 2022
Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the newly appointed manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and former Major League Baseball (MLB) player in the US, speaking before the start of the game
Unfortunately, the epic stunt failed to bolster his team – the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters lost 4-0 to the Saitama Seibu Lions, leaving them still searching for a first win of the season.
‘If you don’t spend time thinking about how to win baseball games rather than getting ready for flashy performances, you’ll get dragged down into the quagmire,’ one Twitter user wrote after Tuesday’s game, a 4-0 loss.
‘Enough performances – get results,’ wrote another.
Shinjo is a former professional baseball outfielder himself, and has officially registered his name with baseball authorities as Big Boss.
Last weekend, he emerged from a box covered in flashing lights when he came out for his team’s opening game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Shinjo, who had stints in Major League Baseball, was appointed Fighters manager ahead of the new season despite having no coaching experience.
He’s a good match for Xturismo, which is the creation of Tokyo-based drone start-up A.L.I. Technologies and is on sale for just under £500,000 ($682,000).
Onlookers stare as Shinjo, a flamboyant 50-year-old who calls himself Big Boss, stunned the crowd on Tuesday when he appeared for his team the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters’ first home game of the season on a futuristic black vehicle
The ‘Xturismo’ (pictured) from Tokyo-based drone start-up A.L.I. Technologies was unveiled during a test-flight on an empty racetrack in the foothills of Mount Fuji last October
Powered by an internal combustion engine, the Xturismo is kept aloft by two primary propellers, which are situated where the wheels would be on a conventional motorcycle.
Four auxiliary propellers placed at the corners of the vehicle, meanwhile, provide stabilisation.
According to A.L.I. Technologies, the Xturismo employs the same altitude control technology that the firm already uses in its unmanned drones, ensuring a smooth flight when aloft.
When resting on the ground, the hoverbike rests on two landing skids – similar to those that might be seen on a conventional helicopter.
Alongside being used as part of leisure activities, the bike has potential to help rescue people from accidents at sea.
XTurismo was unveiled last autumn during a test-flight on an empty racetrack in the foothills of Mount Fuji.
During the demonstration flight – which was witnessed by a crowd of guests and members of the press – Xturismo rose several feet above the ground and glided around above the racetrack for around a minute and a half.
One drawback of the design may be the reportedly deafening roar of the Xturismo’s engine and six rotor blades; some onlookers had to be issued with earplugs.
Powered by an internal combustion engine, the Xturismo is kept aloft by two primary propellers, which are situated where the wheels would be on a conventional motorcycle. It’s pictured during the unveiling in October 2021
The firm said it would produce a limited run of 200 of the bikes, each of which weighs in at 661lbs (300kg), for delivery in the first half of 2022.
‘We would like to propose a new lifestyle with this floating vehicle,’ A.L.I. Technologies CEO Daisuke Katano said at the unveiling event in October at the Fuji Speedway Racing Course, Nikkei Asia reported.
A.L.I. Technologies is backed by the Kyocera, a Kyoto-based ceramics and electronics manufacturer, as well as by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital.
During the demonstration flight in 2021 (pictured), Xturismo rise up several feet above the ground and glided around above the racetrack for around a minute and a half
One drawback of the design may turn out to be the reportedly deafening roar of the Xturismo’s engine and six rotor blades – with onlookers having been issued with earplugs