Powerboat racing-DJ Aoki's team wins in Dubrovnik as Lebron claims first E1 podium
June 16 (Reuters) - DJ Steve Aoki's electric raceboat team surged to victory in the Adriatic over the weekend, claiming their second win of the season and leapfrogging Rafa Nadal's outfit in the E1 championship standings.
Former Formula 1 test driver Dani Clos, a new addition to Aoki Racing Team for 2025, took the chequered flag in a tight finish at the E1 Dubrovnik Grand Prix, with Team Brady securing second place and NBA superstar LeBron James celebrating his first podium finish with Team AlUla in third.
The victory unfolded against the backdrop of Dubrovnik's historic walls, where thousands gathered for Croatia's debut on the UIM E1 World Championship calendar, the series dedicated to all-electric powerboat racing.
The result intensified the rivalry between Aoki's team and Nadal's, which could only manage fourth place despite qualifying strongly. Both teams have emerged as the dominant forces in the 2025 season as they vie for the "Champions of the Water" title, to be decided in Miami in November.
The championship, which features teams owned by global celebrities including actor Will Smith and former footballer Didier Drogba, now heads to Italy's Lake Maggiore in late June for the midpoint of the season.
The E1 World Championship is the first all-electric raceboat series sanctioned by powerboating's global governing body, the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), and is designed to accelerate innovation in sustainable marine technology and coastal conservation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Bombshell report claims LeBron James has made decision on NBA retirement
A new bombshell NBA report claims that living legend LeBron James has made a decision on retiring - the current 40-year-old will test the market at the end of this season. James is widely expected to opt into the final year of his contract for the upcoming season worth $52.6million. Then, James will become an unrestricted free agent again, for the first time since 2018, per ESPN. No looming decision is expected to draw the attention of the last three times the current Los Angeles Laker was up for grabs. On all three of those instances, 2010, 2014, and 2018, James changed teams. What market there would be for a 41-year-old James is unclear, especially with his son, Bronny James, also on the Lakers. James could retire at the end of this upcoming season, with a severe pay cut expected should he want to continue playing. Rarely has a player over 40 garnered the kind of money James would like, with Tom Brady being an exception. If someone could replicate that, James appears to be in good shape to do so. James is also the longest-tenured player in the NBA, with his career mirroring in large part that of hockey legend Alex Ovechkin, who is widely expected to depart the NHL when his Washington Capitals contract is up next year, in what will be the season following him breaking hockey's all-time goal-scoring record. James has held a contract at the NBA's maximum since 2014, with that figure likely coming to an end at the end of this season no matter what. James may be trading out the hardwood for Hollywood after he retires from the NBA, as he has hinted at making the jump to acting. James has previously hosted ' Saturday Night Live ' and was the star in the movie 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' - which flopped compared to its iconic predecessor. A full-time career in Hollywood would no doubt be lucrative for James, with interest from studios an unknown. 'If the scripts start to roll in and there's an opportunity for me to do some acting and I have the time... I don't mind looking at it and seeing if I can make it happen,' James said to the Hollywood Reporter.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ice Spice's NFL star boyfriend reveals which NBA superstar played matchmaker
New York Jets star Sauce Gardner has revealed that NBA legend LeBron James helped play matchmaker with his rapper girlfriend Ice Spice. Ice Spice and Gardner hard launched their relationship back in April with a bathroom selfie before appearing together courtside at a New York Knicks playoff game against the Boston Celtics. The duo first met in April 2024 however during a taping of James' 'The Shop' that co-starred Gardner, Ice Spice, fellow rapper Travis Scott, and Chad Johnson, per TMZ. Gardner and Ice Spice had been romantically linked for months prior to their official announcement, with the pair staying in touch since being in James' vicinity. Ice Spice has been associated with the sports world since before meeting Gardner, as a member of Taylor Swift 's squad. Ice Spice has been in attendance at the last two Super Bowls, sitting next to Swift as she watched boyfriend Travis Kelce compete. Gardner is one of the most lauded defensive backs in the NFL with the Jets ever since coming out of college at Cincinnati. Yet, Gardner has yet to taste postseason success in New York, with hopes of that trend changing this season with new head coach Aaron Glenn. Gardner is expected to receive a huge contract over the next few seasons, as his rookie deal is set to expire at the conclusion of 2026. Ice Spice and Gardner were both born in the year 2000, with the NFL star being coy on talking about his relationship with the rapper. Yet, he did speak on her being from New York and him having a professional career in the Big Apple bringing them closer. That happiness started due to James bringing the pair together for a talk show.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Jeff in Venice: seven takeaways from the Bezos-Sánchez wedding
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez held their wedding ceremony in Venice's Grand canal on Friday, the centrepiece of a three-day gala that drew dozens of stars but also protests by local activists. Here are seven takeaways. The couple kicked off celebrations with a foam party onboard their $500m (£364m) super yacht that is moored close to the Croatian island of Unije. Coinciding with Sánchez's son Evan Whitesell's 19th birthday, paparazzi photos showed the couple wearing swimwear and sunhats covered in frothy suds as they partied alongside Whitesell and his friends. As anyone who attended a foam party in the noughties can attest to, they are notorious for causing conjunctivitis, so the decision to hold one just days before their nuptials was somewhat surprising but maybe billionaire foam hits different. What do you get for the fourth richest person in the world? Apparently nothing. A portion of the official invitation obtained by ABC News stipulated an early request from the couple; 'please, no gifts'. Instead it stated that Bezos and Sánchez would be making donations 'with gratitude' on their guests' behalf to causes including the Venice International University and an organisation dedicated to restoring the city's lagoons. On social media, the biggest question users had was, who had designed the invite? Featuring doodle-like illustrations of butterflies, shooting stars, feathers and the Rialto Bridge some argued they had been generated by AI or, perhaps, bulk bought via Amazon. Alongside donations on their behalf, each guest will receive a goodie bag. While we wait for one of the Kardashian clan to do an official unboxing on YouTube so far it has been revealed that they feature sweet treats from the historic Venetian pastry shop Rosa Salva and vibrant coloured glassware from the Murano specialist Laguna B. First came the anti-capitalist public protests. Then it turned out one of Bezos and Sánchez's three chosen venues was in fact, covered by unsightly scaffolding. The next disaster to hit? A freak thunderstorm on Thursday night during a welcoming party at the Madonna dell'Orto cloisters. With heavy lightning and rain it reportedly leaving many guests soaked, forcing the event to end early. Perhaps Bezos and Sánchez's should have followed fashion week's lead and hired a rain shaman. The biggest hint that Sánchez will at some point wear a dress by Dolce & Gabbana stems from a photo of Domenico Dolce enjoying aperitivo hour at the Gritti Palace, a five-star hotel on Venice's Grand canal. Sánchez is a long-time fan of the Italian label but, saying that, she isn't particularly loyal to any brand, and it's thought that Anna Wintour – who is likely attending – is supportive of the idea. As she recently told Vogue after decades of dressing in tailoring during her TV presenting days, she is now focusing on 'having fun' with fashion. Plus, she has the budget to buy whatever she wants rather than rely on designers to approve her wearing a loan. Sánchez appeared to whizz off to the ceremony in an Audrey Hepburn cosplay in a headscarf and dark glasses. Getting lost in Venice is part of the charm. Not so if you have a staged paparazzi shot to get to. As anyone who's been in a city tour group will know, ensuring all parties are dressed in the same garb is the easiest way to stay with the party. Literal dressing, where you pay homage to the place, is one thing. The fetishisation of postwar Italian cultural icons such as Monica Vitti or Sophia Lauren in some archive Cavalli (Kendall and Kylie) or vintage Versace snakeskin (Kim) is another. Still, it's probably the simplest way to stay with the crowd while reminding people you're in Italy. In case anyone had forgotten. With the ceremony not taking place until Friday evening, many guests found themselves with time to kill. With a personal art collection valued at $127mn, it came as no surprise that Bill Gates and friend popped into the Accademia that houses The Pietà by Titian.
