BTCC: Simon Cowell ‘considering’ suing engine supplier Swindon Powertrain for £10m after Bike Crash

X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent star Simon Cowell is ‘considering’ suing Swindon Powertrain for up to £10m.

The news comes after the 61-year-old broke his back whilst riding the £20,000 Swind EB-01, a 60mph electric-assisted bike.

The Wiltshire-based company has provided TOCA-spec engines for the British Touring Car Championship for almost 10 years, and led Ash Sutton to the 2020 championship title.

The injuries sustained by Cowell required emergency surgery, causing the TV mogul to miss appearances on Britain’s Got Talent as he accidently forced a wheelie whilst changing gears.

A whistleblower from Swindon Powertrain claimed the bike was an ‘accident waiting to happen’ due to Cowell’s lack of training for the specially-modified two-wheeler.

The source also told The Sun: “It should never have been sold to Simon without him being taught how to use it.”

The Swind EB-01 is banned for use on British public roads due to safety concerns arising from its top speed, which is only 10mph short of the legal limit.

The bike has three settings, and it is rumoured that Cowell accidentally switched to the highest mode, leading it to ‘take off’.

In 2015, Swindon Powertrain penned a new deal with the BTCC, which ends its tenure at the end of next year’s season.

Since joining the championship as the go-to NGTC engine supplier in 2011, the company has seen its powertrains claim multiple race victories, with Ash Sutton’s title-winning campaign in the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50 being the first for a machine with a Swindon engine.

The outfit was established back in 1971, providing F1 teams with essential maintenance on their rapidly-developing engines.