New Kiwi Driver FE Street Racing
[post by Rachelle Tilsley - 29 Sept 2019]
ABB FIA Formula E Championship 6th Season
Following hot on the heels of last Thursday's announcement that Panasonic Jaguar has renewed Mitch Evans' contract with a multi-year sign-on, we hear that yet another New Zealander will be racing in the coming Formula E series.
Double FIA WEC (World Endurance) World Champion, and former Formula One driver, Brendon Hartley has signed with the all-American FE team Geox Dragon.
The 6th season will begin on the streets of Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on November 22nd, 2019
Melee in Morocco FE
It was anybody's game in Marrakesh during the 2nd Race of the 2019 ABB FIA Formula E Series last night.
Attack Activation Zone in the forefront of this image of the Marrakesh Street Track. Drivers need to turn on attack mode and activate it by taking the corner wide passing over the red and blue lines. Attack mode at Marrakesh lasts 4 minutes and gives an extra 25kW power.
New Zealander, Mitch Evans, got off to a great start, winning a practice race and breaking the track record with a time of 1.17.22. While he didn’t get the extra series point that he would have if he’d won fastest lap during the main race, it was enough for him to comfortably make it into the top six for the qualifying races. In these he just managed to retain a spot in the top six and was therefore eligible to compete in the Julius Baer Super Pole shoot out.
From that point on nothing went right for the Panasonic Jaguar team. In the Super Pole race, Evans overshot the braking-point unable to make the corner at turn six and driving off track into the skate way. By the time he got back on track, he trailed a miserable 17+ seconds behind the pole position. Having already qualified in the top six, Evans still retained his third-row starting post alongside BMW i Andretti Motorsport's Alex Sims who made good time but placed 5th in the Super Pole.
Evan's teammate, Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jn was starting in ninth position followed by Mahindra Racing's Jerome d'Ambrosio.
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Read moreBid for FE in NZ
Start sequence, BMW i Berlin E-Prix 2017/18 - Credit: LAT/Formula E
Electric dream: consortium still pushing to bring Formula E to Auckland
A consortium including ASB Classic tennis tournament director Karl Budge is angling to bring "Formula E" racing to Auckland.
He and consortium partner Craig Cotton (head of the NZ Innovation Council) commissioned a study by SMG YouGov that says the race would bring in $150m a year.
Why It's Important
Budge and Cotton say it's not just about the thrill of motorsport. The pair argue Formula E racing in New Zealand would help spur clean energy research and electric vehicle adoption as the government targets a carbon neutral economy by 2050.
Read more
Season 5 Formula E News
"If Racing Was a Game, Consider It Changed."
With just a month to go, we're getting excited about ABB FIA Formula E: Season 5.
Edoardo Mortara (Venturi Formula E Team), Valencia pre-season testing - Credit: LAT/Formula E
Formula E's on-screen offering is set to be shaken up this year, alongside the introduction of Gen2 cars, and the arrival of the first Japanese manufacturer to race in FE: Nissan e.dams.
Other changes include: new cities across five continents; one car per driver - no more mid-race car swaps; 45 min timed races - no more set laps; and increased power - higher top speeds.
BMW i Andretti Motorsport has emerged on top in first season as factory team at pre-season testing ahead of season five.
