Formula E adds new U.S. race in Portland
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is set to race in Portland, Oregon for the first time on June 24 next year, following approval at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting today.
“We are excited to bring the premier electric motorsport world championship to Portland,” said Alberto Longo, co-founder and Chief Championship Officer of Formula E. “There is a big, passionate fan base for professional sports in the city, together with strong ecological credentials which makes Portland a perfect host for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
“The USA remains an important market for Formula E. We are delighted to maintain that critical presence and engage a new audience in the Pacific Northwest region in all-electric motorsport.”
Since its inception in 2015, Formula E has raced in the USA every year bar the COVID-limited Season 6. Long Beach, Miami and New York City have previously hosted races for the all-electric formula.
The Portland race will be Round 12 in the updated calendar of 16 races in 11 world cities, which also includes Formula E debuts in Hyderabad, India; Cape Town, South Africa and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The series’ ninth season will mark the competition debut of the third generation Formula E race cars, which feature a 200mph top speed, a 60kg lighter, smaller chassis, an additional front powertrain and no rear brakes plus a power output 100kW up on the Gen2 cars at 350kw, with double the regen capacity — meaning more than 40% of the energy used in-race is via regeneration under braking.
The Portland race will be Round 12 in the updated calendar of 16 races in 11 world cities, which also includes Formula E debuts in Hyderabad, India; Cape Town, South Africa and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The series’ ninth season will mark the competition debut of the third generation Formula E race cars, which feature a 200mph top speed, a 60kg lighter, smaller chassis, an additional front powertrain and no rear brakes plus a power output 100kW up on the Gen2 cars at 350kw, with double the regen capacity — meaning more than 40% of the energy used in-race is via regeneration under braking.
Next season will also feature new teams and manufacturers, with Maserati and McLaren set to compete with the likes of Jaguar, Porsche, and Nissan among the 11 teams and 22 drivers in the series.
Formula E says the addition of Portland completes its calendar, subject to FIA circuit homologation of the new venues, and replaces the event previously shown as TBD for May 2023. Discussions continue to secure a location in Seoul, South Korea for 2024, after major reconstruction work at the venue of the 2022 race prevented a return next season and a suitable alternative location has not yet been identified.
For more information: www.racer.com
