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| PHOTO CREDIT: ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. |
Co-Author: Junaid Samodien
With three rounds already raced, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is less than a month away from racing in the Mother City (Cape Town) for the very first time, some fans might have a few unanswered questions. So, let us try to answer these within this article.
Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E championship will see the first ever Sub-Saharan round take place in Cape Town. It is also set to be one of the fastest ever laps, with the new Gen3 cars now being able to hit well over 300km/h.
Ian Banner, the Chairperson for e-Movement and one of the custodians for the Cape Town E-Prix mentioned outright that the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix will not be a compromise and will host this event with the same professionalism as seen in Monaco and Mexico City. As seen at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Green Point precinct will be fenced off and see the addition of strict track security, as well as transport plans.
What is the Cape Town E-Prix?
The Cape Town E-Prix, as the first-ever Sub Saharan round will see 11 teams and 22 drivers do battle. Being the leading championship series for electric single-seater cars, the championship features some of the best names in the sport. Names such as: Sebastien Buemi, Stoffel Vandoorne, Jean-Eric Vergne, Sam Bird, Lucas DiGrassi, and Rene Rast are only some of the most respected names in the sport. Even Kelvin van der Linde recently stepped in for his injured teammate Robin Frijns this past weekend in Diriyah (Saudi Arabia).
Formula E sees 11 teams, namely Avalanche Andretti (Porsche powertrain), TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team, Neom McLaren (Nissan powertrain), Envision Racing (Jaguar powertrain), Jaguar TCS Racing, Mahindra Racing, DS Penske (DS powertrain), Nissan, Maserati, Nio 333 Racing, and ABT Cupra (Mahindra Powertrain)
While Mercedes won the last two drivers’ championships, each race thus far has been a nail biting affair. The new Gen3 cars are powered by 350kW, capable of 350km/h. Mix this with the fast 2.8km, 12-turn Cape Town circuit, and the racing will be fierce.
The Cape Town Formula E race weekend will see the following times (CAT times):
24/02 – 16:55 to 17:45 Free Practice 1
25/02 – 09:05 to 09:55 Free Practice 2
25/02 – 11:40 to 12:55 Qualifying
25/02 – 16:03 to 17:30 Cape Town E-Prix
In addition to the race weekend, there will also be a series of “green” events around the Cape Town CBD in the days leading up to February 25th. Some of these will include the Africa Green Economy Summit (Century City Centre), and the E-Fest Electric, where ticket holders will see a selection of bicycles, one-wheelers, scooters, cars, skateboards, and charging solutions.
The weekend will also see the launch of the Formula Student Africa, where six local Universities (Wits, UNISA, the Cape Town University, CPUT, Nelson Mandela Bay University, and Stellenbosch University) will compete in constructing an electric race car. This Student based competition is in partnership with Warwick University, who will also be present at the launch.
South African artist Amy Jones, and DJ Zinhle will be performing after qualifying on Saturday afternoon in the Allianz Fan Villages.
How much will it cost?
There are limited tickets still available for the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix. To avoid any disappointment. Get your tickets right now: TicketMaster.com
