Swiss Sebastien Buemi drives his car in the city street during a promotion event of the Swiss stage of the Formula E electric car championship on May 16, 2019 in Bern. – The Swiss E-Prix 2019 will run on June 22, 2019 in Bern. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
Cape Town approached as potential Formula-E race host
Formula-E could be coming to the City of Cape Town with the mayor’s office currently considering a proposal to host an E-Prix.
Swiss Sebastien Buemi drives his car in the city street during a promotion event of the Swiss stage of the Formula E electric car championship on May 16, 2019 in Bern. – The Swiss E-Prix 2019 will run on June 22, 2019 in Bern. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
The City of Cape Town have been approached by a consortium interested in hosting a Formula-E Championship race in the Mother City.
The City will take the proposal under consideration and have asked for feedback from the public before agreeing to host an E-Prix.
Formula-E is a class of motorsport, conceived in 2011, that uses only electric-powered cars.
South Africa has a rich history in hosting international motorsport events having staged races for Formula 1, MotoGP and A1 Grand Prix in the past.
“While we are excited to present this event to the residents of Cape Town, we have not yet taken a decision and our residents will be asked to give their input once the feasibility study hopefully confirms that we can indeed host Formula-E in our beautiful city,” said mayor Dan Plato.
“We will follow all the stringent procedures and requirements that we have in place for events to ensure that all those who will be affected are satisfied with the process.”
COCT is hopeful that the race can boost the Western Cape economy in the same way the Hong Kong E-Prix has done for the famous city, claiming R1,4-billion has been generated from hosting Formula-E in the Chinese metropolis.
Unlike other motor racing events Formula-E cars run on 100 percent renewable energy.
“The cars run on 100 percent renewable energy and having such an event here would also assist us in raising awareness and taking action against air pollution,” said Plato.
Cape Town being was voted the World’s Leading Festival and Event Destination for 2018 at the World Travel Awards and has hosted successful motorsport events in the shape of the FIA Rallycross Championship at Killarney – over the last two years- as well as the annual Drift City event on the iconic Grand Parade.
Red Bull Racing recently brought their double-championship winning RB7 racing car to the Cape Town City centre for a demo event attended by close to 50,000 fans.
In contrast to the noise and smoke generated by a Formula 1 Car, Formula-E car’s are quiet and the race is unlikely to cause too much disruption, apart from the obvious road closures.
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