davieG Posted 15 September 2013 Posted 15 September 2013 By Russell HottenBusiness reporter, BBC News, Frankfurt motor show The Renault Spark SRT-01E FIA Formula E race car was presented at Frankfurt Continue reading the main story Global Car Industry In pictures: Frankfurt motor show 'Green' investment pays dividends - Toyota 'Worst over' for European car sales Jaguar to create 1,700 new jobs The future of motorsport was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show. Well, that's what some people claim. An ambitious all-electric racing series starts next year, and the car to be used made its first public appearance. It looks like it should be on a Formula 1 grid, but this racer wants to take motorsport in a wholly different direction. The new Formula E championship hopes to prove that racing can move beyond the gas-guzzling roar of an F1 engine. There will be 10 teams and 20 drivers racing on roads - not racetracks - in 10 cities, with a preliminary line-up that includes Los Angeles, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, London, Buenos Aires and Beijing. Alejandro Agag, chief executive of Formula E Holdings, the company running the series, accepts that it won't be easy winning over the hearts and minds of race fans bred on high-octane motor sport. Continue reading the main story Formula E Season starts in September 2014, with 10 races Qualifying and racing on same day Each race to last about 1 hour Drivers will switch cars when batteries run out after about 25 minutes Tyre changes, unless for a puncture, are not permitted during this pit stop Top speed is about 225 km/h (140mph) 0-60mph in about 3 seconds Teams will have a budget cap of 2.5m euros And, yet, he is convinced that Formula E is in step with society's direction of travel. Look around the Frankfurt show and giant auditoriums are packed with carmakers promoting their eco-friendly technology. "Why should this move towards environmentally friendly cars not translate to motorsport?" he says. Nor would you want to bet against the series' success, given who is involved. The race car is designed and built by Spark Racing Technology and Renault. The chassis comes from Dallara, which for decades has provided some of the highest-spec racing bodies in motorsport. Much of the technical wizardry inside the car is from two big names in F1 - McLaren and Williams. And the tyres have been specially developed by Michelin. Sponsors - or partners - already signed up include US technology group Qualcomm, the transport giant DHL, and Tag Heuer, best known for its luxury watches. As with other sports, sponsorship is critical. "Many companies are looking for a sponsorship platform that ticks the CSR (corporate social responsibility) box. That makes Formula E very attractive," Mr Agag says. Injecting excitement Formula E can trace its roots to the European Commission, which had been pushing the motorsport industry to think about more sustainable forms of racing. Continue reading the main story “Start QuoteF1 is the pinnacle of motor racing, but there is plenty of space for other championships†Jean TodtFIA president The hope in Brussels was that it would give electric cars - once seen as a boring, even comical choice - and injection of excitement. So, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's governing body, explored ideas for racing powered by more eco-friendly means. Eventually, Formula E Holdings, backed by a group of international investors, was formed and awarded commercial rights by the FIA to hold a championship. So is Formula E really anyhing more than a marketing exercise? "Yes, in a way, in that the aim is to have more electric cars on the roads," says Mr Agag. "But one way of achieving that is to hold a great race. "Electric cars have barriers in terms of perception. But we can be a technological platform, a technology test-bed," he says. There was an era when F1 was a test-bed for technology that eventually filtered down into road cars. F1's tighter rules and regulations mean that's not so true these days. But Mr Agag believes that the adage "racing improves the breed" can ring true in Formula E. Speed record There's no doubt that alternative-powered motorsport is increasingly common. Audi's R18 e-tron quattro team won at Le Mans in June At the Le Mans 24-hour race, Audi's success has proved the power of its hybrid technology, and next year Nissan will enter an all-electric car. Drag racing and motorbike manufacturers have experimented with electric technology for years. In June, Lord Drayson, a motorsport fan and former minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, set the electric car speed record of 204mph - that was 30mph better than the previous best. Drayson Racing is one of the teams to have signed up to compete in Formula E. Divided opinion But Formula E has many sceptics. The limited battery life of the race cars means the drivers will compete in two cars for about 25 minutes each, swapping between cockpits when the power expires. Continue reading the main story Alejandro Agag Born in Madrid, September 1970 Aged 28, became the youngest ever MEP at the European Parliament In 2002 married Ana Aznar, daughter of Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar Founded Addax Capital, an investment firm, in 2006 Bought the Campos Racing GP2 team in 2007 Became chairman of QPR football club when it was bought in 2007 by Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and Lakshmi Mittal Formed Formula E Holdings in 2012 with property entrepreneur Enrique Banuelos Traditional motorsport fans love the sound and fury of F1. But Formula E batteries deliver a whoosh rather than a roar. And there's also the difference in speed, more than 300km/h in F1 against a maximum of 220km/h in Formula E. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, a man who knows a thing or two about putting on a motorsport spectacle, has voiced his doubts about Formula E. "We are very respectful of his opinion," says Mr Agag. "He has great vision. On the other hand, we have our own vision and our job is to convince him." The two men know each other well. Mr Agag served as chairman of Queen Park Rangers when Mr Ecclestone was part of a consortium that bought the football club. Mr Agag says: "I talk to him from time to time. I have got his curiosity for the moment. There is no animosity; just a little scepticism." Jean Todt, president of the FIA, called Formula E "a vision of the future". And this comes from a man who built his reputation in rally car racing and then as head of F1's most famous competitor, Ferrari. He told the BBC: "F1 is the pinnacle of motor racing, but there is plenty of space for other championships, from endurance racing to touring car, to karting - and definitely Formula E." He rejected claims that Formula E is simply a promotional exercise to improve motorsport's image. "Sport is a mixture of good partners. If you want to have success you need good technical partners, good commercial partners, good marketing partners. "The names involved in Formula E are very impressive. It is very important for the future." Younger audience Establishing a fan-base will be vital to Formula E's success, and it has struck an important deal to have the series broadcast by the Fox television network. Win over the fans, and that will draw in sponsors and encourage more investment in the sport. Rome is one of three European cities to host the Formula E championship But Mr Agag is not only interested in winning over traditional fans. He believes there is a new, younger audience to be captured. There are ambitious plans to enhance the digital aspect of the series. A video game is in development that will allow fans watching TV to race in real time with the competitors. Also, the racing cars will have a power-boost function to increase passing speed, and fans will be able to vote when it is used during the race. There are plenty of broadband infrastructure and GPS positioning issues still to be resolved. "But it's all do-able," Mr Agag says. "We want fans to be able to interact." Mr Agag says it is important to remember that Formula E is new. The sport will evolve as the technology improves and the popularity of electric racing grows. In the first year, all the teams will use a common car. But teams will be encouraged to develop their own individual vehicles. And he hopes that one day, Tesla, the US firm behind the popular electric sports car, can be persuaded to get involved. Mr Agag says he is not out to compete with F1 or any other championship. But he believes Formula E will be a big noise (figuratively speaking) in motorsport and who knows, may one day consign the term "petrolhead" to history.
Xen Posted 15 September 2013 Posted 15 September 2013 There are ambitious plans to enhance the digital aspect of the series. A video game is in development that will allow fans watching TV to race in real time with the competitors. Also, the racing cars will have a power-boost function to increase passing speed, and fans will be able to vote when it is used during the race. Thought it was a decent idea, up until this bit. Now just seems like a gimmick. Especially the bit about voting on when to use a 'power boost'. Just seems gimicky and childish.
Finnegan Posted 15 September 2013 Posted 15 September 2013 Gimmick and a potentially unnecessary one as well. F1 is making green-ish changes and performance racing already has a huge hybrid sector.
Saxondale Posted 15 September 2013 Posted 15 September 2013 Gimmick, as with most green technologies. To try and attribute some sort of environmental credentials to something like motorsport is ridiculous - a sport / pastime that generates a vast carbon footprint via the manufacture of cars, the logistics and, not least, the driving round of powered vehicles for entertainment. It's the same with all these hypocritical 'green' ponces on Grand Designs who try and attribute carbon neutrality to their palaces when the construction itself does enough to burn a new hole in the ozone layer.
Strokes Posted 15 September 2013 Posted 15 September 2013 They might have to do some serious plugging to get it off the ground.
JimmyK Posted 15 September 2013 Posted 15 September 2013 Having road races in big cities sounds great, but beyond that it's completely unappealing. The cars are too slow and I can imagine the whiny electric motor noise getting seriously annoying before long. Also, given this is presumably meant to be promoting electric cars, drivers having to switch vehicles after 25 minutes is laughable and completely counter-productive. F1 is making itself increasingly 'on-message' anyway so it's not like the rest of the motorsport world is ignoring environmental issues. As for the big names involved in manufacturing the cars, A1GP had the same and look how that ended up. Not to mention the stupid viewer vote thing...
davieG Posted 17 April 2014 Author Posted 17 April 2014 Leo Di Caprio v Richard Branson at first Formula E Championship race at Donington Park By Leicester Mercury | Posted: April 17, 2014 By Peter Warzynski e-whizz: Actor Leonardo Di Caprio and entrepreneur Richard Branson own teams taking part in the FIA Formula E Championship, which is heading to Donington e-whizz: Actor Leonardo Di Caprio and entrepreneur Richard Branson own teams taking part in the FIA Formula E Championship, which is heading to Donington Race fans are being offered free tickets to watch the world's first fully-electric race series at Donington Park. The FIA Formula E Championship, which features teams headed by Hollywood superstar Leonardo Di Caprio and Virgin chief Richard Branson, starts at the Leicestershire circuit on July 3. Both high-profile bosses should be on-site to oversee their teams – although Donington said it could not confirm their attendance. As a promotional push for the sport, there will be free entry to the pre-season test runs at the track. These take place on July 4, 9 and 10 with the final session on August 19, three weeks before the season opener in Beijing on September 13. Alejandro Agag, chief executive of Formula E, said: "Given all 10 Formula E teams will soon be based at Donington Park, using the circuit for all official pre-season tests was the natural choice. "Donington Park has excellent facilities and with the teams located just a stone's throw from the circuit it means we save on both costs and logistic emissions. "It will be fascinating to see all cars running together for the first time – another milestone for the championship – and we hope by opening up all test days to the public, fans will be able to share this with us." A number of high-profile drivers are poised to take the wheel in the upcoming season. Former Grand Prix drivers Bruno Senna, Sebastien Bourdais and Narain Karthikeyan have all signed up for the championship. Senna, nephew of the late Ayrton Senna, raced in Formula One from 2010 to 2012, driving for HRT, Renault and Williams before switching to sports cars and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Frenchman Bourdais is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive titles from 2004 to 2007, as well as racing for Toro Rosso in F1 in 2008 and the start of 2009. They bring to 16 the number involved in the new global electric racing series, which uses Spark-Renault SRT_01E single-seater cars. Christopher Tate, managing director of Donington Park Racing, said: "We are privileged to be able to offer Formula E a suitable combination of fabled motorsport history, an excellent test track and a global centre of excellence for the new technology. And now the general public will be able to watch it all, from the stands and from trackside. "We really can't wait for that first July test day." Fans who want to take up the offer should pre-register via the Donington Park website. For more information, visit: www.fiaformulae.com www.donington-park.co.uk Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leo-versus-Branson-Donington/story-20971100-detail/story.html#ixzz2z9onAD6k
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