Despite the press release stating that the Mother City will host the E-Prix subject to approval by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, organisers assured us that this event will indeed be taking place next year. On Friday, 4 March, we attended the track reveal of this prestigious race.
What is the Formula E World Championship E-Prix?
An E-Prix or ePrix is a one-hour race, held on a Formula E weekend, and the equivalent to a Grand Prix in Formula One. Drivers, in electric battery-powered race cars, compete in the E-Prix for championship points at each meeting, with the top three receiving trophies for their efforts. Instead of that F1 scream, these EV supercars emit loud whistling sounds as they whoosh past at speeds of up to 280 km per hour.
The term "ePrix" is derived from the single-seater tradition of the Grand Prix, with the "e" indicating that the cars are fully electric. E-Prix races are held almost exclusively on city-centred street courses, the only exception being the Mexico City ePrix, held on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez instead of the usual street course, and Berlin E-Prix, which is raced at the Berlin Tempelhof Airport. Courses vary in length from 2 to 3.5 km, often resulting in smaller versions of notable venues to ensure traditional track length; examples include both the Long Beach Street Circuit and the Circuit de Monaco.
The first ePrix was held on the 13th of September 2014 in Beijing, China. As of the 2022 Mexico City E-Prix, 87 E-Prix have been held.
Watch the Beginner's Guide to Formula E on YouTube right here.
Where in Cape Town will the race take place?
The Cape Town E-Prix will start at the Green Point precinct’s Vlei Road, where the 22 zero-emission race cars will kick off the race with Signal Hill as a backdrop. Then it’s a left turn into Helen Suzman Boulevard, and another left into Granger Bay Boulevard, presenting the racers with two sharp chicanes. Then it's off to the oceanfront on Mouille Point’s Beach Road, before taking a sharp left-hander into Fritz Sonnenberg Road and a final right to reach the finish line. The track is predicted to be one of the fastest in the series.
Check out the video of the course in Green Point below:
Cape Town is no stranger to hosting big-name world events, and preparations for the 2023 E-Prix event have already started. Construction improvements to the 2.8 km street circuit are set to begin in April and will be completed towards the end of the year. A week-long E-Fest event will be running alongside the E-Prix, which will be incorporating an investor Summit as well as an e-Mobility Festival which will "showcase e-mobility solutions and their role in building a green economy." That said, with fuel prices skyrocketing and Eskom relying heavily on imported diesel, who knows what the future of transport will look like. But, for now, Cape Town is excited at the prospect of attracting international visitors to this all-electric, single-seater world championship.
Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, said: “I am so pleased that the Western Cape will be hosting the Formula E and E-Fest, showcasing our province as the Green Economy Hub of Africa. This event will also be a perfect opportunity to showcase our destination as an attractive place for tourism and investment, as we focus on growing our economy and creating an enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs. I wish the organisers all the best!”
For more details and to register your interest in the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix, click here.
Watch this video to get a taste of what's to come when Formula E hits Cape Town next year!
Sources: FIAformulae.com, Formula E Wiki, Wikipedia.
Images courtesy of Formula E.
