Sacha Fenestraz of Nissan Formula E Team leads the pack at the start during the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix race held at the Green Point Street Circuit. FILE - Cape Town hosted it’s first ever Formula E race in Febuary this year. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
Cape Town — It remains to be seen if Cape Town will host a Formula E race in 2024 after the Mother City was not named in the provisional calendar for next year’s races.
The provisional calendar for Season 10 of the all-electric ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has been published following ratification by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) FIA World Motor Sport Council and with the support of local ASNs (National Sporting Authorities) for each host city.
The Cape Town E-Prix saw the first race held in sub-saharan Africa in February this year and the event was a sell-out as 25 983 tickets were all gone days ahead of the race.
“Formula E Operations (FEO) are in advanced discussions with Cape Town and many more cities who are keen to host a Formula E race. FEO expect to make more exciting calendar announcements following the next FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting, later this year,” said Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer of Formula E.
New location unlocked 🔓
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) June 20, 2023
Tokyo, Japan is confirmed for our provisional Season 10 calendar, becoming the first ever FIA World Championship event to be held in the city ⚡️🇯🇵
Meanwhile, the man who was instrumental in bringing the electric car event to Cape Town, E-Movement Chairman Iain Banner explains they are busy securing assurances in a bid to make the race happen next year.
“Having just completed 2023, we are busy working on the guarantees for 2024. We are cautiously optimistic about completing this process by the end of July”, he said.
According to a report published earlier this month, the Cape Town E-Prix had an economic impact of over R1bn, in addition to catapulting Cape Town to the top of many international tourists’ must-visit lists.
Tokyo will get it’s first race next March as the event targets more world cities to host debut races in its landmark 10th season. The Tokyo race on 30 March 2024 will be the first FIA-sanctioned world championship motorsport event held in the country. Twenty-two drivers from 11 teams will race the innovative GEN3 race car — the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built — on roads around the Tokyo Big Sight convention centre on the Tokyo Bay waterfront.
IOL Sport
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