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Draft:E1 Series (boat racing)

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E1 Series
CategoryElectric powerboat racing
CountryInternational
Drivers18
Teams9
Official websitee1series.com
Current season

The UIM E1 Series is the first and only Union Internationale Motonautique-sanctioned all-electric international offshore powerboat racing series. The main focus of the series is sustainability and marine conservation.

The first season began with the E1 Jeddah GP in Saudi Arabia in February 2024.[1]

History

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Creation

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The E1 Series began in early 2020 as a project created by Rodi Basso, former Formula 1 engineer and McLaren Applied business director, and Alejandro Agag, founder of Formula E and Extreme E.[2][3] After coming up with the initial idea, the duo approached Sophi Horne to design the race boat. Horne had previously been focused on electric leisure boats.[4][5]

The series was announced at the Monaco Yacht Club on September 25, 2020.[6] The boat was unveiled in June of 2021, alongside the announcement of a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.[7]

Testing

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On April 21, 2022, the RaceBird took to the water for the first time, piloted by former powerboat champion Luca Ferrari. The prototype completed a series of tests and performance runs on the River Po in Italy.[8]

In June 2022, the boat was exhibited on the water at the Venice Boat Show, with model Cara Delevingne assisting with the launch.[9][10] In September 2022, the series raced in front of an audience for the first time, with Sam Coleman piloting the RaceBird at the World Port Days in Rotterdam.[11]

The series returned to the World Port Days in September 2023, marking the first time four RaceBirds were in the water at the same time. Coleman was joined by Ieve Millere-Hagin, Gianluca Carli, and Oban Duncan to compete in a series of races, with Duncan emerging as the champion.[12]

2024 season

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Main article: 2024 E1 Series Championship

The inaugural season consists of 9 teams and 18 drivers. It began in February in Jeddah, and is nicknamed the "Race to Hong Kong", as the final race will take place in Hong Kong in November.[13]

Race format

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A race weekend consists of testing, free practice, and qualifying on the first day, while the semi-finals, play-off race, eliminator race, place race, and finals all take place on the second day. The pilots switch off for each session, with the teams deciding when the female pilot will drive and when the male pilot will drive.[14]

Each race is 4 laps, with an additional joker lap around the long lap configuration, which can be taken at any point during the race. The course boundaries are marked by electronic anchorless buoys, which are much less invasive than traditional buoys.[15][16]

Blue Impact championship

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The Blue Impact championship is being trialed during the inaugural season, and will fully roll out during the 2025 season. It will see the teams competing to become the E1 Impact Champion, by working towards a better future through activism such as aquatic conservation and restoration programs and marine habitat research. At the end of the season, fans and an expert jury will vote for the champion.[17]

Boat

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The RaceBird is an all-electric hydrofoil boat. It is 24 feet long, with aluminum hydrofoils which raise the boat when reaching a speed of 17 knots. The 200-hp electric motor can reach a power output of 150 kW and has a battery capacity of 35 kWh. It can reach a top speed of 50 knots (58 MPH/93 KPH). The cockpit is designed for one pilot, with a steering wheel and pedals like a single-seater race car.[18][8]

Designed by SeaBird Technologies, the RaceBird is manufactured by Victory Marine, with an electric powertrain developed by Mercury Racing, and rechargeable batteries from Kreisel Electric.[19][20][21] E1 is currently a spec-series, which means all the teams are running the same boats. However, the goal is to move towards teams designing their own vehicle in future years.[22]

Teams and drivers

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The series was originally designed to have teams representing various cities and countries around the world, with the Venice Racing Team being the first team to join.[23][24] However, as the series continued its development, the teams instead moved towards celebrity owners like Tom Brady and Rafael Nadal.[25] There are currently nine teams competing in the championship, but the goal is to have up to twelve.[26]

Similar to Extreme E, E1 regulations require each team to select a male and female pilot, who share equal driving duties.[27] The UIM E1 Pilot Academy was created to train a new generation of racers to compete in the E1 Series. Female and male athletes with experience in motorsport, cycling, Esports, extreme sports and high-speed sports were invited to apply. A total of 34 racers took part in the training in 2023, with 18 being selected to compete in the inaugural season of the series.[28] On October 1, 2024, it was announced that the Monaco Yacht Club would be partnering with the Pilot Academy for 2025.[29]

Race locations

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class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2024 races

The inaugural season saw locations that were relatively close to each other, in order to limit the carbon footprint of the series.[30] There is expected to be up to fifteen race locations as the series continues to expand.[31] On September 30, 2024, Doha, Qatar was revealed as the first location for the 2025 season.[32]

Location Season
Saudi Arabia Jeddah 2024
Italy Venice 2024
Spain Puerto Banús 2024
Monaco Monaco 2024
Italy Lake Como 2024
Hong Kong Hong Kong 2024
Qatar Doha 2025

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tom Brady's powerboat team claim inaugural UIM E1 World Championship race in Jeddah". Arab News. 4 February 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Hitting the waves: Behind the development and strategy of the new electric water-based motorsport E1 Series with CEO Rodi Basso". SVG Europe. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  3. ^ Ingram, Rachel. "How The World's First Electric Powerboat Series Could Revolutionize The Marine Industry". Forbes. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  4. ^ Ingram, Rachel. "Meet Sophi Horne, The Designer Making Waves In The Electric Boat Industry". Forbes. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Sophi Horne: From Seabird to Racebird". Yacht Style. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  6. ^ Bliss, Dominic (30 September 2021). "The E1 world electric powerboat series: everything you need to know". British GQ. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  7. ^ Yeomans, Georgina (8 June 2021). "E1 Series gets Saudi state investment as it announces launch". SportsPro. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b Burgos, Matthew (20 July 2022). "all-electric 'racebird' is a flying racing boat with cooling and hydrofoil technology". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ Ingram, Rachel. "In Conversation: Cara Delevingne Champions All-Electric Boat Racing". Forbes. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  10. ^ Cornwell, Steve (26 May 2022). "The electric RaceBird of E1 at the 2022 Venice Boat Show". Nautic Magazine. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ Padin, Marcelo (10 September 2022). "As part of annual World Port Days event, E1 set to race in Rotterdam". Electric Motor News. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  12. ^ Doll, Scooter (17 August 2023). "E1's RaceBird pilots will compete on the waters of Rotterdam ahead of inaugural racing season". Electrek.
  13. ^ "Hong Kong to host season finale as E1 completes inaugural calendar". SportBusiness. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  14. ^ "UIM E1 World Electric Powerboat Series". e-Formula.news. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  15. ^ "E1 Series: Race calendar and format for 2024 all-electric powerboating championship". The Independent. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  16. ^ Costa, MaryLou (14 August 2024). "Monaco is 1 of 6 locations hosting the star-studded E1 — a race thought 'impossible' before it began". CNBC. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  17. ^ Tanti, Cassandra (25 July 2024). "E1 to kick off Blue Impact Championship in Monaco". Monaco Life. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  18. ^ Dixon, Chris (18 January 2023). "E1 Electric Racebird". Power & Motoryacht. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  19. ^ Trulio, Matt (21 September 2021). "Mercury Racing Developing Powertrain For Electric Boat Racing Series". Speed on the Water. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  20. ^ Yeomans, Georgina (11 June 2021). "E1 Series taps Kreisel Electric for powrboat batteries". SportsPro. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  21. ^ Moore, John (15 February 2021). "UIM E1 Series partners with boat builder ⋆ Powerboat Racing World". Powerboat Racing World. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  22. ^ Gorant, J. George (9 May 2024). "Will Smith, Tom Brady And More Celebs Are Team Owners in a New Electric-Boat League". Robb Report. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  23. ^ Mircea, Cristina (28 April 2022). "World's First-Ever Electric Powerboat Racing Event Announces the First Competing Team". autoevolution. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  24. ^ Thin, Sandy (9 May 2022). "E1's RaceBird electric powerboat doesn't just float, it 'flies'". CNN. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Tom Brady, Didier Drogba, Rafael Nadal, Virat Kohli and Sergio Perez: E1 produces new wave of celebrity ownership in sport". Sky Sports. 12 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Agag launches new electric powerboat championship". RACER. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  27. ^ "The partnerships steering E1 Series to success". mclarenapplied.com. 25 April 2023.
  28. ^ Ortega, Ronald (3 August 2023). "E1 Series Launches Pilot Academy to Empower Emerging Talent". Green Racing News. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  29. ^ Chéreau, Agathe (3 October 2024). "UIM E1 joins forces with Monaco Yacht Club to train future champions on water". Monaco Tribune. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  30. ^ Doll, Scooter (31 January 2023). "E1 CEO teases where inaugural electric boat racing season will compete this year". Electrek.
  31. ^ "The E1 World Championship may just be the most exciting race on the water". Economy Middle East. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  32. ^ Hardy, Matt (30 September 2024). "E1 series: Electric boat racing to head to Qatar in 2025". CityAM. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
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