► Wandsworth Council approves Battersea Park race
► Formula E comes to London 27-28 June
► New 15-turn, 2.9km long track in heart of London
Formula E today confirmed it would come to London for the final race of the 2015 season.
The all-electric race series started in Beijing in September 2014 and is being held over 11 rounds, culminating in the new races announced today by the FIA’s electric race series.
Rounds 10 and 11 have now been confirmed for Battersea Park, after local authority Wandsworth Council approved plans for races on 27 and 28 June 2015.
Yep, that’s coinciding with the Goodwood Festival of Speed…
Nappy Valley meets no-octane motorsport
It’s an extraordinary venue for a top-level motorsport race – slap bang in the heart of central London, a stone’s throw from the River Thames on the south bank opposite Chelsea. Battersea and nearby Clapham are home to Nappy Valley, an affluent family area – many of whom, the council hopes, will turn out to watch the silent spectacle unfold.
The irony will be manifold: the electric race cars will be competing in the shadow of Battersea Power Station, a monolithic structure dominating central London’s skyline. Not so long ago it was belching out fumes from electricity production.
Today Battersea Park is predominantly urban parkland, with a famous bandstand, sporting facilities and acres of football pitches and a boating lake. There is only a peripheral access road in the park itself, but the Formula E organisers plan to build the 2.9km temporary track to accommodate the electric racers.
Formula E confirmed at Battersea Park, London
Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, said: ‘Discussions for our London Formula E race have been many months in the planning so we’re delighted to be awarded planning approval by Wandsworth Council.
‘Having two races in London – the final two of the season – was an option we discussed at length with Wandsworth Council and means that London could well be where the inaugural champion is crowned, making it a fantastic spectacle for the city and a great platform to showcase sustainable mobility and clean energy. We will now begin preparations for bringing urban electric racing to London but of course that means working closely with all parties and local residents’ groups to ensure that we remain sympathetic to all park users.’
The 2014/2015 Formula E championship calendar
Round 1 Beijing ePrix, People’s Republic of China, 13 September 2014
Round 2 Putrajaya ePrix, Malaysia, 22 November 2014
Round 3 Punta del Este ePrix, Uruguay, 13 December 2014
Round 4 Bueno Aires ePrix, Argentina, 10 January 2015
Round 5 Miami ePrix, USA, 14 March 2015
Round 6 Long Beach ePrix, USA, 4 April 2015
Round 7 Monaco ePrix, Monaco, 9 May 2015
Round 8 Berlin ePrix, Germany, 23 May 2015
Round 9 Moscow ePrix, Russia, 6 June 2015
Round 10 London ePrix, UK 27 June 2015
Round 11 London ePrix, UK 28 June 2015