First Formula E in Punta Del Este is warming up the season
Not only temperatures are increasing in Punta Del Este but also the Formula E engines are warming the spirits of fans of electric cars in Uruguay.
Electric Race in Uruguay
Punta Del Este will host for the first time the World Championship Formula E. The most important race in the history of Uruguay will take place on December 13th, 2014, on the Brava Beach Circuit in Punta Del Este.
Circuit
The track design for the first Formula E in Punta Del Este was evaluated by the technicians of the FIA. Plotting was placed in a simulator to predict what can happen during the competition. Simulator shows several results as speed, impact points and warns of problems that may result during the race. The street circuit on the Brava Beach will cost $ 1 million with all information concerning the track, the infrastructure, security and medical services including evacuation by helicopter.
Two Cars per Driver
Each pilot has two cars to use in 30 minutes laps, taking into account the difficulties when recharging the batteries. Each car, similar to Formula 1, is 5 meters long, 1.80 wide and weighs 600 kg without the battery. The maximum power is 200 kW and can accelerate from 0-100 km / h in less than 2.5 seconds, reaching a top speed of 225 km / h. “The maximum speed limit is given by the battery drain. These forces the driver to measure the energy consumption having 30 minutes to use each of the two cars to compete,” said Fernando Caceres, director of Sport- link, organizer of the event in Punta del Este.
Fan Boost
Formula E in Punta Del Este seeks great participation of various followers both in the stands and also from social networks.
In the race an application called “Fan Boost” allows for the first time the involvement of fans in each run. In social networks every team of supporters can vote for their favorite pilot who can receive an increase in speed.
During the Formula E race, the pilots will have a limited power equivalent to 100 hp. Pilots have a hand button called “push to pass” coming from fans text messages, that gives access to extra power to over pass another car.
In addition, the fans who have the highest number of visits by images recorded during the competition, will receive various prizes from the organizers.
World Friends
Several figures from the political and business world who are strongly betting on sustainable and renewable energy will be in Punta Del Este in December.
The third round of World Championship Formula E will be organized by the FIA and competing teams whose owners include actor Leonardo DiCaprio and British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson will be present.
Leonardo DiCaprio founded the Grand Prix Venturi team to compete in the Formula One World Championship E. “The future of our planet depends on our ability to create clean energy vehicles, and I’m happy to be part of that effort,” said actor during the official team presentation last December in London.
Ranking and Pilots
The Formula E World Championship will have the same hierarchy as the Formula 1.
The ten teams participating in the championship are
• Venturi Grand Prix (features actor Leonardo di Caprio as one of its founders),
• ABT Audi Sport,
• Andretti Autosport,
• China Racing,
• Dragon Racing,
• Drayson Racing,
• E.Dams (directed by four-time F1 champion, Alain Prost),
• Mahindra Racing,
• Super Aguri
• Virgin Racing.
Germany’s Nick Heidfeld and the Italian Jarno Trulli are two of the former Formula 1 drivers committed to Formula One World Championship run Heidfeld E. McLaren-Renault Grand Prix team Venturi, DiCaprio cars. Other notable riders participating are Nicolas Prost (son of Alain Prost) and Brazilian Bruno Senna (nephew of Ayrton).
McLaren will be the supplier of engines, transmissions and electronic systems in all cars. The American company will built the Dallara chassis and Michelin tires will be supplied by Michelin.
Electric opportunity for Punta Del Este
The new category of automobile competition of electric cars, which emit no noise or polluting gases, is looking for a young audience conscious of the environment.
For Uruguay and Punta Del Este, the arrival of Formula E is a unique opportunity to position itself as a safe place for organizing such events.
This is an example of good will. When the project started it had nothing, no cities, no cars, no sponsors, no TV contracts but as result of great team effort, Formula E is now present with a geographically diverse championship, seeking iconic cities in South America and Punta Del Este was the one of them. It’s a very big project and Punta Del Este is one of 10 cities that will hold one of these races in the first year of the Formula E championship.
Coverage
Broadcasting by FOX has 183 million viewers, 313 million people will see it on other TV partners and only alone in Japan the race will be followed by 53 million race fans.
Some 2,170 television reports on the race, which is equivalent to 2.136 hours broadcast around the globe. The various events of Formula E shall be summoned by 21,500 news articles and 50 million web impressions on Formula E will materialize worldwide.
A Race with Rhythm
One of the most striking feature will be that during the race electronic music will be played and can be heard during the competition since the cars have less noise. Playing electronic music during a car race event has never been done before and is a special feature.
by Mary Ann Thompson
