Cape Town - Formula E’s first Cape Town E-Prix is set to join the calendar in 2023, and the organisers have now revealed the 2.8km street circuit that these zero-emission race cars will tackle in the Mother City.
The street circuit, which is still subject to approval by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, will wind its way through the Green Point and Waterfront district, showcasing many of Cape Town’s iconic locations.
The E-Prix will start at the Green Point precinct’s Vlei Road, where the drivers will race with Signal Hill as a backdrop. From there it’s a left turn into Helen Suzman Boulevard, and another left into Granger Bay Boulevard, presenting the racers with two sharp chicanes. Following that, driver will proceed along 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.
This track is predicted to be one of the fastest in the series and showcases some of Cape Town’s most famous locations 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 pic.twitter.com/AewhZUIpaE
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) March 4, 2022
Organisers predict that the track will be one of the fastest in the series. Street circuits are common in Formula E and they also feature in Monaco, Mexico City, Berlin, London and New York.
Formula E has not yet announced a date for the Cape Town E-Prix, as the full calendar is only due to be released later this year.
In preparation for next year’s race, the City of Cape Town has committed to various track upgrades to the precinct, which will allow the race to take place annually. Construction is expected to take place between April and December 2022.
Cape Town Formula E Bid Company e-Movement has secured the rights to the event for five years.
“The public has been crying out for an open-wheel, street-circuit race and we are now answering those cries,” said e-Movement race promoter Iain Banner.
“With Table Mountain as the backdrop and Robben Island in the foreground, I have no doubt the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will garner substantial support in Cape Town and throughout South Africa.”
“We believe that hosting the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Cape Town will showcase Africa as a role player in the transition to a greener future, and will position the city and the Western Cape as the pioneering renewable energy hub of South Africa,” Banner said.
However, the Cape Town Formula E bidding process has been called into question, with rival promoter Cape Town Grand Prix SA (CTGPSA) stating last year that it was in “utter disbelief at the blatant disregard for a fair and transparent” Formula E bidding process. You can read more about that here.