‘Quiet’ racing comes alive as Hong Kong hosts E-Prix

Formula E racing comes aline in Hong Kong’s tight streets.

“Tight circuit.” “Really close racing.” “Cars are faster than I imagined.” “Quiet, very quiet.”

These were some of the comments coming from the few fans I had the pleasure to chat with, in the recently concluded Hong Kong E-Prix.

The inaugural race of the 2016/2017 Formula E season kicked off in the former crown colony this past weekend.

Fans, all 30,000 of them, trooped down to Hong Kong Central to catch a glimpse of the “future of motorsports.”

Formula E cars are open wheel racers similar to their more loved cousins, Formula 1, the only difference being that there is zero emissions in Formula E, and with very little noise (you can actually chat with your seatmate even as car whiz by).

The tight confines of the Hong Kong street circuit features long straights and very tight corners, with two very slow hairpins at each end.

Cars reach speeds that rival other disciplines, which surprised most attendees new to the sport.

The race began with Nelson Piquet Jr. standing on pole, leading everyone into turn 1. But later, carnage ensued as cars bumped and muscled their way against each other in the tight confines.

The black and orange flag was shown to both Ma Qing Hua of Techeetah and Lucas di Grassi of Audi Sport, prompting both drivers to dive into the pits for repairs.

A few laps later, Jose Maria Lopez of DS Virgin rammed the barriers which caused race leader Piquet Jr. to slam on the brakes as he turned into the corner blindly. Piquet Jr. suffered minor damage, and likewise had to come in for repairs.

As the safety car was brought out to retrieve Lopez’s stricken car, defending champion Sebastian Buemi got called in—quick thinking by the Renault e.dams team.

With Bird and Piquet Jr. not pitting, Buemi took the lead, and eventually the win.

Following the Renault across the line was Di Grassi in the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, and in third was Nick Hiedfled in the Mahindra.

It was a good weekend for racing in Hong Kong, but it was not perfect. There were a few organizational and ticketing concerns that should be addressed.

First is the e-village ticket (general admission). This ticket gives access to the merchandise booths, team displays, and food stalls, but only allows you to watch the race from large monitors.

There is no “grazing” grounds for fans, unlike in Formula One (F1) wherein the cheapest ticket will allow you to see a lot of on-track racing even while standing.

Fans in Hong Kong had to contend themselves by watching through small openings in the perforated barriers. Some even went up and down on the escalator at the Central Ferry Pier just to catch the action.

If the organizers want to bring in fans, not only the well-heeled ones, they have to provide viewing platforms for the general public.

Another matter that needs to be looked into is the insistence to wear the plastic band that is tightly bound on the wrist all weekend long; one should never take it off (I was told I can shower with it), otherwise, you will be barred from reentering the track.

Formula E could indeed be the future of car racing, but if fan sentiment is neglected, this series could find its elf mired in problems, much like the now-defunct A1GP.