Formula E Racing Coming to Brooklyn

New York City is on the map for many sports events: the third leg of the Triple Crown, The Belmont Stakes; the Knicks and the Yankees play here; even the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has its home in New York. Until now car racing has been absent from the New York sports scene. Come next July New Yorkers will play host to the Formula E auto race, in which the cars can reach up to 180 mph on a straightaway, or average about 150 mph in the reality of twists and turns of a Red Hook race course.

Yes, Red Hook in Brooklyn has been chosen as the venue. Fred Dixon, the president of NYC & Company, the city’s official tourism organization explains why:

“It’s a phenomenal setting in terms of view. Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge. Very iconic,” Dixon explained.

Don’t think this is just another car race. No. These cars are special. They are 100 percent fueled by electricity. So the race is promoting the development of the green technology of electric cars. Due to the present limitations of an electric car’s battery, each of the 20 drivers in the race will have two cars at his disposal, so that when the first car’s battery fades, a second car can be commissioned into the race.

The importance of showcasing the technology was emphasized by the Mayor:

“New York City is where technology, sustainability and commerce collide,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “We are thrilled to be the new home of the ePrix.”