The Formula E race on Sunday offered many different activities besides just the chance to watch Formula E cars drive up to 174 mph on the 1.475 mile course.
Red Hook’s Brooklyn Cruise Terminal featured one indoor and one outdoor Allianz E-Village with lots of sponsored booths and activities for guests of all ages. Each section within each E-Village was close to each other so fans had a chance to try everything they wanted to before the thrilling race.
There was a drive zone, a stage zone with many performances, a Formula E World area where guests could learn how Formula E is changing motorsport and an explorer zone where fans could fly over some of the most beautiful cities in the world with a Birdly simulator virtual reality by Allianz.
In the inspire zone, guests were able to find out how race sponsor ABB is innovating into the future and be inspired by DHL’s contribution to sustainable logistics.
Both Allianz E-Villages featured a few simulators so fans could know what it is like to race a Formula E car. There was a big gaming area where kids could compete on a Formula E simulator up on a stage, and DHL, which is a major sponsor, had a booth with virtual reality and space to try on equipment.
There was also an indoor area with a new Harley-Davidson Livewire exhibit that featured virtual reality for motorcycles.
To entertain the kids, there was a scooter race for kids ages five through 12 and a combine challenge where kids got to test their agility.
Some of the options that guests had to choose from in the Taste Zone were Big Mozz, Nansense Afghan Food, Oyster Party and Destination Dumplings.
On Sunday, the King Charles Unicycle Troupe performed at 8:00 am, there was a practice session from 9:00 am, a beatbox flautist named Greg Pattilo performed at 9:30 am and the Emphasis Entertainment Dance Crew performed at 10:30 am.
The Coyote and Crow Banjo Duo performed at 11:30 am, Formula E qualifying was at 11:45 am, the Jaguar I-Pace E-Trophy Race was at 2:00 pm, the Formula E autograph session was at 2:00 pm and then the podium for Sunday’s race was after the Formula E race that finished at 5:00 pm.
Sunday truly had a packed day of events for everyone and many families brought their kids so they could experience a car race.
Brian Vedder lives near Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour and 45 minutes away. He left very early in the morning so that his son could experience this car race.
“This is the first time we came,” Vedder said. “We thought about it last year, but we were able to do it this year. This was actually his birthday present. I am happy this is close enough that we can drive to.”
His son has been really fascinated with Formula E recently, so this was a special trip for the two of them.
“He is really interested in it,” Vedder said. “He went back on YouTube and watched all the races from previous seasons, so we thought this would be a good thing for him to do.”
Vedder enjoyed the e-village and bringing his son to Brooklyn for the first time.
“It’s nice here that you can see the skyline across the way and the Statue of Liberty, so it is cool, and exciting for him too.”
Debra, who didn’t give her last name, came because her son is really into race cars. She really enjoyed seeing the cars and motorcycles up close in the E-Village.
The Brooklyn resident said that it “is a phenomenal thing” that Formula E has come to Red Hook and was looking forward to watching the race later in the day.
Courtney Russell, who lives in Manhattan, was enthusiastic about the race. She and her family tried to come last year but the grandstand tickets were already sold out.
She came with her husband, her son and her baby. Her husband was taking her son around the E-Village and she thought they were having a really good time.
They came because of her son’s interest in car racing, like many other families.
“We don’t really have any opportunities to see a race around here except this,” Russell said. “This was perfect timing and location. Later, I am looking forward to seeing cars go really fast, and the smile on my kids’ face.”
Another fan whose name was Hugo Hugo came from Queens and enjoyed not having to travel to another state to watch a car race. He had not come to see Formula E before.
“It is our first time,” Hugo, who came with his friend, said. “So far we have tried different foods. We have looked at cars and taken pictures of cars. It has been pretty good.”
He is a car racing fan who had previously only seen races on TV.
“We wanted to check it out,” Hugo said. “I like the speed, so I wanted to see what the buzz is about. You look at it on TV here and there and then to sit down and actually see the race is pretty nice.”
Lawrence (didn’t give last name), who lives in Brooklyn, is very into cars and thought this was an amazing experience.
He designs cars and was invited to come by the Jaguar racing team. He was excited to see how the Jaguar team was going to perform during his first in person car race.
“It is a great experience,” the Brooklyn native said. “I’m a fan of Formula E. I like the electric part since it is better for the environment. It is a good vibe.”
There was an older couple who came last year as well but they had a ticket mix up. He thought he was purchasing a grandstand ticket but was disappointed to find out that his ticket was just for the e-village.
He is into car racing a little bit and likes that it is local to where he lives in Brooklyn. He liked that in his opinion this year compared to the two previous years there was more stuff to see and more interactive activities.
Another fun sponsored activity that fans got to enjoy included a booth showing the new Mercedes Benz EQ silver Arrow 01 model that will be used in next year’s race. The top speed is 280 km/h.
There was a cycling station where fans could find out how quickly a Formula E battery could be charged. The battery can go from zero to 100 percent charged in 60 minutes.
The next generation Gen 2 car made its debut this season in Season Five, and Formula E said the model is a testament to the advancement of battery and electric vehicle technology during the previous four years.
Each of the three years Formula E has been in Red Hook the course and E-Village have been modified to try and make it an improvement from the previous year.
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Formula E crowned a repeat champion in Red Hook
Formula E made its triumphant return on a hot mid-July day to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for the third summer in a row. The electrically powered cars excited fans of all ages.
Robin Frijns, who is Dutch and on the Envision Virgin Racing team, won the race on Sunday, which took place from 4:00 until 5:00 around the 1.475-mile course. He was handed the trophy on the podium from New York State Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz, who represents Red Hook.
“I wanted it so bad,” Frijns said. “Now I can go home and prepare for next season.”
Alexander Sims, who is on the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team and from England finished Sunday’s thrilling race in second place only 3.200 behind Frijn.
When Formula E, which spans the globe, charged its way into Red Hook on Saturday for its first race of the weekend, Sebastian Buemi, who is on the Nissan E.Dams team and from Switzerland, won the race. Buemi finished third on Sunday after holding down first for much of the race.
Formula E’s goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of electric cars and how they can revolutionize transportation. Formula E officials said that over 25,000 people came to the race over the weekend, which is capacity for the facility built from scratch each of the last three summers at the Cruise Terminal.
Before this season, drivers had to change to a new car halfway through each race. This year each team used a standardized 385-kilogram lithium-ion battery with twice the energy to cover the full distance of the course.
The maximum speed for Formula E cars during Sunday’s race was 174 mph and they can sprint 62 mph in 2.8 seconds.
Jean Eric Vergne of France won first place for the season with 136 points, and Buemi finished the season in second place and was the only racer with four consecutive podium finishes.
Vergne won his second consecutive season championship in Formula E’s fifth season and was presented with a trophy on the podium from Formula E CEO Alexandro Agag, which was followed by a confetti and champagne celebration with Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop.
This season before Formula E concluded its season in Red Hook with its 12th and 13th race. There were previously stops in five continents in these countries: Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Chile, Mexico, China, Italy, France, Monaco, Germany and Switzerland.
The race included 11 different teams and two drivers on each team.
Frijns who finished in first place on Sunday, very much enjoyed having the final race of the season in Red Hook with the beautiful backdrop.
“I think Formula One is even dreaming of having a race in New York,” Frijns said. “We are driving here with Formula E and it is a privilege that we can say that we go to New York for a race. We go to many, many different cities. Definitely, New York is one of those legendary names.”
Frijns Virgin Racing team finished third overall for the season, and he was happy to medal overall for the season. He was looking forward to competing in Brooklyn since he got to find out where he would finish overall in the end in a pressurized situation.
“The last race is obviously different because it is the last one,” Frijns said in the media pen. It is for team championship positions and for driver championship positions. We were fighting for a team championship, so it was stressful. We finished in third, one point ahead, and that was the goal.”
The Dutch racer thought that this course with many turns on the water in Red Hook was a challenge one, but it was one he was obviously able to overcome.
“This track particularly was very hard to overtake because there is only one line,” Frijns said. “Overtaking has been very difficult, a lot of tracks have been easier, but luckily heading into turn one was quite wide, so we had some over takings there.”
He thought that segment three of the course was very narrow, but on the other hand the second segment was a wider one. He liked that the course had a mix of everything.
Frijns, who is 27, does not have much time to celebrate because he will be going back to where he is from in Holland for another car race next weekend.
Sims, who is 31, finished second overall in a close finish, really enjoyed the location of the final race of the season just like Frijns.
“It was quite surreal actually,” Sims added. “I stood on the podium, took a glance to my right, and saw the Statue of Liberty and the lovely scenery around it. This was the most impressive podium ceremony that I have had. The race was good fun.”
The British car racing veteran thought that there were some challenging conditions due to the hot day, and a challenging battery system on the curb, but was able to overcome this to finish in second.
“The heat meant we had to keep on top of the battery temperature,” Sims said. “In cooler races that is not normally an issue at all. It was just an additional factor on top of energy management and obviously trying to go as fast as possible and use attack modes in the right sequence to stay strong.”
According to Sims, there are many differences from Formula E cars and the circuit and other racing cars that have different technology.
The electric cars is one difference, but also Formula E is on street tracks, you start the race without enough energy to do every lap flat out meaning conserving is key, you start race with cold tires, you don’t have a warmup lap and you go into super pole with different tire conditions.
Sims is a proponent of the electric cars that Formula E utilizes and the software that is developed.
I love it,” Sims said. “They are promoting electric vehicles and showing them as being sexy, fun and exciting. Electric vehicles for the road are a great solution for personal transportation. This is being addressed by the major manufacturers, and I think are going to be here to stay.”
Sims is now on a summer break and does not know where his next race will be yet.
