NICK CASSIDY LEADS THE CHARGE AS FORMULA E RETURNS STATESIDE FOR DOUBLE-HEADER

Photo by Rico Reynaldi on Unsplash

In 2023, Formula E ventured into uncharted territory with its first visit to Portland, following past USA E-Prix events in Miami and New York. Over 20,000 fans witnessed an exhilarating spectacle featuring more than 400 overtakes and numerous lead changes. The unpredictable weekend also saw some of the fastest speeds ever recorded in a Formula E session, captivating the crowd with non-stop action.

Nick Cassidy triumphed in the 2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix for Envision Racing, making a decisive move on Lap 28 to secure his third win of the season. This victory propelled Cassidy to second place in the FIA World Championship standings, just one point behind Jake Dennis of Avalanche Andretti, who crossed the line second. António Félix da Costa of TAG Heuer Porsche finished third in a race in which a mere seven seconds separating the top 17 cars at the finish.

In addition to Cassidy’s thrilling race to the finish after starting in tenth position, Portland’s debut was a milestone in particular for the US-based Andretti outfit, with Jake Dennis securing the Julius Baer Pole Position and a podium on home soil, before hurtling through the second half of the season to ultimately take home the Drivers’ Championship trophy. With one win and five podiums so far this year, they’ll be looking to build on a strong start to the season to replicate last year’s success. The question on everyone’s mind however: even with a strong hometown performance, do they have what it takes to challenge Jaguar TCS Racing and TAG Heuer Porsche?

As the end of Formula E’s tenth season approaches, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans is on the brink of an historic achievement. Fresh off his victory in Shanghai, Evans now boasts 12 wins in Formula E. A win in Portland would see him equal the all-time win record, tying with Formula E legends Sébastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi. Meanwhile, Evans’ now-teammate and current championship leader Nick Cassidy has climbed the podium eight times in just 12 races this season, and holds a commanding 25-point lead over second place TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, setting the stage for an intense battle for the two top teams when the championship lands stateside.

Rounds 13 and 14 of the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix start at 14:00 local time on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June.

PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: PLAYGROUND OF RACING LEGENDS AND HIGH-SPEED THRILLS

Portland International Raceway, a staple in American motorsport, is renowned for hosting thrilling close battles, especially in series like IndyCar. A memorable highlight came in 1997 when the premier American single-seater series witnessed an electrifying three-way finish. Mark Blundell edged out Gil de Ferran and Raul Boesel by a mere half-a-tenth of a second, cementing the race’s legacy as one of the closest on a road course.

The clockwise, 12-turn, 3.190km layout remains unchanged from last year, with the ATTACK MODE activation zone sitting on the outside of Turn 7. With the high-speed corners and long straights, fans can expect overtaking, ample slipstreaming, and critical energy management.

SEASON 10’S RACE TO THE TOP

The second season of the GEN3 era nears its final showdown. The competition has been fierce, with eight different race winners across the first 12 rounds. 14 drivers have climbed the podium, and seven different teams are currently represented in the top 10 of the Drivers’ standings.

As the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship gears up for its thirteenth and fourteenth rounds, the current driver standings are as follows: Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing leads the pack, followed closest by two-time Season 10 race winner Pascal Wehrlein of Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.

Cassidy’s fellow countryman and teammate, Mitch Evans, sits in third, with Nissan’s Oliver Rowland and last year’s defending champion Jake Dennis of Andretti Formula E Team rounding out the top five in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Jean-Éric Vergne of DS PENSKE and TAG Heuer Porsche’s António Félix da Costa currently sit sixth and seventh. Tokyo E-Prix winner Maximillian Günther of Maserati MSG Racing sits in eighth, followed by the other DS PENSKE machine of Stoffel Vandoorne. After his first Formula E podium in Round 11, Jake Hughes completes the top ten for NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.

OFF-TRACK ENTERTAINMENT

In addition to all the action on the track, Formula E fans can get ready for an unforgettable day in the Allianz Fan Village.

Visitors can dive into the excitement of the gaming arena and Bikerama, and grab plenty of photos with local street artists. Food and drinks will be available from a variety of cuisines while the youngest fans will have a blast at the Kid’s Zone with face painting, giant bubbles, and more.

The weekend also promises live performances throughout, including Jxdn – real name Jaden Hossler – on the Saturday. American singer, songwriter, and social media personality, his initial fame on the social media platform TikTok transitioned into music, before Jxdn signed with Travis Barker’s label, DTA Records in 2020. On Sunday, fans can enjoy the music of Natalie Jane. Off the back of sell-out shows in New York City and Los Angeles, and headlining the Berlin E-Prix earlier this year, Natalie Jane will take to the stage again in the Allianz Fan Village, bringing her massive vocal talent and soulful sounds along with hits ‘AVA’ from her debut album ‘Where Am I?’.

Tickets are still available for people who don’t want to miss out on the action: https://fiaformulae.com/

SCHEDULE: WHERE, WHEN AND HOW TO WATCH OR STREAM THE 2024 HANKOOK PORTLAND E-PRIX

The 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix gets underway on Friday 28 June with Free Practice 1 at 17:00 local time.

Then it’s straight into the first race day of the double-header on Saturday 29 June as Free Practice 2 kicks off the day at 07:30 local, followed by qualifying at 09:40 local with lights out on Round 4 at 14:00 local/21:00 UTC.

For Round 14, the same schedule applies: Free Practice starts at 07:30 on Sunday 30 June, followed by qualifying at 09:40 local time and the race at 14:00 local/21:00 UTC.

USA: All race sessions will be shown live on Roku. Highlights will be shown on CBS Sports Network.

AMERICAS 

CANADA: In Canada TVA Sports 2 will show Live race coverage on Saturday and Sunday. Qualifying and races will be shown live on TSN + in French and English, respectively.

MEXICO: Fans can watch the action of both races on Fox Sports 3Claro Sports and Azteca Deportes.

Claro Sports will be providing dedicated coverage of the whole race weekend across Latin America with support from DirecTV in select markets.

ASIA

CHINA

CHINA: CCTV will be showing both qualifying and races on their Digital Platform CCTV Sports/Yangshipin. Guangdong Sports will be showing race coverage live. Formula E’s digital partnerships continue with HUYA, BiliBili, Sina, Kuaishou and Douyin covering all sessions live.

Pan Southeast Asia: Fans can watch live coverage of both races on SPOTV 2 .

AUSTRALIA: Stan Sports will present live coverage of all sessions of both races on the Stan Sports platform. 9GO will wrap up the weekend with highlights for fans in Australia.

INDIA: Live qualifying & race coverage of both E-Prix’s will be on ST1, with qualifying and race coverage on SonyLIV.

INDONESIA: Fans can catch qualifying and both races delayed on iNews, with dedicated coverage of the weekend across MNC platforms including SPORTSTARS and MNC Vision +.

PAKISTAN: Fans in Pakistan will be able to catch qualifying and both races live on A Sports. Qualifying and race action will also be live on ARY Digital.

JAPAN: Fans in Japan will be able to catch live qualifying and race action on J Sports 2, with highlights coverage on BS Fuji.

NEW ZEALAND: Viewers in New Zealand will be able to catch all the action, live on Sky Sports 5.

EUROPE

FRANCE: Viewers in France will be able to catch Live and delayed action from the weekend on La Chaine L’Equipe. Eurosport 1 will be covering both races delayed across the weekend. Eurosport Player will be showing all sessions live and L’Equipe.fr will be running live qualifying & race coverage.

GERMANY: Germany will see live coverage of qualifying and both races on DF1, with both sessions also available on ServusOn and ServusTV Motorsports Magenta.

ITALY: Mediaset’s Channel 20 will air both Portland races live, with all sessions available live on SportMediaset.it. Highlights will be also covered on Italia Uno channel. Eurosport 1 will cover rounds 13 and 14 with highlights.

AUSTRIA: Fans will be able to tune into race action and qualifying of both races on ServusTV with races and qualifying simulcast on ServusOn.

NETHERLANDS: Netherlands will be able to see all sessions, live on Ziggo Sport Racing, Ziggo Select and ZiggoGOEurosport 1 will also be providing live race coverage across the weekend on linear and digital channels.

UK: All race session coverage on Saturday & Sunday will be shown live on TNT Sports 1. All sessions will be available on digital via discovery+.

REST OF EUROPE: Across the remainder of Europe all sessions will be live across Eurosport’s digital platforms. Eurosport will provide bespoke, live coverage of both races on Eurosport 1ES Player will also provide a one-stop destination for all Formula E catch-up.

AFRICA

Fans will be able to catch qualifying on SuperSport Motorsport and the race live on SuperSport Motorsport across Sub-Saharan Africa. With free-to-air race coverage on ETV in South Africa.

MENA

Fans can tune into the Saturday & Sunday races live on SSC 2. All sessions simulcast on shahid.net.

Full details with further updates on where to watch, including information for all territories worldwide, can be found at: fiaformulae.com/watch

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