Yahoo Autos Formula E Could Race in New York City in 2017
As the world's first big-time racing series for electric cars, FIA Formula E has already broken barriers in motorsports. Now, it seems the series is about to attempt another seemingly impenetrable wall: Trying to launch a race in New York City.
Motorsport.com has revealed the tentative 2017 racing schedule for the Formula E Championship, with two new North American additions to the schedule: Montreal on July 15th and 16th, and New York City on July 29th and 30th.
As Formula E boss Alejandro Agag told Motorsport.com, "New York is not confirmed. I was there last week and we are making good progress."
"Montreal is looking good and has a strong chance of being on the list we send [to the FIA]," Agag said. "If New York happens, they will be together in July and potentially double-headers."
If Formula E can successfully pull off an NYC race, it'll be a huge accomplishment. Costs, bureaucracy, and challenging logistics have doomed just about every major racing series' attempts at holding an event here. And while suitable venues exist in the greater New York/New Jersey region, Formula E's mission of bringing zero-emissions racing to a broad audience would seem to indicate that the series wants to hold its event truly within the city.
The tentative 2017 calendar also adds events in Marrakesh, Singapore, and Brussels, while eliminating Beijing, Putrajaya, Punta del Este, Moscow, and Battersea Park, all of which appeared on the 2016 calendar.
The provisional schedule will be submitted to the FIA ahead of next month's World Motorsport Council Meeting. The third season of Formula E is set to begin on October 9th of this year, in Hong Kong.
