The E-1 Boat Racing series will begin its inaugural season in Saudi Arabia on February 2nd and 3rd. The first event will take place in Jeddah and will feature a full weekend of events for fans and attendees.
E-1 Racing -- a new racing series that uses uniquely designed electric hydrofoiling 'RaceBirds' -- has garnered major public attention since announcing its launch. Celebrities including NFL legend Tom Brady and tennis superstar Rafael Nadal have both purchased teams.
The race locations and celebrity hype has already given the E-1 series a similar 'weekend event' vibe similar to F-1 auto racing events.
Officially dubbed the UIM E1 World Championship, Season 1 will feature seven races around the world culminating in a final event in Hong Kong in November. The series will visit Europe, the Middle East and Asia with major global cities like Monaco, Venice, and Rotterdam hosting weekend-long events. Hong Kong will host the finale of the first three seasons in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
After the first E-1 race in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia on February 2nd and 3rd, the series will move to Venice on May 11th and 12th with the world famous waters of the Venetian lagoon hosting E1’s unique hydrofoiling RaceBirds.
"I share the pride of everyone at E1 as we announce this spectacular calendar of events for our first season. These cities are all world renowned for their cultural, touristic and sporting offerings and will each provide our fans with a unique and unforgettable experience. Our race locations not only will provide a stunning backdrop for our RaceBirds, but they align with our goals of improving the ecosystems in which we race and accelerating marine electrification," said Rodi Basso, CEO and co-founder of E1 in a press release.
Following E-1's launch in Jeddah and Venice, the third stop will visit Puerto Banús, an enclave of Marbella, Spain, on June 1st and 2nd. June will see a race hosted in Geneva, Switzerland, followed by a visit to Monaco on July 26th and 27th. After debuting the RaceBirds racing side by side at World Port Days in 2023, E1 returns to Rotterdam on September 7th and 8th for the final race of the summer.
These events all form part of the "Race to Hong Kong" – the official Championship Standings – as the season concludes with a grand finale in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on November 9th and 10th.
"We are most excited to see the debut of UIM E1 World Championship in 2024, and are proud that Hong Kong will host the grand finale of the first three seasons of the championship and will be the only East Asian host city of its inaugural season, highlighting Hong Kong’s reputation as a world-renowned events capital and one of the best destinations for tourists around the world," said Mr. Kevin Yeung, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hong Kong SAR Government.
Up to ten teams of male and female pilots will compete in the first season chasing the E1 title of "Champions of the Water." Other notable E-1 team owners include Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, soccer superstar Didier Drogba, F-1 driver Sergio Pérez, music producer Steve Aoki, and singer/songrwriter Marc Anthony.
"The list of names in the Season 1 calendar shows the immense confidence our city stakeholders have in E1 before the first race has even started and there’s still so much more to come from the championship" said Alejandro Agag, Chairman and co-founder of E1.
The series schedule is as follows:
E1 Jeddah GP 2-3 February
E1 Venice GP 11-12 May
E1 Puerto Banús GP 1-2 June
E1 Geneva GP 29-30 June
E1 Monaco GP 26-27 July
E1 Rotterdam GP 7-8 September
E1 Hong Kong GP 9-10 November
