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New Mayor Sadiq Khan Signs Off On Formula E Race Through Central London

It has been F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone’s "dream for decades, a grand prix around the streets of London," according to Kevin Eason of the LONDON TIMES. Ecclestone’s dream "has become Formula E’s reality" as negotiations with new London Mayor Sadiq Khan for a race in the heart of the capital "ended with agreement" on Monday. It is an "extraordinary coup" for Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag, "who has stolen the thunder" of Ecclestone, whose "complex plans for a London Grand Prix will now have to be put back into the filing cabinet." Agag’s plans "are only in the first flush but he wants his electric-powered cars whizzing past the Palace at more than 140mph as soon as next year." The first choice of route for the London ePrix, as it will be known, "would be around St James’s Park with the cars racing down the Mall," past Buckingham Palace before turning down Birdcage Walk, left into Horse Guards Parade and back along the Mall. Giving Formula E "the green light to start planning is one of first acts of Khan," who is said to be "keen on bringing a headline event that would attract tens of thousands of tourists, as well as race fans." Agag: "We are working very hard on this. It will be a wonderful move for Formula E from Battersea Park to a track that has some of the most famous sites in London in full view. We already race in eight city centers so we have the knowledge of how to stage the event." There are "many hurdles yet to jump" and the '17 date is "just a target for now, as is the planned St James’s Park circuit." Two alternative sites are being considered as a fallback if the St. James’s Park option "proves too difficult, with a route criss-crossing the bridges of the River Thames being considered" as well as a track around the 2012 Olympic Park (LONDON TIMES, 5/24).

LAST TIME AT BATTERSEA: Formula E has been given the all-clear for the '15-16 season finale to take place at Battersea Park from July 2-3. Following a tripartite agreement between Wandsworth Borough Council and the Battersea Park Action Group, the judicial review has been dropped, allowing the race to go ahead as planned. The July event will be the final Formula E race in Battersea Park, and the series is looking for an alternative venue for the London race (Formula E).

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