Formula E expects sellout at U.S. debut in Miami

Formula E organizers are expecting a sellout crowd of more than 50,000 spectators for Saturday’s race in South Florida, as the all-electric racing series makes its U.S. debut on the streets of downtown Miami.

While the layout of the race circuit along Miami’s Biscayne Bay makes it difficult to build full grandstands, Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag said there will be a large area for general admission.

AGAG

Should the predictions hold true, it would enable Formula E to celebrate its third sellout crowd in five events for its debut, 2014-15 season, following the season opener in Beijing and the third race in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Formula E is the world’s first fully electric racing series. The series is sanctioned by motorsports governing body FIA, which is also in charge of the F1 World Championship. The series’ inaugural season features 10 teams — each with two drivers — competing on temporary street circuits in the center of 10 cities worldwide. Ownership of the teams represents a collection of former race car drivers including Michael Andretti, Jarno Trulli and Alain Prost, along with well-known names from the world of racing and innovation like Virgin, Mahindra, Venturi and ABT Sportsline.

Fans attending the South Florida race not only will get a full day of racing — with two practices, qualifying and a race — but they’ll also receive off-track entertainment as part of the admission. The eVillage festival area will give Formula E teams and sponsors the opportunity to showcase their technologies and promote their affiliation with the series. Driver appearances will be featured as well.

“We want to have this championship very open for the fans to get them close to the drivers,” Agag said.

The eVillage, seen at Buenos Aires in January, brings fans and sponsors together. Photo by: FORMULA E

Formula E aims to be a family friendly motorsports series. Agag pointed out the reduced sound level produced by Formula E cars in comparison to traditional race cars, touting the series as perhaps a more favorable destination for families and children in that regard. Additionally, in Miami, manufacturer Venturi plans to have on display what it can boast as the world’s fastest electric car: the Venturi VBB-3, which set the world record with an average speed of 212.615 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah last year.

The Miami ePrix will be the first of two U.S. races for Formula E this spring. The other race will be in Long Beach, Calif., in April.

For Andretti, a former IndyCar driver who not only owns a Formula E team but also runs the Miami event through his Andretti Sports Marketing, it is all about trying to do whatever it takes to help the series succeed in the United States.

“It’s a big undertaking to do it if you had to do it all on your own,” he said. “[Formula E] needed some help, and we were able to come in and help. [The Miami race] is an important race for Formula E because the U.S. obviously is a huge market. We need to do well here.”

Andretti described the cooperation with Formula E as a “mixed bag.” While Andretti Sports Marketing is responsible for organizing the race in Miami — from the construction of the track to the operation of the event itself — it does not handle ticket sales or hospitality and controls only local sponsorships. The main objective for Andretti Sports Marketing, he said, is to make sure everything ends up running smoothly..

On the sponsorship front, Andretti’s group was able to sign the local sponsorship deal with Florida Power & Light for this year’s event. He said additional local sponsorship packages were still available for Saturday’s race, as well.
“There are always places to sell,” he said. “I don’t think you can ever be sold out.”

HJ Mai is assistant managing editor for SportsBusiness Daily Global.