Co-Founder And CEO Alberto Longo Talks Why Formula E Is Racing In Portland

When Formula E races in America this weekend, it will be in Portland, Oregon for the first time. While media market size is small compared to where the race has been held in the past, for the all-electric series, it makes perfect sense.

While the racing series does not garner the popularity of Formula 1, in just its ninth season, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship may be the most important racing series on the globe. As consumer vehicles shift dramatically to electric, Formula E is a technology laboratory, sponsored incubator, and yes, fan event. The global racing series features 16 races for 2023 in 11 cities ranging from Rome to Berlin to London, Monaco, Sau Paulo, and more. This year marks the first for the Gen3 car that sees speeds reach up to 200mph and the most energy effective racer on the planet with more than 40% of the energy used within a race produced by regenerative braking.

The 2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix is race 12 in the 16 round series making it critical to the championship. It will mark the inaugural race at Portland International Raceway and becomes the fourth city to host the global racing series following New York, Miami, and Long Beach. The market may seem out of place in one sense and mark the perfect location in another.

In an exclusive interview with me for Forbes, Alberto Longo, co-founder and CEO of Formula E explained why the city in the Pacific Northwest made sense for the U.S. grand prix and why they left New York.

‘Unfortunately, the reason we left New York was very simple,” Longo said. “It was no longer an option for us anymore. We are becoming bigger and bigger every year and unfortunately the cruise terminal in Brooklyn was becoming smaller and smaller due to work being done there. We just started running out of space for grandstands and other infrastructure, so the move to Portland became an easy one.”

At its heart, Formula E is about vehicle sustainability. When looking for markets in which to race, it would make sense that on top of a circuit that meets the series needs, one that is big on sustainability would be a consideration.

After New York became too difficult to make the U.S. stop work, Longo said they began looking in the country for a market to race in “that ticked all the boxes” and Portland met that criteria.

“Portland is one of the most sustainable cities in the US which is obviously one of the key element for us,” Longo said. “The track is on only two miles away from the city center. There is a sizable corporatie base around green technologies and it has a sports presence with the likes of Nike’s
NKE
World Headquarters, adidas North America, and Under Armour’s
UAA
corporate headquarters.

Lono said that the event sold 6,000 tickets in the first hour it was on sale and tracking toward a potential sellout.

“We’re very proud to be there in Portland,” he added.

The Southwire Portland E-Prix takes place starting Friday, June 23 with free practice 1. Free practice sessions 2 and 3, as well as qualifying and the race will take place on Saturday, June 24.