The first season of Formula E has one round remaining, despite the championship already being wrapped up. The new all electric competition has been a smash success and is about to get a massive (Fan) Boost with the announcement it’ll be included in Forza Motorsport 6.
The first time racing fans got a taste of the all-electric vehicles was with the 2014 Renault Spark SRT_01E which arrived as DLC for Forza 5. Thankfully we’ll now get full races and undoubtedly race modes that mean Formula E races will be a real thing. Hopefully the same will happen with V8 Supercars, but we’re not holding our breath on that one.
Formula E racing requires strategic use of the limited charge of the racecar’s battery. During a pit stop, the entire car is swapped rather than changing batteries. It’ll be interesting to see if the driver has any work to do to make this style of pitstop occur seamlessly in the game. Hopefully there is more of a challenge than just an automated sequence of the driver jumping out of one vehicle and into the next.
Fan Boost is a system where select driver’s are given an additional 5 seconds of boost, based on a voting system driven by fans. As the drivers deploy the additional power the racing should be more entertaining and competitive.
While most think of EV as silent, they’re not. These cars are not silent, instead their sound is distinct and very prevalent with a recordable level of no more than 80 db, not much more than the average commuter car. Acceleration is impressive with 0-60 attainable in less than three seconds and top speeds are around 140 mph.
This past weekend’s 2015 Formula E season finale brought city circuit racing back to the city of London after a 40-year hiatus. NEXTEV TCR driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was crowned as the first Formula E champion after finishing seventh place at the Battersea Park circuit, earning enough points to secure the first Formula E title.
If you haven’t been keeping up with the new racing formula, here’s a list of the cars, teams and drivers, of which you can expect to race in Forza 6. Time to pick a favourite.
2015 Formula E #55 Amlin Aguri Spark SRT_01E
Drivers: Sakon Yamamoto and Salvador Duran. Representing Japan is a coalition of global insurer Amlin and proven technological innovation through Aguri’s Formula One heritage. The team hope to inspire eco-conscious transportation solutions though their joint venture.
2015 Formula E #11 ABT FE 01
Drivers: Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt. Bringing their success in DTM to the new world of Formula E racing is Abt Sportsline and Principal Hans-Jürgen Abt. Abt is one of the most successful German teams with titles in endurance and GT racing.
2015 Formula E #10 Trulli Spark SRT_01E
Drivers: Jarno Trulli and Alex Fontana. Swiss co-founder and driver Jarno Trulli has competed in 256 Grand Prix in Formula One and is a business entrepreneur. One of the amazing goals for Trulli is to adopt and prove wireless charging technology.
2015 Formula E #99 NEXTEV TCR FE01
Drivers: 2015 Formula-E champion Nelson Piquet and Oliver Turvey. Team China Racing (TCR) is authorized by the Ministry of Sports in China and led by Steven Lu. TCR started in 2004 and competes in many racing disciplines from GP2 to FIA GT1.
2015 Formula E #27 Andretti Formula E Spark SRT_01E
Drivers: Jean-Eric Vergne and Simona de Silvestro. The Andretti name is synonymous with racing and so who better to field one of the two American efforts in the inaugural Formula E seasons. Andretti racing boasts wins in every category of racing they have endeavored in.
2015 Formula E #23 Venturi 1
Drivers: Nick Heidfeld and Stéphane Sarrazin. The team is based out of Monte Carlo and owned by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Gildo Pallanca Pastor, founder of EV manufacturer Venturi Automobiles. Venturi is the current holder of the land speed record for electric vehicles having reached a speed of 307 mph.
2015 Formula E #21 Mahindra M2Electro
Drivers: Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna. Mahindra is a huge multinational group employing more than 180,000 people worldwide. It is the only Indian team to race in Formula E but not a stranger to international motorsport.
2015 Formula E #9 e.dams-Renault Spark SRT_01E
Drivers: Nicolas Prost and Sébastien Buemi. Co-founder Alain Prost needs no introduction as one of the winningest Formula One drivers in history. He has paired himself with Jean-Paul Driot founder of top single-seater team owner Dams. The team is based just outside Le Mans, France.
2015 Formula E #6 Dragon Racing Spark SRT_01E
Drivers: Jerome D’Ambrosio and Loic Duval. When the Penske name is attached to anything in racing, you can bet it will have success. Son of Roger Penske, Jay Penske started Dragon Racing in 2007 at the Indianapolis 500 and landed an amazing fifth upon the team’s debut.
2015 Formula E #2 Virgin Racing VIR 01E
Drivers: Sam Bird and Fabio Leimer. Sir Richard Branson has been known for his eccentricity and innovation through the pioneering technologies of Virgin. It’s only natural to see Virgin’s presence on the forefront of EV racing. Virgin represents the British effort in Formula E.
Along with the announcement of Formula E, there’s also been a decent list of new cars that’ll be included in the full car list of 450 by the time the game ships in September. Not only is this a great announcement for racing fans, with yet another category of racing available, but it’s also a massive boost to electric vehicles in general.
More information at The Forza Garage
