The young electric boat racing series E1 is adding a new dimension of sustainability to its championship competition. It has introduced a new element called the E1 Blue Imprint Championship, in which its racing teams will compete to deliver the most significant impact in reversing effects on ocean and aquatic ecosystems in regions where races are held.
The UIM E1 Championship Series is a young electric boat racing league that continues to grow its audience of fans around the globe. Its inaugural season is approaching its fourth of eight scheduled Grad Prix, where its initial nine teams, led by owners like Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, and Will Smith, will fight for the first-ever E1 trophy in Hong Kong this fall.
What’s cool about the E1 Series, aside from being an exciting new venture in all-electric motorsports, is the championship series’ keen focus on sustainability and marine life. Since its inception, E1 has set out to protect and regenerate coastal waters by promoting clean technologies, aiming to boost marine biodiversity by 40% in the locations it chooses for its events.
Today, E1 announced it is taking that mission a step further by adding some more friendly competition to the mix. In addition to the UIM Championship Series, E1 teams will now compete in a separate contest called the Blue Impact Championship, imploring its racers to do the most to secure our world’s waters… and another trophy.
E1 emphasizes marine sustainability in new championship
The E1 Series shared details of its new Blue Impact competition today. This season, it will begin as a trial initiative before rolling out as a secondary Championship series in season two next year.
The new championship evolved out of E1’s existing Blue Impact Program, in which the racing league collaborates with host cities, partners, non-government organizations (NGOs), and scientists to address coastal habitat issues. Each Grand Prix includes efforts to share knowledge and address change through meetings, panels, and workshops. E1 co-founder and CEO Rodi Basso spoke about the new opportunity for the league’s team to compete while bettering the environment:
E1 has environmental impact as part of its DNA. From its inception, we have balanced the need for speed with the needs of the planet. The launch of the E1 Blue Impact Championship provides a blueprint and pathway for each of our participating teams to become active partners in our mission, and for them to be acknowledged for their innovations and inventiveness in supporting appropriate initiatives. It’s an exciting challenge for both us and the teams and provides a new and progressive arena in which to compete.
From now on, racing teams will have to take action to support aquatic conservation and restoration programs and help advance the necessary research and technology to protect marine habitats. Those efforts will help E1 teams climb the rankings throughout the season before a Blue Impact Championship is crowned.
The winner will partially be in the hands of E1 fans, who will vote for who they think put in the most effort. Those votes will account for one-third of the total score, alongside votes from an expert jury of ocean scientists and conservationists.
With three events left this season, fans and experts will vote for the first-ever E1 Blue Impact Championship team this fall. The league has already reopened its Pilot Academy in search of fresh racing talent for season two, so expect to see even more teams competing on the water and in marine workshops next year.