12
BROOKLYN WEEKLY, JULY 21, 2019
TRACK SIDE: (From left to
right) Storm Field, Richard
Alexander, Paul Merlo, and
Suzanne Kolker got an up-close
view of the race. HIGH SPEED: Racing fanatics descended on Red Hook for the third annual weekend Formula E at
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and Pier 11. Photos by Erica Price
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
This race was electric!
A fandom of international
speed freaks descended
on Red Hook
for the neighborhood’s
third Formula E event,
a weekend-spanning
thrill fest and capstone
to the world’s premier
battery-powered racing
championship.
Nearly two dozen drivers
from 11 different
teams maneuvered their
emission-free, whisperquiet
racers through lap
after lap of a 1.5 mile track
that snaked through the
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
and Pier 11 on Saturday
and Sunday.
One out-of-towner traveled
from the country’s
bucolic Nutmeg State for
a chance to take in the
high-velocity action as
a volunteer track marshall,
helping to ensure
the event runs smoothly
in exchange for the best
seats on the track.
“It’s almost like they
can go from stand still
to full speed in a splitsecond,”
said Desiree
Faulkner, who made the
trek from Connecticut
for the weekend with her
husband and a friend.
“You can’t get any closer
unless you’re a driver.”
The double-bill racing
event wraps up Formula
E’s 2018/19 season, which
saw drivers duke it out
at such international locales
as Hong Kong, Monaco,
Marrakesh, Rome,
and Paris.
Driver Robin Frijns
of the Netherlands won
the final race for Britain’s
Envision Virgin
Racing team, while JeanÉric
Vergne scored more
points and came out on
top of the overall championship
for China’s DS
Techeetah team.
The Frenchman’s victory
on Sunday follows
his first-place trophy
from last year’s event ,
securing his place as the
Formula E’s first twotime
winner.
Racers last year had to
swap batteries mid race to
reach the fi nish line, but
this year utilized cuttingedge
storage cells to fi nish
each circuit — which
can stretch to as long as 62
miles — on one battery.
And that’s pretty rad,
according Faulkner, who
said the tech that powers
the racers of today’s racers
will soon juice the passenger
vehicles of tomorrow.
“What happens on
racetracks is the testing
grounds for what we end
up in passenger cars, from
safety to battery technology,
it’s all initially tested
on the race track,” the
race marshal said. “It’s
the new technology, it’s
the future.”
Positive charge
Formula E returns to Red Hook for third year