Auckland Formula E race may miss this season

Vehicle imports may be spared disruption in late 2019 and early 2020 with a Formula E race on Auckland’s waterfront now in doubt for that time frame.

A consortium including ASB Classic tennis tournament director Karl Budge and New Zealand Innovation Council chief executive Craig Cotton secured rights to run the international electric grand prix in Auckland.

Ports of Auckland would consider opening Bledisloe Wharf for a circuit, but Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) doubts the race can be held this year.

“The timing for hosting an event here in 2019 is unlikely to work,” ATEED destination general manager Steve Armitage told Stuff.

“We would need to conduct a full feasibility for any council investment, in conjunction with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), and the deadlines for funding being confirmed are tight.

“Central government shares this position.”

The Formula E event could generation $150 million annually for Auckland, sports research company SMG found.

Cotton says trying to secure a race for 2019-2020 means a very tight timeframe.

A full feasibility study through MBIE and ATEED might take up to nine months, which means possibly missing the 2019-2020 season.

“We had a really good meeting with them prior to Christmas and the plan is to catch up with them early in the new year just to see whether or not there is the ability to shorten that MBIE process, or get some guarantees so we can at least go back to Formula E and make sure we don’t lose that window,” Cotton says.

Ports of Auckland (POAL) told Stuff late last year it had been in talks with the consortium about the race.

“The promoters’ idea is to hold the event on Ports of Auckland’s roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) terminal, which is made up of Bledisloe and Captain Cook wharves,” a POAL spokesman says.

“Ports of Auckland supports the idea of holding Formula E in Auckland and is considering the use of port land for the event, but nothing has been confirmed yet.”

Kiwi Mitch Evans was fourth at Ad Diriyah in Saudi Arabia on December 15 in Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s new I-Type 3 race car in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship fifth round starter. His brother Simon won the inaugural Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy race there, a support series to Formula E.

The next Formula E event is in Morocco on January 12.