An electric racing world championship series is returning to east London and one of its drivers is excited at the prospect of fans at his home race.
Formula E will be at the ExCeL Centre in Newham's Royal Docks on July 30 and 31 after the first races at the venue were held amidst the Covid pandemic last year.
Oliver Turvey, who drives for the Nio 333 team, spoke to this paper during a launch event at Protein Studios in Shoreditch for the upcoming London E-Prix.
He said: "As a British driver, it's super exciting to get the chance to race in London and looking forward to it as a home race.
"It's great to have fans back. It makes the atmosphere for us racing so much better and the whole event is massively improved."
The 35-year-old, who is also a test driver for the McLaren Formula 1 team, is hopeful of picking up some points in London after finishing seventh in Rome.
The track at the ExCeL goes both inside and outside the arena in a layout Formula E describes as a first for elite motorsport.
Turvey called it a "fantastic venue", adding: "It was a cool race. I think there's lots of overtaking opportunities.
"It's quite a challenging track, quite tight and twisty but there was a lot of grip so it was a fun track to drive."
He also felt the accessibility of the venue made it an attractive event to attend.
"It's easy to get to compared to a circuit so it's a fantastic venue for everyone in London to come to the race.
"Formula E is great for families, great for children because it's not as noisy as other forms of motorsport."
A Formula E car featuring a design by street artist Mr Cenz was also unveiled to mark tickets going on sale.
It features east London landmarks and one of his murals was a backdrop for the reveal.
Mr Cenz said: "I’ve painted lots of murals in the area over the years, so working with Formula E to celebrate the return of the London E-Prix has been a huge passion project for me.”
Chart topping DJ Jax Jones will also be performing over the race weekend.
Tickets for the London E-Prix are now available at fiaformulae.com/london.
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