A tropical storm delayed the start Sunday of the finals of the world’s first all-electric powerboat racing series taking place in Africa.
The E1 Lagos Grand Prix — the penultimate round of the season after Monaco — is taking place on Lagos’s lagoon in Nigeria, featuring nine teams, ahead of the season finale in Miami later this year.
Africa is the fourth continent to host the championship in its second season, part of the championship’s expansion plan.
Organisers were monitoring weather forecast updates, waiting for the thunderstorms to clear, as the bustling city of more than 20 million people was covered under grey skies and showers.
The race is a “major milestone for Nigeria as it continues to build its reputation as a global destination for world-class sporting events,” E1 organisers said.
Competitions have been held globally in iconic cities such as Jeddah, Doha, Monaco and Miami.
“There is a clear expansion plan,” Rodi Basso, founder and CEO of E1 told AFP. “Africa needed to be there, the motherland needed to be there, so we are incredibly proud to be here.”
“We are incredibly proud to have moved from five races in two continents in season one to seven races in four continents in season two,” he said.
Ivory Coast football legend Didier Drogba and his partner Gabrielle Lemaire were instrumental in bringing the race to the continent for the first time.
Global sporting and entertainment celebrities, including Drogba, Super Bowl legend Tom Brady, American basketball great LeBron James, and Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal own E1 teams.
The pilots sailing the boats, a man and a woman for each team, are drawn from various sports, including motorsport, go-karting and powerboating.
