Tag: portland

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Cassidy rules supreme and wins in Portland

25 June 2023

A stunning display saw Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy claim his third win of the season at the inaugural Portland E-Prix as both championships are up for grabs.

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship did its thing in the Pacific Northwest for the first time on Saturday for the Portland E-Prix, and Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy did his thing, winning for the third time in 2023 to reignite his, and Envision Racing’s, championship challenge.

Cassidy began his afternoon in Oregon sitting in third place in the Drivers’ Championship standings, six points adrift of Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. Despite starting the first ever Portland E-Prix in 10th, Cassidy judged his race to perfection, overtaking left, right and centre, mixing speed and strategy, to end up at the front when it mattered in a frantic E-Prix.

The Portland International Raceway is no stranger to dramatic motorsport battles. The fast and flowing circuit offered a different challenge from the more familiar street-circuit layouts, but proved a welcome home for the GEN3 Formula E machinery.

Amid the chaotic, sometimes three-wide pack racing in Portland, Cassidy’s team-mate Sébastien Buemi enjoyed a rewarding afternoon. The Swiss driver started back in 16th, but kept out of trouble and saved energy well to cap his best result since April’s Berlin E-Prix, claiming fifth in North America.

THE RACE

Cassidy started the inaugural Portland E-Prix in 10th place, for the third race in a row. The Envision Racing Driver made immediate progress, and as up front polesitter Jake Dennis held the lead, Cassidy found himself in fifth by the beginning of lap two of 28.

From the opening laps it quickly became clear patience, and a strict energy saving strategy would be key to success in Portland. By lap three, Cassidy tentatively cycled to the lead, relegating Dennis to second, with Rene Rast holding third. On lap four, Cassidy became the first of the frontrunners to take an Attack Mode phase, dropping to fourth.

 

One lap later the first safety car was triggered by the stricken Mahindra of Roberto Merhi, with the restart coming on lap seven and Norman Nato heading the pack. As several of the leading drivers including Cassidy took Attack Mode, further back, Envision Racing’s Buemi managed to make ground, moving up to 12th.

Back at the front it was a calculated tussle, with drivers giving themselves plenty of racing room as the positions swapped in anticipation of a late-race squabble for the win. As Cassidy took the lead on lap 10, a sizeable crash for Nico Müller brought out another safety car phase. 

With the heavily damaged Abt removed from the circuit, racing resumed on lap 16 with Nato heading the field to the green flag, and Cassidy fending off Maximilian Günther, before somewhat reluctantly retaking the lead on lap 18. Cassidy managed to artfully lead whilst also saving energy, putting him in a strong position for the closing laps.

By lap 20, the whole pack was playing a waiting game and saving energy, with Cassidy somehow remaining at the head of the field, finally being passed by António Félix da Costa two laps later.

For the first time the pack racing formation was broken, as da Costa pulled away from Cassidy, with Günther holding third, as it was announced that due to the earlier safety car phases, four laps would be added to the initial 28-lap race duration.

Cassidy retook the lead at the beginning of lap 27, passing da Costa at the final turn as Dennis moved into third. Third became second for Dennis as the race entered its final four laps and the battle for victory was well and truly on with Cassidy up front.

Da Costa passed Cassidy at the end of lap 29, only to be repassed by the Envision Racing man a few hundred metres later as incredibly, Buemi found himself in fourth and in with a shot for a podium.

The final lap started with Cassidy up front. Could the Envision Racing driver hold on for a third win of the year? The answer was yes, as the Berlin and Monaco winner resisted a resurgent Dennis to take the chequered flag and end up just one point off the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.

Behind Cassidy, Buemi sealed a superb fifth place to bag vital points for the Teams’ Championship, putting Envision Racing just four points adrift of Porsche as the team heads back to Europe for the final four races of the season.

“We’ve had a good run in America over the last couple of years, and I love racing here,” said Cassidy.

“That race was fun, it was so close and the battle with both da Costa and Jake was pretty intense. Credit to Envision Racing, what a car, what a powertrain, it allowed us to move up the field and fight at the front and get the win.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 12):
1. Jake Dennis, 154pts
2. Nick Cassidy, 153pts
3. Pascal Wehrlein, 136pts
4. Mitch Evans, 122pts
5. Jean-Éric Vergne, 97pts
8. Sébastien Buemi, 72pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 12):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 229pts
2. Envision Racing, 225pts
3. Jaguar Racing, 190pts
4. Avalanche Andretti, 177pts
5. DS Penske, 139pts

LATEST NEWS

Envision Racing’s title challenge heads to the United States

19 June 2023

Another new track awaits the team as the Portland E-Prix sees Formula E visit the Pacific Northwest for the first time ever. 

Since its inception in 2014, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has visited the United States six times, but the Portland E-Prix will mark the first time the sport will race outside New York City. And what a spectacle it promises to be.

The vibrant and lively city of Portland, Oregon is located 278km south of Seattle and in the United States beautiful Pacific Northwest region, responsible for grunge music, Frasier, Twin Peaks and, in the Portland International Raceway, one of the most scenic motorsport venues in North America. 

Envision Racing, and their two drivers Nick Cassidy and Sébastien Buemi, head to these new racing pastures following a difficult double-header at the Jakarta E-Prix. Cassidy started the weekend at the summit of the Drivers’ Championship standings, ended it sitting in third place, but still just six points adrift of leader Pascal Wehrlein.

With the Portland E-Prix marking the final non-European race of the year, and just four races remaining after that, both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships are far from decided and the competition will be white hot.

THE CHALLENGE IN PORTLAND 

Unlike many circuits that make up the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar, the Portland International Raceway is a permanent motorsports facility. Most notably, it has hosted IndyCar competition for several decades, as well as other top-level racing series.

The 3.190km circuit features 12 varying corners, and features a huge challenge right at the beginning of the lap; the chicane.

If other racing series are any indicator, more often than not the heavy braking required from the long start-finish straight to get slowed down for this part of the circuit can cause some serious drama. It will certainly provide some thrills and spills, both at the start of the E-Prix as the pack funnels through the right-left-right sequence of turns, and also later in the race, as it will provide a key overtaking place.

As well as a place to gain positions, the chicane will be key in qualifying. Get it right and you will be set up for a quick lap, and potentially a place in the qualification duel.

After the chicane, the circuit opens out into an increasingly flowing challenge with a quick back section which will stretch the capabilities of the new faster, more efficient GEN3 machines, and provide a stage for plenty of overtaking.

LAST TIME OUT IN JAKARTA

Following those two scintillating back-to-back victories for the team in Berlin and Monaco, it was a bit of a reality check last time out at the Jakarta E-Prix.

In the key double-header weekend, the best result for the team came with seventh for Cassidy in Saturday’s opening race, whilst team-mate Buemi had a day to forget, ending up 20th. It wasn’t all bad, however, and Cassidy bagged the fastest lap and an additional point along with six valuable championship points.

The following day, round 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship proved to be the lowest point of the season so far for Cassidy and saw the Kiwi knocked off the top spot in the Drivers’ Championship. A mid-race error resulted in an 18th place finish and with it just the second time in 11 races that Cassidy failed to score points.

Despite this, amid the broiling heat of the Indonesian capital, Buemi managed to end the weekend’s final race in the top 10, showing grit and determination to battle back from an early race setback to snatch 10th and crucial points for the Teams’ Championship.  

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 11):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 134pts
2. Jake Dennis, 133pts
3. Nick Cassidy, 128pts
4. Mitch Evans, 109pts
5. Jean-Éric Vergne, 97pts
9. Sébastien Buemi, 62pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 11):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 212pts
2. Envision Racing, 190pts
3. Jaguar Racing, 171pts
4. Avalanche Andretti, 156pts
5. DS Penske, 139pts

RANDOM FACT 

Back in 1997, the premier American single-seater series CART saw a thrilling three-way finish, and one of the closest ever on a road course at the Portland International Raceway . 

On a damp track, British driver Mark Blundell managed to beat rival Gil de Ferran and Raul Boesel by half a tenth of a second, to score his first win in the series and etch the circuit into motorsport legend.

WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH THE PORTLAND E-PRIX (ALL TIMES BST)

24 June Free Practice 1 – 01:25 – 01:15

24 June Free Practice 2 – 18:25 – 19:15

24 June Qualifying – 20:40 – 21:55

25 June Race – 01:03 – 02:30

Follow Envision Racing here as they look to continue fighting at the front in Formula E in 2023.