Guenther makes strong start in Race at Home Challenge with win in Hong Kong
Fast facts
MAHINDRA RACING CONFIRMS D’AMBROSIO AND WEHRLEIN FOR FORMULA E ESPORTS COMPETITION
Jerome D’Ambrosio and Pascal Wehrlein will race in the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge
Round 1 takes place on the Hong Kong E-Prix track on Saturday 25 April 2020
The new Esports competition will raise funds for UNICEF
23 April 2020 – Mahindra Racing drivers Jerome D’Ambrosio and Pascal Wehrlein will this weekend swap real life racing for virtual racing as they line-up for Round 1 of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge. Jerome and Pascal will take to the virtual Hong Kong E-Prix track on Saturday 25 April for the opening race of this new eight-week Esports competition, which is the first major fundraising initiative in Formula E’s partnership with UNICEF that aims to keep children around the world safe, healthy and learning in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
The #64 and #94 drivers will participate in a one-lap qualifying session, which follows the Formula E championship’s four group format, with each group consisting of six drivers. The race takes the format of a ‘Race Royale’ battle; after lights out on the race, one driver will be eliminated after every lap until there are 10 drivers remaining to battle it out in one final ‘sprint to the finish’ lap to determine the winner. The race points system will be the same system the championship uses; 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 distributed to the top ten, with one point awarded to the driver with the DHL Fastest Lap and one point to the driver who qualifies in Julius Baer Pole Position. Drivers will be fighting hard for the chance to become the inaugural Formula E sim series champion.
Following the temporary postponement of the 2019/20 season, the eight-week ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge blends together the real and gaming worlds. Fans will be able to watch all the action on the Formula E website, Facebook, YouTube and Twitch accounts. Mahindra Racing’s passioneers can also follow Jerome and Pascal on their individual Twitch streams as well.
Round 1 of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge takes place on Saturday 25 April from 15:30 BST and will take place each Saturday for eight weeks.
(Source: Mahindra Racing)
FIGHT TODAY FOR A BETTER FUTURE TOMORROW
Mahindra Racing releases special podcast episode to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day
The squad continues to set the benchmarks in sustainability and remains the only Formula E team to achieve FIA Environmental Accreditation
Mahindra Racing remains committed to making positive changes for the environment
Mahindra Racing today celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with a special episode of the team’s podcast, Straight Torque. The ‘Fight today for a better future tomorrow’ instalment discusses plastic reduction on everyday household items, achievable sustainability tips in isolation and socially responsible initiatives that can have a positive impact on the environment and fight against climate change.
This episode of Straight Torque (Series 2, Episode 7) honours Earth Day with its special guest line-up. Renowned ABB FIA Formula E Championship presenter Nicki Shields is joined by the team’s CEO and Team Principal Dilbagh Gill, Formula E Senior Sustainability Consultant Julia Palle and Non Plastic Beach Co-Founder Gareth Dean.
Mahindra Racing set the sustainability benchmark by becoming the first Formula E team, and only the second motorsport team worldwide, to achieve FIA Environmental Accreditation in November 2016. After an audit in 2019 the squad retained its two star rating and remains the only team in the world’s all-electric motor racing series to be recognised by the FIA’s environmental certification. Ahead of the 2019/20 season, Mahindra Racing continued to spearhead environmental campaigns with its Fanboost initiative; the commitment to plant a tree for every vote the team’s drivers receive throughout the season.
Straight Torque was launched in January 2019 following the inaugural Diriyah E-Prix and has featured a number of special guests including Will Buxton, Manish Pandey and Paige Toon. It is available on all usual podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud and video versions for the second series are available on the team’s YouTube channel.
DILBAGH GILL, CEO AND TEAM PRINCIPAL: “Mahindra Racing is proud of the recognition it has achieved through its sustainability and environmental initiatives to date, and we always want to reach out to new audiences to educate and inform people of the some of the challenges we face on a global scale. As a team on the track and at home, we always ask ourselves what more we can do to help? That’s where our special Earth Day episode with Nicki, Julia and Gareth comes in. We’re using this day to try and inspire people to make small differences to their everyday routines; fight today for a better future tomorrow.”
(Source: Mahindra Racing)
STATEMENT ON CALENDAR UPDATE
With strict containment measures continuing to be put in place globally by governments to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Formula E together with the FIA have jointly decided to extend the season suspension until at least the end of June.
Formula E and the FIA continue to use its flag-based system to determine the status of each race. A red flag representing that no races will happen, a yellow flag indicating a time window to potentially restart racing and a green flag meaning we are ready to race again.
We can now confirm that red flags have been applied to the months of May and June, meaning the Berlin E-Prix can no longer take place as originally planned on June 21.
July has now become a yellow flag month, with the opportunity to host events or reschedule races remaining open should the coronavirus situation stabilise.
We aim to return to racing as soon as possible, but our priority in all decision-making must be the health and safety of our staff and the entire Formula E community of teams, manufacturers, partners, drivers and fans, as well as the citizens and residents of the cities in which we race.
We are assessing all available options in order to finish the season with the highest number of races possible. This contingency planning continues to explore staging races behind closed doors, using permanent track facilities, introducing new double headers and extending the season beyond its original end date.
Ticket holders for the Berlin E-Prix will be contacted with further information in due course.
(Source: FIA Formula E Championship)
FORMULA E REVEALS NEW ESPORTS COMPETITION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNICEF AS FIRST MAJOR FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE
– As part of its partnership with UNICEF, Formula E launches a new esports competition to raise funds that will go towards the global coronavirus appeal
– Two grids, one featuring all the teams and drivers from the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, and another with a selection of the fastest gamers, will compete in a ‘race royale’ style format from the safety of their own homes
– Nine-week programme to be showcased live across Formula E digital assets, social and gaming platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as Formula E broadcast partners
– Formula E to blend the real and gaming worlds with the winning gamer securing real-life track time on a Formula E circuit during a race weekend
LONDON, UK (April 15, 2020) – Formula E has today launched the first major fundraising initiative of its partnership with UNICEF: the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge, a nine-week ‘race royale’ style esports competition featuring all the teams and drivers from the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, as well as a selection of top gamers. The competition will raise funds for UNICEF and increase awareness of the global coronavirus appeal.
The world of gaming will allow the entire ABB FIA Formula E Championship community of teams, manufacturers, partners, drivers and fans to be a part of live online races while raising funds for UNICEF to keep children around the world healthy, safe and learning during the coronavirus crisis.
Donations from the competition will be directed by UNICEF to comprehensive emergency projects around the world, such as those contributing to the supply of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and setting up home learning schemes for children currently out of school.
The ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge will feature two separate grids running in parallel, one comprised of drivers from the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and the other one filled by some of the fastest gamers and influencers. The winning gamer will make the transition from the gaming world to secure real-life track time on a Formula E circuit during a race weekend.
Drivers and gamers will compete using rFactor 2 simulator software in a number of online events taking place over a nine-week period from the safety of their own homes.
Races will be staged each Saturday beginning with a pre-season test event on April 18, before point scoring commences the following weekend. Points are then accumulated over consecutive race weekends contributing to the overall standings in the build-up to the Grand Final on June 13.
HOW IT WORKS
The ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge will take place every Saturday for nine consecutive weekends, starting with a non-point scoring pre-season test event on April 18.
The remaining eight events will follow the traditional scoring system with extra points for Julius Baer pole position and fastest lap. Double points will also be on offer at the final race.
Gamers will need to qualify ahead of each round and set a time using highly reputable rFactor 2 simulation software, which includes the latest generation Formula E car, up-to-date liveries of all the teams and iconic streets tracks such as Hong Kong and Monaco.
The quickest 18 drivers over the course of the set qualifying window, which runs from Monday to Thursday every week, will automatically progress to the main event and be joined by a selection of influencers and familiar faces from the world of motorsport.
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship drivers will also race against one another remotely using the same software, in a simulator provided by Playseat®, wheels and pedals from Fanatec and the latest gaming PCs, monitors, headphones and other peripherals by Asus.
Each driver and gamer will be under extreme pressure to deliver when it counts with a one-lap qualifying system to determine the order of the grid. The online events will use a race royale format that is specific to gaming, where the last-placed driver at the end of each lap is eliminated.
The process of elimination will continue until only 10 drivers remain, leaving a single lap sprint to the finish line to decide the points-scoring positions.
Both drivers and gamers will carry over their points to the following weekend, with the top-three sim racers automatically qualifying for the next event.
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans will be able to watch two live races each weekend, as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship drivers and gamers line-up separately during a single 90-minute broadcast.
The ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge will be available live globally across Formula E’s social media platforms including on the official YouTube channel, Facebook page and Facebook Gaming site, Twitch channel and via @FIAFormulaE on Twitter.
Formula E will also be streaming all the races live on www.FIAFormulaE.com. Teams, drivers and championship partners will also be able to embed live coverage across their own digital and social platforms, as will production partner Motorsport Games at www.motorsportgames.com.
Further to this, a selection of Formula E’s international network of broadcast partners will also be offering live coverage and highlights on both linear and digital platforms from April 25.
Make sure you don’t miss out and add the events to your calendar by clicking here.
World feed commentator Jack Nicholls, Formula E pitlane reporter Nicki Shields and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti will form part of a fully remote presentation team. They will be adhering to social distancing measures from their own homes, while keeping fans informed and calling the action as they see it.
(Source: FIA Formula E Championship)
DRIVEN BY DESIGN: THE ISOLATION CREATION EDITION
/ Driven by Design opens on Wednesday 15 April 2020 at 10:00 (BST) and closes on Friday 1 May 2020 at 23:59 (BST).
/ The Team’s favourite entries will be featured on the Mahindra Racing social media channels with Team Principal, Dilbagh Gill, choosing a selection of entries to win a video call with one of the team’s drivers.
/ The squad has teamed up with Popbangcolour to present three art tutorials to watch at home.
15 April 2020, Banbury, UK – Mahindra Racing is excited to announce that its Driven by Design campaign is back for a fifth consecutive year, but this time with a twist. Launching today, on World Art Day, the team is calling on its passioneers from across the world to get inventive and send their isolation creations to competition@mahindrafe.com. Entries can also be sent via Mahindra Racing’s social media channels. Unlike previous seasons, this year’s competition is open to all forms of creativity with the theme ‘What’s Your Art?’
The Driven by Design isolation creation can include any type of art, from drawings and written pieces to musical scores and model cars. All artistic pieces can be submitted as images, videos or in written form. The team’s favourite pieces will be featured on its social media channels as it uses art to bring Mahindra Racing fans together during this period of isolation. Team Principal, Dilbagh Gill, will also choose a selection of his favourite entries to win a video call with himself and one of the Mahindra Racing drivers.
To help get the creative juices flowing, Mahindra Racing has teamed up with renowned contemporary British artist Popbangcolour to present three art tutorials. Tune in to the team’s social media channels on Friday 17 April, Wednesday 22 April and Monday 27 April 2020 at 14:00 (BST).
Previous Driven by Design campaigns include designing the team’s race car livery (M3Electro and M4Electro), a special race suit (Nick Heidfeld and Pascal Wehrlein for the Berlin E-Prix) and a helmet for Jérôme D’Ambrosio for last season’s Marrakesh E-Prix.
(Source: Mahindra Racing)
FORMULA E PARTNERS WITH UNICEF TO SUPPORT GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS APPEAL
– Formula E joins forces with UNICEF to keep children around the world safe, healthy and learning in the face of the coronavirus pandemic
– Partnership with UNICEF will see Formula E launch fundraising initiatives and increase awareness through its global platforms
– Formula E and UNICEF are partnering due to a shared commitment to implement projects that create a better world for future generations
LONDON, UK (April 14, 2020) – Formula E has today announced it is teaming up with UNICEF to support the global coronavirus appeal, protecting vulnerable children and families most at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.
The partnership will focus on keeping children around the world healthy and learning in the face of coronavirus, with funds being directed to projects such as those contributing to remote learning programmes and the supply of essential protective equipment for hospital staff and care workers on the frontline.
Like UNICEF, Formula E has a vision of a brighter future for children and young people, growing up on a cleaner and safer planet. As a global sport with a purpose to counteract climate change by accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, Formula E is naturally placed to use its platforms to raise awareness of UNICEF’s work to protect children against the effects of coronavirus.
Working in partnership with UNICEF, Formula E will launch initiatives to raise funds in support of the global coronavirus appeal. These efforts will build upon an initial donation to UNICEF from Formula E, to make an immediate impact on the charity’s work.
UNICEF’s comprehensive response to the coronavirus pandemic includes tackling both the primary health and wellbeing of children and young people across the world, and a secondary impact of lost educational opportunities, as well as the discrimination and stigma which come from widespread misinformation.
The impact of coronavirus on children so far has been huge. Already, a staggering 1.5 billion children are missing out on education due to school closures. With major disruptions to the global economy, many families risk losing their livelihoods and falling into poverty. This situation is unlike any the world has ever known.
Formula E’s donations, fundraising and support in raising awareness of UNICEF’s mission aims to change the lives of children across the world for the better.
(Source: FIA Formula E Championship)
FORMULA E, FIA AND ALL TEAMS AND MANUFACTURERS AGREE ON COST SAVING MEASURES AMID GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
– Unanimous support from teams and manufacturers for cost saving measures to promote long-term financial stability of championship amid global coronavirus pandemic
– Formula E, the FIA and all teams and manufacturers collectively agree to delay the launch of the Gen2 EVO car until 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
– Changes to the technical regulations will cut development costs over the next two seasons in half with manufacturers limited to a single car homologation
PARIS, FRANCE (April 9, 2020) – Formula E and the FIA have today confirmed that the championship will reduce the financial burden on its teams amid the global health crisis by lowering development costs.
As part of the plans to reduce costs, Formula E, the FIA, the teams and manufacturers unanimously agreed to postpone the launch of the Gen2 EVO car until the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Following an e-vote, the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) ratified the decision to extend the homologation period, with manufacturers only able to alter powertrain components once over the next two seasons.
Teams can either introduce a new car in season seven, for a two-year cycle, or continue to use existing technology for the next season before homologating a new car the year after for a single season.
After discussion with manufacturers, the changes to the technical regulations have been made with the long-term financial stability of championship participants in mind.
Formula E and the FIA have taken a flexible and collaborative approach to decreasing spending, which will see car development costs cut by half over the next two seasons.
In addition to supporting its immediate community, Formula E is committed to finding more ways to fight the global health crisis and help others affected by the spread of coronavirus.
(Source: FIA Formula E Championship)
戴里斯辭任香港欖球總會欖球營運總監
[2020年4月6日，香港] 香港欖球總會今日宣佈為香港欖球界貢獻了12年的戴里斯 (Dai Rees) 將辭任欖球營運總監，自今年7月1日起生效。
欖總行政總裁麥偉彬(Robbie McRobbie)表示：「欖總和本地欖球界十分感謝戴里斯一直以來的投入和貢獻。他任內創造了不少香港欖球里程碑，我們很感激他對欖總和欖球運動的積極影響。球員和欖總職員將懷念與他共事的日子，我們亦對他的辭別感到惋惜，並祝願他日後一帆風順。」
戴里斯是欖總成就最卓越的教練之一。他自2008年加入欖總便擔任十五人隊教練，翌年亦執教七人隊，對香港欖球發展影響深遠。他在2017年獲委任為欖球營運總監前，曾出任欖球水平及培訓總監(Head of Technical Development and Performance Rugby)和總經理(高水平欖球及欖球發展) (General Manager of Rugby Performance and Development)， 全權監管欖球水平部以及發展和參與部的運動員和職員。
戴里斯循教練晉身高級管理層的仕途見證了其重要成長，亦與他的初衷——培訓、執教和個人發展不謀而合。如今，戴里斯已來港12年，他希望重歸故里，幫助年青人認清前路和塑造人生。
戴里斯說:「我的人生目標和願景運轉不息。我初出社會時是一名教師，之後晉身高級管理層至中學校長。作為一名策略管理人，我很懷念過往作為教師和教練時與人互動的時光。在家人的支持下，我當時決定轉而擔任Newport Gwent Dragons球隊和威爾斯國家隊的全職教練，之後便來到香港欖球總會。」
「我在這裡的經歷大同小異。作為教練的初期，我很榮幸與行政人員和教練如陶志雲(Ivan Torpey)、施尼芬(Nathan Stewart) 、基斯(Alex Gibbs) 和霍堅拿(Justin Faulkner)，以及年青球員如基夫(Keith Robertson)、華路雲(Rowan Varty) 、韋馬克(Mark Wright)和姚錦成，建立了長久的關係。能與這些年青人在欖球界共事並見證他們賽場外的職業發展實屬榮幸，我視他們為好友。 」
「隨著我們的高水平欖球、發展和參與部項目的成長，我主要負責管理和整合這三範疇的工作，這是令人雀躍的挑戰，但同時亦偏離了我希望透過與人接觸而影響他人的意願。」
「我最近獲得了個人發展和轉型教練的相關認證，這使我重新思考人生的下一段旅程應何去何從。我希望能把握機會與年青人共事以及與志同道合的成年人倡議健康和幸福的生活方式，從而改變世界。」
戴里斯的教練生涯成就卓著，他帶領香港男子七人欖球代表隊奪得「東亞運」銀牌、兩屆「亞洲七人欖球系列賽」冠軍，以及2014年「亞運」銀牌，藉此促成了七人欖球成為香港體育學院的精英項目之一，更為欖總之後於2018年在雅加達勇奪首個「亞運」冠軍奠下根基。此外，在他的帶領下，香港男子十五人欖球代表隊的世界排名穩定維持在前25名之內，成為亞洲區繼日本之後最具競爭力的隊伍。
戴里斯亦負責推進欖總高水平欖球平台的持續發展，尤著眼於青少年和女子欖球，相關成就包括香港女子十五人代表隊成為香港首支躋身「世界盃」決賽週(2017年)的運動隊伍、男子20歲以下青年軍連續6年橫掃亞洲錦標並7度亮相「世界青年欖球盃」(World Rugby U20s Trophy)。
戴里斯在2015年促成了「精英十五人欖球計劃」(Elite Rugby Programme) ，創立了欖總首個十五人欖球的全職系統，同時提高了本地欖球和國際賽水平。
這些領域所取得的成績亦令本地欖球前景一片光明，女子欖球的本地參與人數持續增加、過去7年70名曾參加「世界青年欖球盃」的球員已經在本地超級聯賽中充分磨練並準備好為港隊披甲，這對於符合國際欖球理事會(World Rugby)的延長代表隊資格規例十分重要。
戴里斯下一站是妻子家鄉英格蘭的舒茲伯利(Shrewsbury)。戴里斯續說:「我們一家很享受香港的生活。我們的孩子在這裡長大並視香港為家。離開總是百感交雜，但相信我已在此留下美好的印記。欖總和我的同事都知道每當他們有需要，我定會盡己所能支持。」
戴里斯會懷念過去14年的「國泰航空/滙豐香港國際七人欖球賽」（3次為威爾斯領軍，11次以香港欖球總會身份參與），他希望在2021年以觀眾身份享受賽事。
他道:「未來幾個月我將逐漸淡出欖總會的工作，但我期待回來的一天，這將十分有趣。我從未以觀眾身份參與『香港國際七人欖球賽』，亦未曾踏足南看台。我女兒告訴我那兒氣氛狂熱，或許我們回來時會和兒子一探究竟。」戴里斯對香港欖球界貢獻良多，毫無疑問他在香港大球場和香港欖球界都極受歡迎。
(資料來源: Elite Step Asia/ HKRU)
球會聲明：傑志職球員接受病毒測試 首12個結果全部呈陰性
【香港，2020年4月1日】
傑志一名職員在配偶確診患上2019冠狀病毒後，該名職員亦已成為今日衞生署衞生防護中心新增的確診個案之一，他昨晚(3月31日)已由衛生署安排送院診治。
傑志在該職員配偶初步確診後，已立刻安排全部教練、球員、職員及賽馬會傑志中心員工共70人和2位相關人仕進行病毒檢測，今日暫時獲知其中12人的結果，包括6名一隊成員及6名職員，全部結果呈陰性。
其餘檢測報告將待化驗所於稍後時間完成病毒測試後再作公布。
(資料來源: 傑志足球會)